In November 2011, then-coach Frank de Boer placed his trust in Klaassen, which the young midfielder repaid within a minute by scoring. With that goal on his Eredivisie debut, Klaassen joined an illustrious group of Ajax players who scored on their debut, including Johan Cruyff, Patrick Kluivert, and Marco van Basten.
Legendary names
The lists Klaassen is joining are becoming more unique by the day. With 343 matches to his name (including Heracles), the Hilversum-born player has already earned his place in the club’s history books. And with distinction: only twelve other players in Ajax’s history have played more matches in the iconic red-and-white shirt. It seems only a matter of time before Klaassen overtakes players like John van ’t Schip (347), Dick Schoenaker (348), Piet Schrijvers (356) or even Johan Cruijff (369). He has now comfortably surpassed his good friend Daley Blind (333).
His 100th goal for Ajax also places Klaassen among the select group of 18 players who have crossed this remarkable milestone. Piet van Reenen (nicknamed Goaltjes Piet) still leads the list with an astonishing 273 goals. But with his 100th, Klaassen ties with Stefan Pettersson in the all-time Ajax scorers’ list. Other Ajax greats, such as Dusan Tadic (105), Dennis Bergkamp (122), Jari Litmanen (133), Marco van Basten (152), and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (158), still sit above him.
The difference maker
There’s another stat that highlights Klaassen’s importance as a goal-scoring machine. Spread across his three stints at Ajax, he earned the nickname "Mr. 1-0". He recently reinforced that nickname with the only goal in the 1-0 win over Willem II in October. Of his 100 goals, one-third (33) were the first goal of the match.
The strike against Willem II also solidified their place as one of his favorite opponents. Of his 100 goals, Klaassen has scored seven against the Tilburg-based team, the same number as he has netted against AZ.
Coaches
Klaassen’s goal against Willem II was his sixth under coach Francesco Farioli. That brought him level with the number of goals he scored under Alfred Schreuder. His 100th goal, therefore, became his seventh under Farioli. However, Klaassen scored the most goals under the coach who gave him his debut: Frank de Boer.
| Trainer | Number of goals |
| Frank de Boer | 35 |
| Erik ten Hag | 27 |
| Peter Bosz | 20 |
| Francesco Farioli | 7 |
| Alfred Schreuder | 6 |
| John Heitinga | 4 |
| Maurice Steijn | 1 |
Looking back at this list, it’s no surprise that Klaassen scored most of his goals during the period when he wore the number 10 shirt (2014–2017). As "Ajax’s number 10," he netted 43 goals. He scored 38 wearing the number 6 shirt after his return to Amsterdam in 2020. Klaassen also scored 17 times with number 18 and once with number 39 — that was his very first Eredivisie goal, against NEC.
Another striking detail is how balanced Klaassen’s scoring is, regardless of location. He has scored 51 goals at home and 49 away from the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Of those 100 goals, Dusan Tadic has been the most frequent provider, assisting 11 of Klaassen’s strikes.
From November 27, 2011, to February 16, 2025, 343 matches later, Klaassen has reached the remarkable milestone of 100 goals for Ajax. A testament to his enduring value to the club, this achievement further underlines his importance to Ajax.
