AJ A* AMSTERDAM
Mm
ARMED WITH AN IMPRESSIVEHONOURS
LIST WHICH INCLUDES A STAGGERING
28 DUTCH TITLES AND FOUR EUROPEAN
CUPS, AJAX UNDOUBTEDLY RANK AS
ONE OF THE BIGGESTMOST SUCCESSFUL
TLLUBS IN WORLD FGOTBALL.
JARI
LITMANEN
THE VISITORS
Founded in 1900, Ajax did not make much
of an impression in Dutch football until the
thirties, when the club enjoyed their first
'Golden Era'. In a ten year period, the club
picked up seven league championships and
five national championships, and they had
their new 'De Meer' stadium in which they
could show off their skills.
From that moment on, Ajax remained
at the top end of Dutch football and in
the 1970's, they managed to convert
their domestic supremacy on to the
international stage.
Players such as Johan Neeskens, Arie Haan,
Ruud Krol, and the maestro Johan Cruyff,
combined to help the club win three
successive European Cups (1971-73), and the
quality of football produced
by Cruyff and Co. was up
there with the very best.
V ^jjjj - Cruyff himself picked up
(-^g European Footballer of
the Year award on three
occasions in 1971,1973,
and 1974 and was a symbol
I A of the Ajax style.
Despite winning the Cup Winners Cup in
1987 and the UEFA Cup in 1992, they had
to wait 22 years before they lifted the
European Cup again in 1995. That success
signalled several changes at the club.
The following year, the club waved good
bye to the famous 'De Meer' stadium and
moved into the state-of-the-art Amsterdam
Arena. Their success in Europe had also
attracted the cream of Europe to their
players, and the squad comprising of the
De Boer twins, Edgar Davids, Patrick
Kluivert and Clarence Seedorf among
others, eventually disbanded.
As the years have passed by, the one thing
which has always remained the same is
the Ajax philosophy. The theory of 'total
football' was developed at the club and was
transferred to the national team due to the
large influence of Ajax players.
It is almost impossible to describe it in
terms of a formation but'total football'is a
style in which the team attacks and defends
as a unit, and players interchange positions
without affecting the fluidity of their play.
It is a style that is taught in their world
famous youth academy and one which is
reflected in the way the club plays even
to this very day.
This is one of the features which makes
Ajax a unique, world class outfit, rich in
tradition, and one whom we warmly
welcome to The City Ground this evening.
