It is quite the list. A roll call of absolute Ajax legends. Men who, in one way or another, managed to put Ajax on the international map. Take Total Football with Cruijff in the ranks in the 1970s. The absolute highlight is the European trilogy of 1971, 1972, and 1973. Or Koeman, who at the start of this millennium made Ajax dream once again of international success in the UEFA Champions League. Or De Boer and Blind, who in 1995 actually got to lift the coveted ‘Cup with the Big Ears’.
And it is in this European adventure that the link with this quintet lies. Heitinga could become the fifth Ajax player to be active for Ajax, both as a player and now as a manager, in the most important and biggest European club tournament. In the case of Cruijff and Koeman, that was in the European Cup 1. Though later in his career, at FC Barcelona, the defender also experienced the transition to the new set-up and format under the Champions League banner. Blind and De Boer wore the Ajax shirt in the Champions League, which in 1992 succeeded the European Cup 1 as the most prestigious European club competition. Some of these five even worked together. Just a glimpse into Ajax’s rich history.
Breakthrough in the mist
It was Cruijff who was the prime among this quintet in 1966. With Ajax’s number fourteen (although at the time still playing with nine, incidentally) in the starting eleven, Ajax won in the first round of the European tournament against Turkish side Besiktas. At home, it finished 2-0. Away, Rinus Michels’ Ajax won 1-2. With an assist from Cruijff on Sjaak Swart’s equaliser after an hour of play. That year Ajax defeated Liverpool (in a two-legged tie that included the so-called Fog Match), but were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Dukla Prague.
It ultimately proved the prelude to a series of victories in the early 1970s. In 1971, 1972 and 1973, Ajax were the strongest in Europe. Cruijff experienced it all. In total, he played 41 matches for Ajax in the European Cup 1. His last appearance for Ajax in Europe came in 1982, at home against Celtic: 1-2. Cruijff hung up his boots in 1984.
European window
By then, Koeman had already pressed his nose against the European window. In the 1983/1984 season, Koeman played his first matches for Ajax in the European Cup 1. It remained only two games that year: home and away against Olympiakos. At home, it was 0-0. Away, Ajax lost after extra time.
Koeman also played two European matches for Ajax in the 1985/1986 season. Ajax were eliminated over two legs by FC Porto. The manager then? Cruijff. “In European football you have to do a little bit more than in the Dutch league,” sighed Cruijff afterwards to the Dutch press.
Koeman ultimately played one year under Cruijff before moving to PSV. The two would later work together again at FC Barcelona and secure European success there: in 1992, the Spaniards won the final edition of the European Cup. Koeman was the matchwinner in the final against Sampdoria; his thunderbolt gave the Catalans the first European Cup 1 in the club’s history.
Blind and De Boer played two finals
In the mid-1990s, it was Ajax’s turn again. Under Louis van Gaal’s leadership, Blind was finally able to lift the coveted Champions League Cup on 24 May 1995 as captain of the successful side that was dominant both nationally and internationally. Blind made 26 appearances for Ajax in Europe’s premier club competition. After the triumph in the 1995 Champions League, Ajax reached the final again a year later. The Amsterdammers narrowly lost the 1996 final – on penalties – to Juventus. At both finals, De Boer was also present as a starter. The defender played a total of 35 matches for Ajax in the Champions League.
After Blind had retired and De Boer had moved on to FC Barcelona, Koeman returned to Ajax. In December 2001, he was appointed as Ajax’s manager. After winning the Eredivisie title, a fine European campaign followed a year later (2002/2003), reaching the quarter-finals. Only in the dying stages did Ajax lose to the eventual winners: AC Milan.
Respect for Ajax
Under Koeman’s leadership, a new generation of Ajax talents showed themselves to Europe; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andy van der Meijde, Wesley Sneijder, Maxwell and Rafael van der Vaart and… Heitinga. “If you follow all these players later and know what they meant for football, then it was a wonderful period,” Koeman said later. “Many European clubs and players gained respect for us,” Ibrahimovic added.
But partly due to a long-term injury, Heitinga played only one match in Ajax 1 during that successful European season under Koeman: in the Eredivisie against NAC.
Heitinga’s Champions League debut
It was only later that Heitinga would make his Champions League debut for Ajax. In the 2003/2004 season, he made his first Champions League minutes against Celta de Vigo. He ultimately played twelve times in the main tournament for Ajax and nine matches in the qualifiers for the Amsterdammers. Blind succeeded Koeman as manager in March 2005. With Heitinga still in the squad.
In the year Blind took over from Koeman, Ajax still qualified for the Champions League, but in the 2005/2006 season had to play a preliminary round to reach the main tournament. They succeeded: Brøndby IF were defeated over two legs. In the home match against the Danes, Blind gave Heitinga playing time. In the main tournament, Ajax’s current manager eventually played five matches. That season, Ajax were knocked out in the round of sixteen by Inter.
Debut in Milan
In 2010, De Boer became the fourth Ajacied after Cruijff, Koeman and Blind to be active for the club both as a player and as a manager in the Champions League. A nice detail: De Boer’s debut was in Europe. In Milan, Ajax surprisingly won 0-2 at the San Siro. Heitinga had by then already left Ajax and was playing for English side Everton.
Under De Boer, Ajax failed to survive the winter in the Champions League, but in the following seasons, historic victories were recorded against clubs such as FC Barcelona and Manchester City. In the Netherlands, De Boer’s Ajax were dominant, with four league titles in a row between 2011 and 2015.
Ten years after the last league championship under De Boer, Heitinga can now join this illustrious company. The manager begins his first match in the top European club competition as head coach against Inter.
