History of AFC Ajax

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Several of Ajax' international trophies, including the Champions League and Intercontinental Cup trophies.

Dutch football. Historically, Ajax is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups
.

Ajax is historically one of the most successful clubs in the world; according to the

final on penalties to Juventus
.

Ajax is also one of three teams to win the continental treble and the

Karl Rappan Cup, a predecessor of the UEFA Intertoto Cup, in 1962.[5] Ajax plays at the Johan Cruyff Arena (previously known as Amsterdam Arena), which opened in 1996. They previously played at De Meer Stadion and the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium
(for international matches).

Amateur era

Ajax v Sparta Rotterdam in 1912

The club was founded in Amsterdam on 18 March 1900 by

The Iliad, Ajax was said to be the greatest of all the Greeks next to his cousin Achilles, and even fought an inconclusive duel with Troy's champion, Hector
. According to most accounts, Ajax died by suicide, thus, unlike Achilles, he died unconquered.

Ajax succeeded in promotion to the highest level of Dutch football in 1911 under the guidance of Jack Kirwan, their first official coach. The promotion meant that Ajax were forced to alter the club's strip, as Sparta of Rotterdam had the same kit, red-white vertical stripes with black shorts. Ajax adopted a broad vertical red stripe on a white background with white shorts, which remains the club's kit colours to this day.

Although their efforts were not unnoticed (Gé Fortgens became a frequent member of the Netherlands national team for many years), they were relegated in 1914. While they immediately bounced back, they had to wait until 1917 to regain higher level status again: they did become league champions in both 1915 and 1916, however the 1915 league was declared unofficial (due to World War I), whereas in 1916 they did not make it through the promotion round.

Under the guidance of

Willem II
without Jan de Natris, arguably the club's first star player, who missed the train to Tilburg and opted to stay in Amsterdam instead, earning him a fine of ten cents. In the following season, he received a six-month ban, though Ajax nonetheless performed well in his absence; not only did they retain the championship title, their 1919 campaign was also an unbeaten run for them, an accomplishment that was only repeated 76 years later by Ajax themselves.

Ajax moved into the 'De Meer' stadium in 1934

Now a regular contender for the Western Regional championship in the Netherlands, Ajax marched through the 1920s with regional titles in 1921, 1927 and 1928, in addition to a few minor cup victories. The 1930s would prove to be more successful, however; with household names as

golden age" (a reference to the 17th century, the heyday of the Dutch Republic
).

With eight regional titles (1930–32, 1934–37 and 1939) and five national championships (1931, 1932, 1934, 1937 and 1939), Ajax was the most successful team of that era in the country. The 1930s were also notable for the final culmination of the rivalry with

Olympic Stadium
for higher-profile games.

An Ajax team of 1947

As of the 1940s, perhaps in line with Jack Reynolds' retirement (he had stayed – save for a few spells of absence – on for the entire time as Ajax' manager since his entry in 1915), Ajax went through a period of rebuilding. Gerrit Fischer and Erwin van Wijngaarden were retained, with Joop Stoffelen, Guus Dräger, Gé van Dijk, Jan Potharst and later Rinus Michels and Cor van der Hart brought in. After a Cup Final victory in 1943, Ajax went on to finish second in the championship league in 1946 (behind HFC Haarlem) followed by a league championship win in 1947.

They became regional champions in 1950 again, though they never came near winning the championship. The season was notable for a match against SC Heerenveen, with Heerenveen coming back from 5–1 down to win 6–5. In 1941, Ajax performed the opposite: after being 6–0 behind to VUC in The Hague they managed to pull out a draw in the end (6–6).

Until 1954, the year that professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, Ajax had some minor successes, with the regional title in 1952 and a second place in the regional championship in 1954 (equal in points with fellow Amsterdam club DWS).

Professional football and the road to the top

In 1955, professional football was finally permitted in the Netherlands. Ajax was still far from the international top, as was demonstrated in the

Népstadion. Similar European failures followed in 1960, with Ajax being knocked out by the Norwegian amateurs of Fredrikstad FK and in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1961 by Újpest of Ferenc Bene
.

Ajax achieved some success on the domestic level, earning the first Eredivisie-championship in 1957 and again in 1960, the 1960 title decided by a playoff after equalling in points with arch-rivals Feyenoord. Ajax cruised to a 5–1 victory with a hat trick by striker Wim Bleijenberg.

Johan Cruyff played at Ajax between 1959–73 and 1981–83, winning 3 European Cups; his #14 is the only squad number Ajax has ever retired. Cruyff came back to manage the club from 1985–88.

Bleijenberg was not the top scorer, however.

Ton Pronk, Bennie Muller and a young Piet Keizer
, Ajax added the National Cup in 1961 and the Intertoto Cup 1962 to their trophy cabinet.

After missing out on the championship after a 5–2 defeat against PSV in 1963, Ajax entered a period of decline in the national league. Henk Groot left to Feyenoord that summer, and in 1964–65, they were near relegation. Things improved after former player Rinus Michels replaced Vic Buckingham as the head manager. Ajax managed to secure a midtable spot under Michels; however, Buckingham's second tenure saw the introduction of Johan Cruyff during a 3–1 loss at GVAV.

Michels started a revolution in Amsterdam, beginning with the return of Henk Groot and Co Prins, as well as the signing of goalkeeper Gert Bals. Michels built a side around the vision of "

Mistwedstrijd
.

Ajax sealed their second consecutive championship in 1967. They were not as dominant as the previous year, but with a seemingly unstoppable attack, they scored no less than 122 goals (still a national record), of which 33 were from Johan Cruyff, who, at just 20 years of age, was already the team's star player. It was also the season for another important milestone—for the first time in history, Ajax won the double (after defeating NAC Breda in the cup final).

It earned them European Cup qualification, being knocked out by

Real Madrid in the subsequent season, with Veloso
scoring the winner for Los Merengues in extra time after two 1–1 draws, results which greatly enhanced the reputation of the club.

Ajax won the Dutch title of 1968 overtaking Feyenoord, the league leaders for much of the season, and reached the European Cup final of 1969 in

Milan. In qualifying for the European Cup Final, Ajax defeated 1. FC Nürnberg in the first round. They were almost knocked out by Benfica in the second, losing 1–3 to them in Amsterdam but winning the second leg in Lisbon, 1–3. The decisive third match in neutral Paris was won 3–0 through two goals by Inge Danielsson and one by Cruyff. They repeated this score at home against the next opponent, Czechoslovak club Spartak Trnava, in the next round, but struggled in the second leg, narrowly qualifying on aggregate. In the final, Milan, lauded for their excellent defence and counter-attacks, easily won 4–1, with Pierino Prati opening the scoring after seven minutes and going on to score a hat-trick, while Velibor Vasović was the only Ajax player on the scoresheet after scoring from a penalty. Milan's win was capped by a goal by Angelo Sormani
.

Gloria Ajax: European dominance and treble

See also: Total Football (Totaalvoetbal)
Johan Cruyff This article is part of a series about
Johan Cruyff

Netherlands professional footballer

Eponyms and public art

Related

Totaalvoetbal school: Johan Neeskens, Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff
, at Amsterdam Airport in August 1976.

Following their loss in the European Cup Final, Ajax entered another period of rebuilding. Among the new additions were national top scorer Dick van Dijk and midfielders Gerrie Mühren and Nico Rijnders, while a second team player, Ruud Krol, was promoted to the first XI. They replaced Klaas Nuninga, Inge Danielsson, Theo van Duijvenbode (all sold to other clubs) and Henk Groot, who retired from football after an injury while playing against Poland. Ton Pronk and Bennie Muller were no longer as frequently in the first 11 after many years of service.

In 1969–70, Ajax won the Dutch league championship, winning 27 out of 34 games and scoring 100 goals. Feyenoord remained in contention throughout the season, but they had to settle for second place. Both clubs won a trophy, however, with Ajax winning the Eredivisie title while Feyenoord captured the

Napoli, Ruch Chorzów and Carl Zeiss Jena
).

Final
Ajax-Panathinaikos 2-0 in London, June 1971.

The year 1971 became the long-awaited year of glory, with Ajax winning trophies at both domestic and European level. For a substantial part of the season, Ajax seemed to be on their way to the European treble (a feat only previously performed by

1971 European Cup Final played at Wembley Stadium on June 2. There, 83,000 spectators witnessed a 2–0 victory over Panathinaikos, with goals from Dick van Dijk and an Arie Haan shot deflected by defender Kapsis. Captain Velibor Vasović could finally lift the European Cup after having lost two previous finals in 1966 with FK Partizan
and again in 1969.

In the following years, Ajax established itself as the foremost club in European football. Romanian coach

Stefan Kovacs replaced Michels in 1971, while Rijnders and Vasović departed in the same year; Van Dijk departed in 1972. Such changes in the side and management did not disrupt the success of the club, however, with Ajax completing the treble of European Cup, Dutch National Championship and the KNVB Cup in 1972 to which was added the Intercontinental Cup
. In 1973, Ajax won a third consecutive European Cup and another Dutch championship; however, failure in the KNVB Cup meant Ajax missed out on a second consecutive treble.

The departure of Johan Cruyff for

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Internazionale, Arsenal, Juventus and Independiente were beaten by Ajax between 1971 and 1973, failure in the European Cup at the hands of CSKA Sofia
in late 1973 signalled the decline of Ajax in European football.

Ajax's attempts to find a replacement for Cruyff after his departure proved difficult. A bid for Tom Lund, who had become established on the Norway national football team, but who at club level played at Norwegian tier 3 with Lillestrøm SK at the time,[7] fell through as Lund didn't want to commit to a long contract abroad.[8]

Nevertheless, the "

World Cup Final saw the end of the Total Football era. Years later, Ajax manager Tomislav Ivić
would dub the era Gloria Ajax, illustrating the impact of the team's years at the pinnacle of European football.

First renaissance and 1980s

Van Basten, Cruyff and Rijkaard in November 1986, on their journey to Greece (Piraeus).

After a period of decline, in 1977, with players like

Jan Molby, Ronald Koeman, John Bosman, Stanley Menzo, Rob de Wit, Aron Winter and Rob Witschge
in sequence of their first official match for Ajax.

Ajax parade the Cup Winners' Cup in May 1987. Arnold Scholten (left), (Frank Rijkaard), Sonny Silooy, Peter Boeve, Rob Witschge, captain Marco van Basten, (Stanley Menzo), and Aron Winter (right).

After leaving the club in June 1983 after a conflict with President Harmsen, Cruyff returned once again in June 1985 as the team's new manager. His attacking tactics were immediately illustrated in his first active season, where Ajax ended the season with a goal difference of +85, and 120 goals in total of which 37 were from Ajax's new star player, Marco van Basten. Despite this, Ajax finished only as runners-up in the league to PSV twice in a row in 1985–86 and 1986–87. Despite the lack of domestic league success, however, Cruyff's Ajax won the

KV Mechelen
.

Cruyff departed prior to the second Cup Winners' Cup Final largely as a result of the declining results on the domestic front. With most of the 1980s' stars such as Vanenburg and Ronald Koeman in the summer of 1986 leaving to rivals PSV Eindhoven, and Van Basten, Rijkaard and Silooy in the summer/autumn of 1987 also leaving to other countries in Europe, Ajax once again declined. They continued to compete for the title with PSV in subsequent years, who became the dominant club in European and Dutch football, matching Ajax's 1972 achievement of a continental treble in 1988. Negative aspects of the period 1988 from 1991 were the fraud-case in 1989 and a year-long ban from European competition in 1990–91 following an incident whereby a fan threw an iron bar at the Austria Wien goalkeeper during a UEFA Cup tie in the 1989–90 season. Under new manager Leo Beenhakker, who before had been assistant-coach (1978-1979) and manager (1979-1981) at Ajax, Ajax went on to win the championship race with PSV in 1989/90, almost also winning the league again in 1990/91, but narrowly losing-out to PSV.

Van Gaal era: European success and decline

Manager Spitz Kohn and assistant Louis van Gaal in 1988.

On departure to

Torino. Although he did not play the Final's second leg, the tournament saw the arrival of Dennis Bergkamp
, who contributed six goals during the competition. Despite Bergkamp being the top goalscorer in Dutch football in 1991 and 1992, Ajax once again finished as runners-up to PSV in the league. In 1992–93, Ajax even had to settle for a third spot for first time since 1984, though they nonetheless won the KNVB Cup.

In 1993, Bergkamp and Wim Jonk left to Internazionale, allowing Finn Jari Litmanen to establish himself as the new number 10 for Ajax. Aside from Litmanen, Ajax attracted Finidi George and the return of Frank Rijkaard, providing a base for Van Gaal to build on. Ajax won three consecutive league titles in 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96.

The 1994–95 season saw Ajax win both the

1996 Champions League Final
, losing to Juventus on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

The subsequent period, however, saw the departure of manager Louis van Gaal along with an exodus of many key players, several on free transfers following the

Dutch Cup in 1997–98. Despite this fine success, however, Olsen could not replace the key players who had departed or maintain the success that there had been under Van Gaal. As Olsen began his second season at the club, tensions arose between Dutch players Ronald and Frank de Boer and the Ajax hierarchy over a contract dispute. Results declined on the pitch as the contract row with the De Boers intensified, and Olsen was ultimately sacked late in 1998. In the 1998–99 season, Ajax finished sixth in the league, their lowest position since finishing 13th in the 1964–65 season, although they did win the 1999 Dutch Cup
.

Koeman / Blind / Ten Cate / Van Basten / Jol

In the

Maxwell) revealed they would leave the club at the end of the 2005–06 season
.

Blind was later sacked on 10 May 2006 after 422 days in charge, where he was replaced by Henk ten Cate, who had won the Champions League and La Liga title in 2006 as the assistant to Frank Rijkaard with Barcelona. Ten Cate gave youngsters Jan Vertonghen and Robbert Schilder a shot at making the team selection, whereas Greek forward Angelos Charisteas was sold to rivals Feyenoord.

Ajax missed out on a Champions League place in 2006–07 after their defeat against FC Copenhagen (3–2 on aggregate). As a result, Ajax played against IK Start from Norway in the first round of the UEFA Cup on 14 and 18 September, and won the match 9–2 on aggregate (2–5 away and 4–0 home). Having then progressed through the group stages, they drew German club Werder Bremen in the round of 32. In the first leg in Germany, Ajax lost 3–0. On the return leg in Amsterdam, they rallied for two second half goals to win 3–1, but lost 4–3 on aggregate.

Ajax players in 2010.

In the 2006–07 season Ajax also achieved some successes with ten Cate in charge. They won the Johan Cruyff Shield after a 3–1 win over rivals PSV and they also defeated AZ 8–9 on penalties in the Dutch Cup final after a 1–1 draw after extra time. Ajax was very close to clinch the Eredivisie title after deducting a ten-point deficit from PSV, but lost it on goal difference on the last matchday to PSV (PSV: 75–25, Ajax 84–35).

In the following

Real Madrid. Luis Suárez, seen as a replacement for Babel, was signed from FC Groningen. Ajax decided not to buy a replacement for Sneijder because of the difficulty in finding a similar-position type of player to replace him and also because the deal was finished close to the transfer deadline
and Ajax would not rush through any signings.

The fact that they did not find any replacement for Sneijder, backed with

Dinamo Zagreb but lost the tie in Amsterdam after extra time with the score 2–3 to Dinamo. With these string of European failures, coach Ten Cate was not able to carry the team through to the Champions League group stage for two seasons in a row and no European football at the ArenA for the remainder of the 2007–08 season. With these disappointing results, Ten Cate lost the confidence of the supporters, who demanded that the Board sack him. A more viable solution came when Chelsea, in the same week, offered Ten Cate the job of assistant manager on a three-year deal. On 9 October, Ten Cate left Ajax, whereupon Adrie Koster was selected to helm the squad. On 29 October 2007, captain Jaap Stam announced his immediate retirement from professional football due to a lack of motivation to continue. Ajax finished the season second and, following the Play-offs, qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup
.

Following UEFA Euro 2008, former Ajax striker Marco van Basten was appointed as the new manager, succeeding Koster. Johan Cruyff was poised to take up a new position with the club to overhaul the youth program, but after a dispute with Van Basten, he reneged on this commitment. Following Van Basten's appointment, a host of new players were brought into the squad, including Ismaïl Aissati and Miralem Sulejmani, whose €16.25 million transfer from Heerenveen broke the Dutch transfer record. Van Basten chose Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as the new club captain following his appointment, but in the January 2009 transfer window, Huntelaar transferred to Real Madrid on a €27 million deal, a decision for which Ajax were largely criticised in the Dutch papers. The Volkskrant, for instance, referred to Ajax as a mere "trading company" that reduced its chances for a title by selling its main striker.[9]

Ajax finished third in 2008–09 season, qualifying for the inaugural UEFA Europa League. Marco van Basten resigned after the penultimate game of the season, citing the season's results and his inability to perform better next season as main reasons. For the last game against Twente, the team was under the hands of assistant coach John van 't Schip. Later in the same month, Martin Jol was signed as the new coach.[10]

The 2009–10 season for Ajax started with two wins, but after an away defeat against rivals PSV and a draw against Sparta Rotterdam, they were again trailing the league leaders in the early stages of the competition. From matchday seven until matchday 27, Ajax held the third place in the league, with Twente and PSV above them, which held the top position respectively 10 and 11 games. Starting with matchday 21, Ajax won every single match until the end of the season. Twente however, unlike PSV, would not succumb to the pressure and eventually succeeded in keeping a one-point deficit to win the title. Ajax finished the season with a goal difference of +86 (106–20), which was more than double that of Twente (+40). Luis Suárez finished the season as top goal scorer with 35 goals, a record for a non-Dutch player in the Eredivisie. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the league title, Ajax would finish the season by winning a record 18th KNVB Cup by defeating Feyenoord in the final. (On their way to this cup triumph, Ajax also re-wrote the Dutch record books with a remarkable 14–1 victory at the ground of amateurs WHC in Round Four.)

The Velvet Revolution

Towards the end of 2010, Johan Cruyff criticized the board and playing style of Ajax. Cruyff made sure that Frank de Boer (an ally of Cruyff) became the new manager after Jol resigned due to poor results. Afterwards, Cruyff started concocting new plans to bring Ajax back to the top. He attempted to gain more influence in the board by putting allies in the council of members. In March 2011, the board of Ajax resigned due to be unwilling to implement Cruyff’s plans. After this, Cruyff himself took a seat on the supervisory board. Together with the four other supervisory directors, he started looking for a new board of directors. Eventually, the four other supervisors and Cruyff would again not be aligned with their vision for the club. The four other supervisors then tried to get Cruyff away by appointing Louis van Gaal as CEO of Ajax. It was known that Cruyff and Van Gaal were not fond of each other and had football philosophies that were not aligned. Cruyff was oblivious of the decision by the other four supervisors to appoint van Gaal as CEO, and as a result, filed a lawsuit as it was required by law for him to be privy to the appointment. In February 2012, the judge ruled that the appointment was not legally valid. The other four supervisors resigned and thus Cruyff had complete freedom to appoint the board he wanted and to carry out his plan. Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars, among others, were given a place on the board. The so-called 'Cruyff plan' has been the main line of Ajax's policy since 2012.

Success under De Boer

Ajax team lining up for a Champions League match against Lyon in 2011

De Boer's debut game was a 2–0 win over Milan, which rounded off a largely disappointing performance in a group that included heavyweights Real Madrid and Milan; Ajax picked up only seven points in the group stage and was consigned to play in the UEFA Europa League for the remainder of the season, eventually falling to Russian club Spartak Moscow in the round of 16.

On the domestic front, Ajax began turning out some much more positive results in February, losing only once from then on until the end of the season. The team faced Twente twice at the end of the campaign, first in the KNVB Cup Final, then in the final match of the 2010–11 Eredivisie. In the Cup Final, Ajax had the lead twice but succumbed to a 117th minute Marc Janko goal to lose 3–2 after extra time. One week later, there was a grandstand finish set up for the Eredivisie. Rivals PSV had lost pace and were sitting in third place, while Ajax sat in second place just one point below Twente. Thus, should Ajax win, they would overtake Twente and claim the league title. Ajax took the lead through Siem de Jong and a Denny Landzaat own goal just after half-time made it 2–0 to Ajax. Theo Janssen pegged one back for Twente, but it was not to be, as De Jong scored his second and Ajax's third with 12 minutes remaining to put the game to bed. Ajax thus leapfrogged Twente and walked out winners of the 2010–11 Eredivisie. This was Ajax's 30th championship, earning them their third star.

The

Klassieker. Ajax was marred by injuries towards the end of 2011, most notably to Nicolai Boilesen and transfer Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, who each missed five months or more, as well as Gregory van der Wiel, Siem de Jong and transfer Derk Boerrigter, who each missed a month or more. This led to disappointment in the Champions League, as Ajax failed to progress to the knockout stage by virtue of goal difference. The third-place finish in Group D with Lyon and eventual semi-finalists Real Madrid resulted in qualification to the Europa League knockout stages, where Ajax were drawn against Manchester United. United eliminated Ajax on aggregate, but not before Ajax beat the English powerhouse at Old Trafford 1–2 on a late goal by Toby Alderweireld. In the Eredivisie, Ajax opened the 2012 calendar year with a draw to then leaders AZ and losses in the Klassieker and to Utrecht. This left Ajax in sixth place, ten points behind leaders AZ. Ajax then proceeded to win their final 14 matches of the season for the second time in three years, winning Ajax their 31st championship.[11] On 5 May 2013, Ajax won their 32nd championship after a 5–0 home win against Willem II. The team became Amsterdam Sportsteam of the Year of 2013.[12] In 2013–14
, Ajax won their 33rd championship, their fourth consecutive league title for the first time in their long history.

Return to the European main stage

In May 2016, Frank de Boer announced that after 6 years and four domestic league titles, he would be leaving the club. Later in the month, it was announced that former Feyenoord technical director and player,

2017 UEFA Europa League Final, their first European final in 21 years. They would lose the match 2–0 to Manchester United
, whilst fielding the youngest side ever in a European final, averaging an age of 22 years and 282 days. For the third consecutive season, they finished runner-up in the Eredivisie, this time to Feyenoord.

Bosz would leave for

cardiac arrhythmia. Nouri was transported to a local hospital by helicopter where his condition was announced as stable. Less than a week after his collapse, however, it was revealed that Nouri had suffered severe and permanent brain damage.[13] He would lie in a coma for over a year. Nouri would regain consciousness around August 2018, two months after Ajax admitted that the treatment he received was "inadequate".[14] An external investigation would reveal that had Ajax's medical team used a defibrillator sooner, Nouri's condition could have been much different. In 2020, Abdelhak's brother revealed that was still bedridden and only able to communicate by raising his eyebrows and smiling. Nearly five years after the incident, it was announced in February 2022 that Ajax will pay the Nouri family €7,850,000 in compensation for loss of labor capacities and damages.[15]

Ajax would fail to qualify for both the Champions League and Europa League group stage in the 2017–18 season, and Marcel Keizer would be sacked before the turn of the year. On 21 December 2017, it was announced that FC Utrecht manager, Erik ten Hag, would replace Keizer with imminent effect.[16] Ajax would go on to finish runner-up in the 2017–18 Eredivisie for the fourth consecutive year, falling four points shy of PSV for the title.

The

AEK Athens. They finished as runner-up in the group stage and qualified for the round of 16, where they faced Real Madrid, who had won the previous three Champions League titles, a feat achieved by Ajax in the 1970s but by no other club in the Champions League era. After losing 1–2 in the first leg, they would go on to shock Real Madrid by beating them 4–1 in the Santiago Bernabéu
with an aggregate score of 5–3 in their favor.

Ajax would draw Italian giants Juventus in the Champions League quarter-finals. In the first leg at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Ajax held Juventus to a 1–1 draw. In Juventus's stadium, however, Ajax would once again go on the road and beat their opponent in their own stadium, this time by a score of 2–1 and an aggregate of 3–2. This meant Ajax qualified for a Champions League semi-final for the first time in over 20 years. Ajax traveled to North London to face English side Tottenham Hotspur, in the first leg of the semi-finals. They won the match 1–0, marking their ninth straight away match in the competition without a loss.[17]

In between legs of the Champions League semi-finals, Ajax would beat Willem II 4–0 to claim the 2018–19 KNVB Cup, Ajax's first piece of silverware since the 2013–14 Eredivisie title. Three days following Ajax's KNVB Cup triumph, the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals took place in Amsterdam. The match started off well for the Dutch side, with 19 year old captain Matthijs de Ligt netting an early goal in the 5th minute, followed by a 35th minute Hakim Ziyech goal to double the home side's advantage and leave them leading 3–0 on aggregate. The second half of the match was a completely different story, however. Lucas Moura would go on to net a second half hat-trick for the London side, including the winner in the 6th minute of added time. The match would end 3–2, with Tottenham advancing to the final via the away goals rule with an aggregate score of 3–3.

Despite Ajax's Champions League heartbreak, they would have to kick on and play two more Eredivisie fixtures to claim the shield, as they were equal on points with rivals PSV. The first of these two matches included a home match against manager Erik ten Hag's former Utrecht side. Ajax would go on to win the game 4–1. Immediately after the full-time whistle blew, Ajax match-goers and players alike watched PSV lose to fourth-placed AZ on the Johan Cruyff Arena big screen, thus putting PSV 3 points behind Ajax with one game remaining and 14 goals behind on goal difference.[18] Ajax cemented their title by defeating De Graafschap, again by a score of 4–1, on the final matchday. This would mark Ajax's 34th domestic league championship, the squad number that Abdelhak Nouri had worn for the senior team to signify his desire to win Ajax's 34th title.

End of the ten Hag reign

After taking the Amsterdam club through one of the greatest runs the club has seen in recent memory, Erik ten Hag was announced as manager of Manchester United on 21 April 2022.[19] His time in charge saw Ajax winning the 2 following Eredivisie titles in 2021 and 2022 as well as another KNVB cup in 2021. No title was given following the abrupt end to the 2019-20 season due to COVID-19, although Ajax were tied on points with AZ Alkmaar at the top of the table with 8 matches remaining to eventually never be played.[20] Following ten Hag to Manchester would be starlet Antony after the club received a record fee of €95 million for the 22 year old.[21] The club would also see defender Lisandro Martínez move to Manchester United for €67 million.[22] That summer, Ajax would receive €237 million in transfer fees along with spending €115 million on incoming transfers. Both figures are club records.[23]

A few weeks after ten Hag officially left the club, Ajax appointed Club Brugge boss Alfred Schreuder on 12 May 2022.[24] Schreuder was ten Hag's assistant manager at Ajax during the storied 2018-19 season. He was also an assistant to Julian Nagelsmann during their time at Hoffenheim, as well as an assistant to Ronald Koeman during his time in charge of Barcelona.[25] Schreuder would go on to start his tenure at Ajax in historic fashion by becoming the first Ajax manager of the 21st century to start an Eredivisie campaign with 5 wins, a feat achieved by no manager since Morten Olsen in 1997.[26] However, a series of 7 matches without a win resulted in the termination of Alfred Schreuder's contract. John Heitinga would finish the season as interim manager. Ajax ended the season in third place after champions Feyenoord and runners-up PSV, snapping a streak of four consecutive seasons with first-place finishes and missing out on qualification for the Champions League. Maurice Steijn, who managed Sparta Rotterdam at that time, was appointed as the manager for the 2023-24 season. Ajax and Steijn experienced the worst start of the season in the history of the club. Ajax would only win two official matches, did not win 8 matches in a row and found themselves back on 17th place, a relegation spot. Director of Football Sven Mislintat and Maurice Steijn were fired during the season.

References

  1. ^ "Europe's Club of the Century". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  2. ^ With Manchester United in 1999 and Barcelona in 2009.
  3. ^ UEFA sanctioned the UEFA Supercup for the first time in 1973. In 1972 was an unofficial edition and the 1st Centenary of Rangers (See "History of the UEFA Supercup". UEFA.com. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14.)
  4. ^ European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup.
  5. ^ UEFA sanctioned the UEFA Intertoto Cup for the first time in 1995. In the 1960s, it was unofficial. See "History of UEFA Intertoto Cup". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008.
  6. ^ "Ajax – 1893–1900: De pre-historie". AFC Ajax (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  7. ^ "Europas storklubber lå langflate, men Tommy nektet å signere – dette skjedde høsten 1973" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Vi Menn. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  8. ^ Smith, Nils Henrik (23 January 2023). "Tom Lund, el noruego que pudo ser Haaland antes de Haaland" (in Spanish). Panenka. Retrieved 2 April 2024. Pero las dificultades surgieron cuando el Ajax quiso que Tommy firmara por dos años y medio, mientras que el jugador quería comprometerse solo por un año. (…). Además, gestionaba un negocio fuera del fútbol y estaba construyendo una casa familiar en Lillestrom. Albergaba dudas sobre si comprometerse por un periodo tan largo y que su familia no se adaptara a la vida en Holanda o que las cosas no le fueran bien sobre el césped.
  9. ^ Vissers, Willem (8 December 2008). "In Volendam passen roze schoenen Sulejmani wel bij Ajax". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  10. ^ "Martin Jol new coach of Ajax". AFC Ajax. 26 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  11. ^ "Eredivisie wrap: Feyenoord earn CL spot, Ajax celebrate with win". Soccerway. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  12. RTV NH
    (in Dutch). 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  13. ^ "Ajax midfielder Nouri suffers 'permanent brain damage'". ITV News. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Ajax say Abdelhak Nouri's on-field medical treatment was 'inadequate'". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  15. ^ Matias Grez. "Ajax reaches $8.9 million compensation agreement with family of Appie Nouri". CNN. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  16. ^ "Ajax appoint Erik ten Hag as coach". Goal. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Champions League". BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Ajax 4-1 Utrecht: Hosts on brink of Eredivisie title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Official statement: Erik ten Hag". www.manutd.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  20. ^ "Dutch league canceled: Ajax denied title". ESPN.com. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  21. ^ "Sources: Man Utd agree €95m Antony deal". ESPN.com. 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  22. ^ "Man Utd agree deal for Ajax's Lisandro Martinez". ESPN.com. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  23. ^ Hughes, Simon. "What's left at Ajax after a summer exodus to Man Utd and beyond?". The Athletic. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  24. ^ "Ajax hire ex-No. 2 Schreuder to replace Ten Hag". ESPN.com. 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  25. ^ Sport (2021-05-07). "Nagelsmann wants Koeman's assistant Schreuder to join him at Bayern". sport. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  26. ^ Wijffels, Maarten (2022-09-11). "Ajax kent beste start in 25 jaar met ruime overwinning op Heerenveen". Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-09-13.
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