{"id":1086654,"date":"2025-08-17T12:30:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T11:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1086654"},"modified":"2025-08-18T15:31:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T14:31:03","slug":"forgotten-ajax-players","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/forgotten-ajax-players\/","title":{"rendered":"11 players you (probably) forgot spent time at Ajax"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few football clubs are as synonymous with youth development as Ajax.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the past 125 years, the Amsterdam giants have won four European Cups and more than 30 domestic titles. However, beyond their on-field successes, many of the Netherlands’ greatest players have emerged from the club’s world-renowned academy, including Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, and Wesley Sneijder.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Ajax has somewhat transformed into a finishing school, struggling to retain their star players as the modern game increasingly favours Europe’s wealthier clubs. Nevertheless, even during challenging times, they continue to compete. Under Erik ten Hag’s leadership in 2019, Ajax came agonisingly close to reaching the Champions League final.<\/p>\n

Players like Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt shone brightly in the tournament but eventually moved on. Regardless of where their careers take them, they will always be remembered for their early contributions at Ajax, an honour not bestowed upon every player who dons the red and white jersey, regardless of their later success or lack thereof.<\/p>\n

Below, we’ve compiled a list of 11 players you may have forgotten played for Ajax. Some have gone on to achieve greatness, while others have faded into obscurity.<\/p>\n

1. Steven Pienaar<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Years spent at Ajax:<\/strong> 2001-2006<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>131<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>2 x Eredivisie, 1 x KNVB Cup<\/p>\n

Better known for his wonderful partnership with Leighton Baines on Everton’s left wing, as well as his failed spell with Spurs, you’d be forgiven for not knowing Steven Pienaar actually began catching the eye during his spell with Ajax.<\/p>\n

After spending two years with their South African feeder club, Ajax Cape Town, Pienaar landed in Holland and became a pivotal part of an Ajax side that won two Eredivisie titles, a KNVB Cup and reached a Champions League quarter-final.<\/p>\n

The South Africa international also shared the pitch with an illustrious list of names including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder before leaving for Borussia Dortmund in 2006.<\/p>\n

2. Filipe Luis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>2004-2005<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

Atletico Madrid stalwart, failed Chelsea left-back, Brazil international,\u00a0Flamengo star. Just a few of the things Filipe Luis will be remembered for at the end of his career.<\/p>\n

One thing he isn’t likely to be held in regard for is his one-year stay at Ajax between 2004-2005, where he failed to make a single first-team appearance.<\/p>\n

That said, Luis does credit Ajax with helping him mature and develop his tactical knowledge of the game, while he has often hinted at his desire to return<\/a> there one day: “The truth is that they took a gamble, and I did not even play.”<\/p>\n

Unfinished business?<\/p>\n

3. James Lawrence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>2009-2011<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

Major honours won:<\/strong>\u00a00<\/p>\n

After spending time in the Arsenal and QPR youth systems, Wales international James Lawrence has been on a pit-stop tour of Europe, taking in Belgium, Slovakia and, in his youth, Holland.<\/p>\n

Ajax were one of the four Dutch sides Lawrence spent time at, between 2009-2011. His time in Amsterdam was riddled with injuries and a worrying heart problem brought on by the increased intensity of training at Ajax. He did, however, get to meet and be coached by one of his Arsenal idols, Dennis Bergkamp, something that still resonates with him to this day.<\/p>\n

“I walked into the changing room for my first friendly game and sat down to get ready,” he says<\/a>. “Then Dennis Bergkamp walked in. All of my team-mates got up but I just sat there.<\/p>\n

“My jaw dropped. I couldn’t say a word. I couldn’t move. As an Arsenal fan, having him there for my first game was amazing.”<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Nwankwo Kanu<\/h2>\n

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Years spent at Ajax:<\/strong> 1993-1996<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>71<\/p>\n

Major honours won:<\/strong> 3 x Eredivisie, 1 x Uefa Champions League<\/p>\n

Those of a younger generation may only remember Nwankwo Kanu for his mercurial exploits at Arsenal, or maybe even just his days with West Brom and Portsmouth as he advanced into his 30s. If you’re really stretching your memory, you might recall his size 500 feet?<\/p>\n

However, you footballing fledglings should certainly take a look at his career before heading to north London when, between 1993-1996, Kanu helped Ajax to three Eredivisie titles and the 1995 Champions League trophy – the last time the Dutch giants got their hands on Europe’s biggest prize.<\/p>\n

Never prolific, always entertaining, Kanu was an incredibly underrated player whose gifted touch was a sight to behold \u2013 which won him a place in Arsene Wenger’s heart.<\/p>\n

His brother\u00a0Christopher Kanu was also on the books at one stage.<\/p>\n

5. Arkadiusz Milik<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>2014-2016<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>75<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

Given how much he tore up Serie A last season, it’s quite easy to forget that Arkadiusz Milik spent two seasons at Ajax before heading to Napoli.<\/p>\n

Is that because he never managed a major trophy? Quite possibly. At an individual level, though, the Poland international was a ruthless goalscoring machine, notching 23 goals in 33 games during his first season, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, and 24 in 42 the season after.<\/p>\n

Ajax then spun a huge profit on Milik, reigning in \u20ac35m on a player they’d spent just \u20ac2.8m on a year earlier.<\/p>\n

6. Georgi Kinkladze<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>1998-2000<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>12<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>1 x KNVB Cup<\/p>\n

One of the biggest cult figures in English football, once Georgi Kinkladze’s time at Manchester City – which was as heartbreaking as it was beautiful – was over, he was shipped off to Ajax in what should have been the perfect move for the Georgian playmaker.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, things just didn’t get going for Kinkladze and although he did win a KNVB Cup, he was restricted to just 15 first-team appearances before heading back to England with Derby County having not scored a single goal in Holland.<\/p>\n

7. Christian Chivu<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>1999-2003<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>142<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>1 x Eredivisie, 1 x KNVB Cup<\/p>\n

An Ajax defender who’s a free-kick specialist? No, it’s not Ronald Koeman, it’s former Roma and Inter Milan defender, Christian Chivu.<\/p>\n

Before heading off to Italy to win a raft of major honours, including the 2010 Champions League, Chivu played alongside the likes of Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart and the aforementioned Pienaar at Ajax, captaining the side that won the 2001-02 Eredivisie title.<\/p>\n

Ironically, Chivu only scored one goal that season but in the campaigns either side of that, he notched five and six goals, respectively, thanks to his prowess from set pieces.<\/p>\n

8. Bojan Krkic<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>2013-2014 (loan)<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>32<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>1 x Eredivisie<\/p>\n

One of the most frustratingly disappointing careers in modern football has to be that of Bojan Krkic. After breaking Lionel Messi’s record as Barcelona’s youngest La Liga player (17 years and 19 days) in September 2007, the forward never quite cut it at the Nou Camp but still managed to add the likes of Roma, AC Milan and the mighty Stoke City to his CV.<\/p>\n

Sandwiched between all that was a loan spell at Ajax during the 2013\/14 season in which he scored five goals in 32 appearances. Although he helped the club to the Eredivisie title that year, it wasn’t enough to persuade Ajax to take up their option of extending the loan by another season.<\/p>\n

After a number of unsuccessful loan spells, Bojan was used sporadically by Stoke in the Championship last season and is now at\u00a0Montreal Impact.<\/p>\n

9. Mido<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>2001-2003, 2010 (loan)<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>56 (two spells)<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>2 x Eredivisie, 1 x KNVB Cup<\/p>\n

Before experiencing relative success with Tottenham, Mido was a bit of a goal machine at Ajax.<\/p>\n

The Egyptian striker bagged 12 goals in 24 Eredivisie games as Ajax won the league and cup double in 2001\/02, before netting another 10 in 24 across all competitions a season later.<\/p>\n

A nomadic career followed in which Mido turned out for the likes of Spurs, Roma, Middlesbrough and West Ham to name a few. He also returned to Ajax for a loan spell in 2010, scoring three goals in six games as Ajax won the Dutch top-flight title once again.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Yossi Benayoun<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>1995-96<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

Another like\u00a0Filipe Luis who will be mostly remembered for his exploits at the top of the food chain, with the former Israel international turning out for the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.<\/p>\n

The twinkle-toed attacking midfielder only recently announced his retirement from football, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career that spanned over two decades.<\/p>\n

And while many will associate Benayoun’s name with the Premier League, few actually know that he spent eight months in the Ajax academy during his teenage years, flourishing in Amsterdam, which prompted the club to offer him a four-year professional contract, only for him to reject it and return to Israel.<\/p>\n

By the time he turned 16, he was one of the most highly-regarded teenagers in the Ajax academy, and had be earmarked for future success in the first-team, but having struggled to adapt to life in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, Benayoun rejoined boyhood club\u00a0Hapoel Be’er Sheva in his homeland.<\/p>\n

Of course, the Israeli went on to achieve great heights in his career, but who knows what could have been had he spent just a few more years learning at one of world football’s finest institutions.<\/p>\n

11. Jordan Henderson<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years spent at Ajax: <\/strong>2024-25<\/p>\n

Ajax appearances: <\/strong>57<\/p>\n

Major honours won: <\/strong>0<\/p>\n

It took some time before the Sunderland native finally emerged from Steven Gerrard’s shadow at Liverpool, which he joined three years after turning professional at his boyhood club. A promising midfield talent, Henderson needed time at Anfield before transforming into an on-field leader under J\u00fcrgen Klopp’s management. During this partnership, he lifted both the European Cup and the Premier League title as captain.<\/p>\n

Henderson then left to reunite with Gerrard (now a manager) at Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. However, his time in the desert kingdom was brief. Despite the controversial nature of his move, Henderson sought to return to Europe, joining Ajax, an unexpected destination. His vast experience was invaluable in guiding Ajax\u2019s youthful team, especially as they required a holding midfielder during a challenging 2023-24 season.<\/p>\n

In the following campaign, now as captain, Henderson led the team under Francesco Farioli to the brink of an Eredivisie title. Unfortunately, Ajax suffered a devastating late collapse, squandering a nine-point lead that allowed PSV to successfully defend their championship.<\/p>\n

Even before the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Henderson was linked with a move to Monaco, but that transfer never materialised. Nevertheless, he eventually left Ajax after just one completed season to join Premier League side Brentford, concluding an intriguing chapter in his lengthy career. During this time, he also became the first Ajax player to earn an England international cap.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n