Ajax from Amsterdam is the best football club in history. Millions of fans will not agree with the statement, but few will dare to argue that the team left a bright mark in the history of football.
Origin of a legend, curious facts
Amsterdam football clubs have their history since 1883, when three students founded a team called Union. The team ceased to exist in 1896, when the authorities gave the field belonging to it for development.
On March 18, 1900, Floris Stempel, with the support of friends, created, on the basis of the Union, the same Ajax, the football club of Amsterdam, which millions of fans know today.
The name and colors of the club owe their appearance to a beautiful legend. After a serious illness, the ancient Greek brother Achilles Ajax committed suicide, and a red-white flower bloomed on his grave.
The team’s location in the Jewish quarter caused Ajax, which included representatives of this nation, to be nicknamed “Jews.” During the years of occupation by the Nazis, belonging to the fans saved the lives of many fans, the Dutch hid them as they could.
In the top division of the Netherlands, “Ajax” made its debut in 1911, after 7 years it became the champion for the first time, a year earlier it won the country's cup. These were the first trophies that won the football clubs of Amsterdam.
Outstanding personalities of the great club
The phrase “Attack is the best defense” belongs to Jack Reynolds - the coach whose fans still remember and appreciate the merit, and the name is one of the stands of the former club stadium De Meer. Having headed the coaching staff in 1915, Reynolds instilled in players a fast, technical, attacking football, which remains a brand name to this day, 8 times led wards to victories in the national championship.
The Englishman became the author of the idea of a general strategy for building a game for players of all ages, which facilitates the adaptation of young talents in the main team. When he revealed the talent of Rinus Michels as a player, he laid the foundation for turning this gifted footballer into a great coach.
Rinus Michels occupied the coaching bridge in 1965, a year earlier Johan Cruyff made his debut as part of the “red-white”. It was Michels who convinced the management to pay special attention to children's football. The famous Ajax Academy subsequently released more than a dozen young talents who moved from Amsterdam to the best football clubs in Europe. Michels became the creator of the “total football” system, which allowed achieving brilliant results not only for the club, but also for the Dutch team.
The ingenious Johan Cruyff became the conductor of Michels' ideas on the football field. Three-time European Golden Ball winner, vice world champion, three-time European Champions Cup winner stands apart in the cohort of outstanding Ajax players. Surprisingly, the addiction to smoking did not stop Johan from becoming one of the most efficient, technical and smart football players in history.
Dennis Bergkamp, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkard, Jari Litmanen, Clarence Seedorf - only a small part of the legends of the Amsterdam club and world football.
Enchanting 70s
The heyday of Ajax began in the mid-sixties of the last century, when football clubs from Rotterdam and Amsterdam frantically fought for the title of best in the Netherlands and Europe.
Feyenoord was the first to achieve international recognition by winning the European Cup in 1970. A year later, the era of Ajax. The list of trophies of the most famous club in the Netherlands in the early 70's is amazing:
- Holland Cup - 1970, 1971, 1972.
- Championship of the Netherlands - 1970, 1972, 1973.
- UEFA Champions League - 1971, 1973, 1973.
- UEFA Super Cup - 1973.
- Intercontinental Cup - 1972.
The emblem of the Ajax football club (Amsterdam) was a real symbol of success in those years . The composition of the dream team has not changed for years.
Caliph for an hour or still great?
The triumphant 70s taught Ajax fans to big victories. Skeptics claim that it was a fleeting take-off and coincidence. 17 Dutch titles, 11 national cups, the Champions League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup, the Intercontinental Cup indicate otherwise.
The Youth Academy is rightfully considered the best in Europe. More than 60 graduates are currently playing in the top divisions of European championships. Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Suarez are the real stars brought up by the football clubs of Amsterdam.
True connoisseurs of the most popular game will agree that Ajax occupies a worthy place in the galaxy of outstanding clubs and the hearts of football lovers.