Why is Amsterdam’s Team, Ajax, so Famous?

Dutch professional soccer team AFC Ajax was founded in 1900, and has gone on to forge a stellar reputation in the world game.

Not only is the club the most successful in the domestic game, but it is known around the globe for producing great young players. The program produced some of the biggest names in Dutch football, including Johan Cruyff, Edwin van der Sar, Gerald Vanenburg, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp, Rafael van der Vaart and Patrick Kluivert. All of these stars were formed at the academy system that continues to produce a string of young talent to this day.

The team of 1995 was one of the best in Ajax history, winning the UEFA Champions League while playing some brilliant soccer. So good were the players, they made up almost the entire Netherlands national team, too.

Further back in time were the great teams of the 1960s managed by Rinus Michels, who implemented a system known as Total Football. He changed the course of Ajax history and world football, building a team that would win seven league titles, four domestic cups and three European Cups.

This period arguably cemented Ajax’s position as one of the biggest names in world football, and its youth setup kept the club relevant ever since, occasionally providing a stellar squad, like 1995, that catapults the team back to the top of the game.