Good news, welcome back: Ajax Amsterdam officially announced the return of nine (9) key players…
As their sensational performance inside the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday sinks in, so too does the realisation that we only have a couple of months to enjoy this wonderful Ajax side.
Such is the club model in Amsterdam, stars are born…and then sold. It’s all part of the club philosophy—they take as much pride in seeing their homegrown talent flourish elsewhere as they do when they break into the Ajax first team.
That 4-1 UEFA Champions League round-of-16 second-leg victory over Real Madrid will go down in the history books. Even for a club that has won the European Cup/Champions League on four occasions, it was extremely special.
But the simple truth is that the team is going to be broken up over the summer. Midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was mightily impressive in Madrid and left 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric on his backside, was the first to be sold and others will follow.
De Jong agreed a move to Barcelona in January, and now we wait to see how many others follow him through the exit door.
“Ajax fans have come to expect their players to leave and they are prepared for several key players going this summer,” explains Michael Bell, founder of Dutch football website Football-Oranje. “There is a sense of pride around the De Jong move to Barcelona, and the same will be felt when Matthijs de Ligt goes.
“The realism is that Ajax can’t continually compete with the money they can receive abroad, and fans know this. As long as they stay for a few years and give their all, then fans are happy for them.”
So which players are most likely to leave?
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