No fewer than fifteen male Ajacieden and twelve players from the Ajax Women played their first match for the senior team in 2025. Six players made their debut in Ajax 1 in the second half of the 2024/2025 season. Oliver Edvardsen was the first Ajax debutant of this calendar year on 9 February away at Fortuna Sittard (0–2). Half a week later, Lucas Rosa made his first minutes in the European match against Union St. Gilloise. The Ajacieden coached by Francesco Farioli also won that match 0–2.
Bounida and Steur bring fresh impetus
Of the six debutants before the summer, three came from the youth academy. In that respect, the 4–0 home win on 16 February against Heracles was a fruitful one for the academy.
After Rayane Bounida replaced Brian Brobbey in the 77th minute, Sean Steur came on six minutes later in place of Steven Berghuis. The youngsters immediately brought fresh impetus to the Ajax team, something the home-grown top talents would also provide in the following season.
For the Belgian forward and the midfielder from Volendam, more playing time was reserved in 2025/2026. Bounida experienced a first highlight in the UEFA Champions League home match against Benfica, in which he was a standout with his dangerous dribbles and fearless play. In the cup match against Excelsior Maassluis – the final match of 2025 – he was even voted the best Ajacied by the Ajax fans, more on that later. Steur impressed in 2025/2026 with his silky touches and attacking way of thinking and acting.
First goal for Konadu
Don-Angelo Konadu was the third and final home-grown player to make his debut in Ajax 1 in 2024/2025, on 23 February. The striker made his first minutes in the home match against Go Ahead Eagles (2–0), the same match in which Brazilian goalkeeper Matheus also made his debut. Konadu picked up minutes later in the year and scored his first goal for Ajax 1 against Excelsior Maassluis.
The Ajax Women had only one debutant before the summer break, in the second half of 2024/2025. That honour went to Nayomi Buikema, who played her 'first' match on 1 March, 2025 away at Fortuna Sittard. The Ajacieden, coached at the time by Hesterine de Reus, won narrowly: 0–1. Over the entire calendar year, twelve Ajacieden made their debut for the women’s team. Four players progressed from the youth academy at sports complex De Toekomst.
The first half of the current 2025/2026 season is traditionally rich in debutants. The start of every football year brings new opportunities, and debutants are an inseparable part of that.
Bouwman plays entire season opener
Traditionally, the season opener is a match in which many newcomers can make their first official minutes. That was certainly the case for Ajax – Telstar in the opening round of the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie. On 10 August, home-grown Ajacied Aaron Bouwman played his first official match. He was immediately in the starting line-up and played the entire match. Ajax beat Telstar 2–0.
The Haarlem native had three fellow debutants in goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros, Oscar Gloukh and Raúl Moro; the loanee keeper from the Czech Republic and the two signings also made their debuts. Moro and Jaros started, while Gloukh came on as a substitute that day. Bouwman would get his chances in the first half of the season. The centre-back added extra lustre to his debut year with his goal in the home match against FC Groningen.
In the first away match of 2025/2026, new signing Ko Itakura wore an Ajax shirt for the first time. The first Japanese Ajacied started immediately against Go Ahead Eagles. He could not prevent his new club from dropping their first points: 2–2.
Debutant festival with Van Asten and Ilayah
On 6 September, there was a similar debutant festival in the women's opening match. That day, in the home match against ADO Den Haag (6–0), coach Anouk Bruil handed debuts to no fewer than five Ajacieden. Daniëlle Noordermeer, Isa Colin and former youth players Renee van Asten and Ilayah Dostmohamed all started, while substitute Joëlle Smits became the fifth debutant. With Smits, Ajax gained a very experienced player; the former FC Twente and PSV player had previously also been the Women's Eredivisie top scorer.
With five Ajax Women debutants, debuting coach Bruil surpassed the number of newcomers that head coach John Heitinga had fielded just under a month earlier during the season opener of Ajax 1 in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. After an earlier spell as interim head coach, Heitinga was, in a sense, also a debutant as head coach. At the beginning of November, Fred Grim succeeded him, and the former goalkeeper also went into the books as (albeit interim) head coach of the Amsterdammers.
Ilayah added extra colour and flair to her debut with a goal, making her the youngest scoring debutant ever for the Ajax Women (19 years and 190 days). The 6–0 home win over the side from The Hague was also a fine result based on the scoreline.
September was a top month for the Ajax Women anyway, as another five players made their first minutes as Ajacieden that month. Five days after the emphatic opening win, Ranneke Derks was also a debutant in the first European match against Sturm Graz (2–0). A week later, in the return match at the Austrian club (0–2), Amber Visscher and Louise van Oosten could also officially call themselves Ajacieden.
Remarkably, the vast majority of Ajacieden concluded their debut match with a 2–0 victory. For nine of the fifteen male Ajacieden, that scoreline was on the scoreboard at full time. The three Ajacieden who made their debuts in one of the European matches against Sturm Graz also crowned their first match with a 2–0 or 0–2 victory.
Touzani also a true 'child of the club'
Nurija van Schoonhoven and Lina Touzani rounded off the wonderful debutant month of September on the 28th against AZ. That the North Holland derby ended goalless was the only downside. With Touzani, a true 'child of the club' was introduced; the Ajacied has worn the Amsterdam white-red-white for ten years. Touzani went through all the youth teams, first in the Talent Academy and later in the Talent Teams. A week and a half after her debut, she signed her first professional contract on 7 October.
Among the men, James McConnell was the only Ajax debutant in September. The 21-year-old midfielder is on loan from Liverpool and made his first (official) minutes at home against PEC Zwolle (3–1). By the end of 2025, just seven appearances and 219 minutes were to his name.
Alders and Nash
Gerald Alders was the only Ajax 1 debutant this calendar year to lose his first appearance. It happened to the talent from the club's own youth academy on 18 October in the ArenA against AZ: 0–2. Aside from his team-mate Itakura (a draw against Go Ahead Eagles), all male debutants won their first match in 2025. Alders has five official matches for the first team to his name and has already played fifty matches for Jong Ajax.
Finally, it would take until December for the last three Ajacieden to make their debuts this year. That moment tasted sweet for both Ajax 1 and the Ajax Women, as it involved (former) youth players. Pharell Nash kicked off the festive month with a substitute appearance in the 'resumed match' against FC Groningen. On Tuesday 2 December, Ajax beat FC Groningen 2–0. The home match against the side from Groningen had been abandoned two days earlier. Nash can also rightly be described as a true Ajacied. He started at De Toekomst in 2015 and crowned ten years in the academy with an official debut.
Kip and Ouazane final Ajax debutants of 2025
The final female Ajax debutant of 2025 was Xanne Kip, and her debut also has a special story. Kip was crowned national champion twice as a player for the Ajax Women Talent Team O19. In the final friendly before the official start of her first season with the Ajax Women, the forward suffered an injury, followed by a long rehabilitation. Three months later, the Amsterdam-born player made her debut in the 8–0 home win against FC Utrecht.
Abdellah Ouazane therefore just missed out on debuting in the Ajax match with the highest scoreline. The just sixteen-year-old talent did make his first appearance in the most goal-filled Ajax match of all of 2025. Ajax's youngest debutant of 2025 played more than 35 minutes as a replacement for Youri Regeer in the 2–7 cup win against Excelsior Maassluis.
The cup match at Het Kasteel featured another highlight besides the debut of the very young attacking midfielder and the magic of Bounida (four assists and a goal). Goalkeeper Remko Pasveer played his hundredth match for Ajax 1, earning the veteran a place in Ajax’s exclusive Club of 100.
It will be the dream of all debutants to one day also reach that exclusive gallery of honour!
