Louis van Gaal (Amsterdam, August 8, 1951), a former professional footballer and one of the most successful managers of all time with more than twenty domestic and international trophies, also previously served as technical director at Ajax. Since October 2023, he had been an external adviser to the club's Supervisory Board.
Van Gaal: ''Michael van Praag is a friend of mine, and we worked well together at Ajax in the past. As chairman of the Supervisory Board at the time, he approached me in 2023, and I was happy to help both him and Ajax. There were a lot of changes in key positions, and there was too little football expertise at that time. As an external adviser, I was then able to play a role in filling important football positions, such as the appointments of Alex Kroes and Marijn Beuker. During that period, more football knowledge was also brought into the organisation. But Michael stepped down in 2025, Alex left, and Marijn has now also departed. For me, the time has now come to step down as well.''
Ajax's Supervisory Board regrets Van Gaal's decision to step down, but understands his choice and thanks him for his advice.
