The record list of Ajax’s number 18 is becoming increasingly impressive. In May of this year, Klaassen played his 356th match for Ajax’s first team, entering the club’s top ten for most appearances.
Now, a European milestone is added to that. With his 78th European match, he surpasses Piet Keizer (77) and becomes the record holder. For now, he shares that record with Danny Blind. Should he feature again later this European season, he will hold the title of Ajacied with the most European appearances outright.
How did those 78 matches come about? Who were his favourite opponents, and under which coach did he feature most often in Europe?
This article provides the answers.Across his previous 77 European matches, Klaassen walked off the pitch as a winner 31 times. With him on the side, Ajax lost 27 times in Europe, and 19 matches ended in a draw, with the current Ajax captain on the field.
During his three spells at Ajax, Klaassen has worked under several managers. Under Frank de Boer (24 matches), he played the most European games during his first stint. Since his return in 2020, he has featured 19 times in Europe under Erik ten Hag. Under Peter Bosz, he played 13 European matches in the highly successful 2016/2017 campaign.
Let’s also take a closer look at Klaassen’s goals. In the Eredivisie, the Ajax midfielder is known for scoring the opener. But does he do that in Europe, too?
Mr. Europe
He has scored 16 times in European competition. No fewer than 11 of those were Ajax’s first goal of the match. That doesn’t always mean it was a 1-0 game, though; five of those 16 goals were the opener. Unsurprisingly, he is statistically most likely to score the first goal of the game.
He netted twice against four different teams: Schalke 04, PAOK, Rapid Wien, and Rostov. His favourite opponent so far? Legia Warsaw. Klaassen has faced the Polish side four times in his career and walked off the pitch victorious on three occasions. Only four other clubs have faced him more than twice in official European matches: Barcelona, Celtic, Olympique Lyon, and Liverpool.
Considering that list, it’s no surprise that Klaassen has played most often at Legia Warsaw’s stadium. In total, the Ajax midfielder has visited 38 cities on European duty, from Manchester to Rome and from Istanbul to Barcelona. With his appearance at the Stade Vélodrome on Tuesday night, Klaassen adds a 39th city to his already impressive list.
