Klaassen, this generation’s ‘Mr Ajax’: 'I call him Sjakie too'

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Just one match separates Davy Klaassen from his 400th appearance for Ajax’s first team. He could reach the milestone on Thursday evening against Shelbourne FC in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. Only seven Ajax players in the club’s history have gone before him. From Sjaak Swart to Ruud Krol. By making his 400th appearance in the famous white-red-and-white shirt, Klaassen will join an illustrious group.

Date: 06.08.2026

Photographer: AFC Ajax

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With more than 600 appearances, Swart remains firmly at the top of the list as Ajax’s original 'Mr Ajax'. Other greats such as Wim Suurbier, Danny Blind, Piet Keizer, Bennie Muller, Krol and Frank de Boer also surpassed the 400-match mark for Ajax’s first team.

Should Klaassen make his 400th official Ajax appearance on Thursday, he will follow in the footsteps of De Boer. The former defender and highly successful Ajax manager was the last player to reach the milestone of 400 official matches for the club. De Boer was also the coach who handed Klaassen his debut for Ajax’s first team in November 2011. It comes as no surprise to him that his former pupil has reached this landmark.

"No, not at all. Even in the academy he was a true Ajax player, and he has remained one throughout his career. A genuine number ten as well; good technique, the right mentality and an eye for goal."

"He has a great instinct for where the ball is going to end up," says De Boer, referring to Klaassen’s nickname, 'Mr 1-0'. "Davy doesn’t react, he anticipates. That is his greatest strength."

A true Ajacied
Former teammate (and still-close friend) Joël Veltman recognises De Boer’s description. Of all the players Klaassen has shared the pitch with, Veltman spent the most minutes alongside him.

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"Davy’s style of play is also why I think he can keep going for many more years. I’m convinced of that. He’ll probably never catch Mr Ajax’s record, but there are plenty more matches to come. There’s a reason I always call him 'Sjakie'. Davy is a true Ajacied. One hundred per cent."

According to Veltman, always being in the right place at the right time and making the right runs, as De Boer describes, is a sign of genuine football intelligence.

"Davy is so clever on the pitch. And maybe he isn’t as vocal as Daley Blind, on or off the field. But Davy has always been willing to battle, and he still is. As a team, you naturally follow that example."

Footballing intelligence
Veltman recalls De Boer saying years ago that Klaassen possessed that footballing intelligence.

"That’s true. Whether it’s pressing high or knowing when to drop off from midfield and leave the centre-back alone. Things like that. It’s great to have a player like that in your team. You don’t have to explain everything to him all the time. He already knows, or he only needs to hear it once."

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Although Veltman and Klaassen spent many minutes together on the pitch, their positions often kept them some distance apart.

"We didn't actually pass to each other that often. But as footballers we're cut from the same cloth: hard-working and smart. We also got on really well away from football. Our families did too. Even now, I’m still in a group chat with him, Diederik Boer, Nick Viergever and Mike van der Hoorn. Whenever something happens with one of our transfers, we message each other straight away."

A child of the club
Klaassen has accumulated his 399 appearances across three separate spells in Amsterdam. And he has always delivered. "First of all, Davy feels very comfortable at Ajax, and that’s probably the most important thing for him,” says De Boer. "Just like Blind, for example. He knows what is expected in Amsterdam and he’s a child of the club. He can act as an extension of the coach and he safeguards Ajax’s way of playing."

Still, reaching 400 appearances is a remarkable achievement, De Boer acknowledges. "This really is something special, and it says a lot about the kind of Ajacied he is."

Finally, De Boer says he is pleased to see Klaassen follow him in reaching the milestone. "I think it’s fantastic. Davy is a lad after my own heart and we always worked very well together. If there’s one person I’d like to see achieve this, it’s Davy."

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