"I always greatly admired his leadership. Both as a player and as a coach there is nobody who taught me as much as him. He was a sportsman who put the Netherlands on the map in such a way that almost everybody still benefits from it. There is no one I learnt from more than Rinus Michels. I often tried to imitate him, and that's the greatest compliment one could give."
Johan Cruyff

"He knew exactly how to motivate a group of players - he was a master at lifting the tension in the dressing room, especially with his special sense of humour. At certain moments he could be very hard in making his decisions, but at other times he showed his warmer side."
Marco van Basten

"Rinus was a coach with natural leadership that we players respected. He was a man of few words, although he became a bit more open with time. These days a coach always has to explain himself, but for him that was not necessary. He stood above the group. I have learned a lot from him."
Ronald Koeman