Ajax is the club of Amsterdam and one that has fielded some world-class teams. As they have won four European Cups and other European trophies, their stars have lit up the European game. These are a few of the great Ajax players who have inspired their teams to glory.
Johan Cruyff played for the great Ajax teams of the 1970s and was the finest player in European soccer during the early 1970s at the heart of Holland’s Total Football revolution. With the Dutch club, Cruyff scored approximately 271 goals, which was a fantastic total for a midfielder. Cruyff won three European Cups with the club, and one of the best games came against Inter Milan in the 1972 final. In this match, Cruyff scored both goals to ensure a 2-0 victory.
Cruyff also starred for the Dutch Total Football team in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, which almost won that tournament. In the final, they were defeated 2-1 by West Germany, but it was still a great World Cup for the Netherlands.
Marco Van Basten was a striker who starred for Ajax during the 1980s. The striker scored almost a goal a game for the team. For four seasons, Van Basten was the top goal-scoring player in Holland’s first division. Aside from the leagues and cups that were won with the club, Van Basten also lifted the Cup Winners’ Cup with Ajax in 1987. In the final, Van Basten scored the winning goal for Ajax in a 1-0 victory.
Van Basten won the European Championship with the Netherlands in 1988 after scoring a fantastic goal against the USSR in the final. In this match, Van Basten struck a fine volley at a tight angle from outside the box, which beat the keeper and ensured a 2-0 victory for Holland.
Dennis Bergkamp was a deep-lying forward who scored some terrific goals from outside the box. Although not always the most prolific goal-scoring player, this forward scored more than 100 goals for Ajax and had excellent technique. Bergkamp played in the Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Cup-winning teams and other title-winning sides. For Holland, Bergkamp also scored 37 goals, making him the fifth-highest-scoring player for the Netherlands.
Edwin Van der Sar was Ajax’s goalkeeper in some of their best teams during the 1990s. The goalkeeper starred for the teams that reached two Champions League finals, including the 1995 Champions League-winning team. A great goalkeeper who played 130 games for Holland, Van der Sar kept plenty of clean sheets for Ajax and other sides.
These are just a few of the great Ajax players who, between them, won four European Cups, a UEFA Cup, and a Cup Winners’ Cup with the club. They were also regular players for the Holland national team, which lifted the European Championship trophy and almost won the FIFA World Cup. Such players were the crème de la crème of Dutch soccer.
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