50 Fun Facts About Ajax
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Take the 50-question quizIn which city is Ajax based?
Along with Feyenoord and PSV, Ajax is one of the Dutch 'big three'.
Ajax is named after a hero from which mythology?
The 1928 crest showed the head of the legendary warrior Ajax.
On what date was Ajax founded?
The club reached the top flight in 1911 and won its first KNVB Cup in 1917.
Which Englishman managed Ajax on and off from 1915 to 1947?
He oversaw all eight of the club's early national titles and influenced Rinus Michels.
Why did Ajax change to a white shirt with a broad red stripe in 1911?
Newcomers had to change if two top-flight teams wore identical uniforms.
The Ajax crest used from 1990 draws the hero's head with how many lines?
The lines symbolise the eleven players of a football team.
From which season did Ajax revert to its classic 1928 crest?
The club announced the switch on its website in November 2024.
Which manager, appointed in 1965, brought Total Football to Ajax?
He had played for the club from 1946 to 1958.
Whom did Ajax beat 2-0 in the 1971 European Cup final, their first?
Dick van Dijk and Arie Haan scored; Cruyff was named European Footballer of the Year.
Which Romanian coach replaced Michels and won two European Cups with Ajax?
He later left to manage the France national team.
Where was the 1972 European Cup final, in which Ajax beat Inter 2-0, played?
The match has been cited as Total Football's greatest moment.
Ajax's 1971-73 hat-trick made them the first club to win three straight European Cups since whom?
Real Madrid had won the first five editions in the 1950s.
How many goals did Ajax score in the 1966-67 Eredivisie, a record?
They also won the KNVB Cup that year for a first league and cup double.
Which club broke the world transfer record to sign Cruyff from Ajax in 1973?
Rinus Michels was already managing there.
Which shirt number did Johan Cruyff make famous at Ajax?
He switched from 9 on his 1970 return from injury because Gerrie Mühren had that number.
When did Ajax retire the number 14 shirt?
It is the only number the club has retired.
To which rival did Ajax sell Cruyff in 1983?
Marco van Basten then became Ajax's key player.
Which European trophy did Cruyff win as Ajax manager in 1987?
It was the club's first continental trophy in 14 years.
Which Belgian club beat Ajax in a 1988 European final?
It was Ajax's second consecutive final in the competition.
Whom did Ajax beat on away goals in the 1992 UEFA Cup final?
It made Ajax the second club, after Juventus, to win all three major European trophies.
Where did Ajax play 'home' legs early in the 1991-92 UEFA Cup run after a UEFA punishment?
Matches had to be at least 200 km from Amsterdam after crowd trouble.
Who scored the winner against Milan in the 1995 Champions League final, aged 18?
The 1-0 win came in Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion.
Who managed Ajax to the 1995 Champions League title?
His side also went the whole 1994-95 Eredivisie season unbeaten.
Which club beat Ajax on penalties in the 1996 Champions League final?
Van Gaal and many of the squad soon left for bigger clubs.
Which Finnish midfielder starred in Van Gaal's 1990s Ajax?
He later played for Barcelona and Liverpool.
Which 1995 goalkeeper later won a second Champions League in England in 2008?
He went on to become Ajax's chief executive.
Which Italian club did Ajax sell Dennis Bergkamp to in 1993?
He had been Eredivisie top scorer three seasons running.
Which manager won Ajax a record 30th title in 2010-11 and then three more in a row?
It matched his own three straight titles as a player in the 1990s.
Which club beat Ajax's youngest-ever European final line-up in the 2017 Europa League final?
The Ajax XI averaged 22 years and 282 days under Peter Bosz.
Ajax won 4-1 at which stadium to knock the holders out of the 2018-19 Champions League?
Dušan Tadić was given a perfect 10 by L'Équipe afterwards.
Who scored the winner in Turin as Ajax reached the 2019 Champions League semi-finals?
It sent Ajax to a first Champions League semi-final since 1997.
Whose added-time hat-trick goal eliminated Ajax in the 2019 semi-final?
Tottenham went through on away goals after Ajax had led 3-0 on aggregate.
For what fee did Frenkie de Jong leave Ajax for Spain in 2019?
He agreed the move in January and joined in July.
Which club did Erik ten Hag leave Ajax for in 2022?
Alfred Schreuder succeeded him on 1 July 2022.
Ajax's biggest ever European defeat, 1-6 at home in 2022, came against whom?
Schreuder was sacked after seven matches without a win.
In October 2023 Ajax hit which league position for the first time in club history?
A 5-2 loss at PSV left them bottom of the Eredivisie.
Which third-division amateur side knocked Ajax out of the 2023-24 KNVB Cup?
The 3-2 defeat capped a miserable season under John van 't Schip.
Who became Ajax's first foreign head coach since 1998 when hired in 2024?
He left in May 2025 after a late collapse handed PSV the title.
What was Ajax's stadium called when it opened in 1996?
It was renamed for Cruyff in 2018.
Which Arena feature caused pitch problems so bad the grass was replaced 45 times in a decade?
An artificial lighting system introduced in 2008-09 finally helped the grass grow.
Where did Ajax play from 1934 to 1996?
Its capacity was 29,500 and the 'AJAX' letters now sit on the Arena entrance.
What is the name of Ajax's training ground?
The name means 'The Future'; Jong Ajax plays its home games there.
Who holds Ajax's record for most appearances, with 463?
Piet van Reenen holds the goals record with 273.
What is the name of Ajax's fixture against their Rotterdam arch-rivals?
Matches between Ajax and PSV are called De Topper.
Ajax is the only Dutch club to have done what financially, in 1998?
It floated on Euronext Amsterdam on 17 May 1998 at 25 guilders a share.
In which South African city did Ajax set up a satellite club in 1999?
Steven Pienaar and Thulani Serero came through it to the Eredivisie.
What is the name of Ajax's most famous supporters' group, behind the south goal?
It was founded in 1976 and named for its location at the old De Meer Stadion.
Which sport did Ajax also field a team in from 1922 to 1972?
Ajax HVA won four national titles before the club focused solely on football.
Which Spanish club has been an affiliated partner of Ajax since 2007?
Cruzeiro and Beijing Guoan joined the network the same year.
What is the name of Ajax's official mascot?
The mascot has been in use since 2000.