Sjaak Swart is Ajax. The Ajax icon, who turned 88 on Friday, is still out on the pitch every week for a rondo with his friends. We brought an unsuspecting Mister Ajax to Zeeburgia, where he was surprised by everyone he holds dear. "I was thinking: who are those crazy people over there wearing number eight?"
Twee keer per week een rondo, twee keer per week doen wat hij het allerliefste doet: voetballen. Sjaak Swart viert vrijdag zijn 88e verjaardag. Hierom werd Mister Ajax op het voetbalveld verrast door zijn vrienden en dierbaren. "Want Sjaak was Ajax, Sjaak is Ajax."
Monday and Thursday afternoons at Zeeburgia are a fixture. It's time for Sjaak Swart's rondo with his group of friends. A bit of technical ability in your left or right foot is an advantage. Leaving your worries behind and having fun is essential. That was certainly the case this week, as Mister Ajax celebrated his 88th birthday. For the occasion, the entire group turned up, including Guus Hiddink, Daphne Koster, Donny van de Beek, Viggo Waas, Danny Muller (son of Bennie) and Hans van der Zee.
In the year that Ajax celebrates its 125th anniversary, the club marks yet another jubilee. On September 11, 1950, Jacques ‘Sjaak’ Swart was accepted as a twelve-year-old member of Ajax. The club and the born-and-bred Ajacied have now been inseparably linked for 75 years. High time for a trip down memory lane.