Without Tadic, Frenkie de Jong’s great Ajax would have completely disintegrated

Frenkie de Jong arrived at Barça in 2019 for 75 million euros and 11 in variables with the vitola of being the reference midfielder in the great Ajax who beat Real Madrid 1-4 in an exhibition at the Santiago Bernabéu in the round of 16 of the 2018-19 Champions League. This is the last golden generation of a club that is part of the great history of European football, the first of the three European Cups that linked in the 70s of the last century to Cruyff, Keizer, Neeskens, Mühren, Suurbier and company, then including the 1987 Cup Winners’ Cup with Johan Cruyff as coach and Rijkaard, Van Basten and Bergkamp in the field, and finally with the ‘orejona’ of 1995 and that batch of De Boer, Overmars, Van der Sar, Danny Blind, Kluivert or Litmanen. Then came the team-sensation without a crown, missing the Champions League final ‘in extremis’ in the semifinal against Tottenham. Although it seems incredible, there is nothing left of that cast after the departure of the talented striker Dusan Tadic became official this Friday, who at the age of 34 asked to leave the Amsterdam club due to the loss of quality that had the squad. suffered. ajacied’ season to season. At that Ajax, now surely dismantled, the most expensive transfer was the one that brought De Jong to Barça, closely followed by Mathijs de Ligt to Juventus.

ERIK TEN HAG

Try to bring Man United back to victory

Dutch coach Erik ten Hag wants to be part of the cast of mythical coaches in Dutch football along with Rinus Michels and Louis van Gaal. At Ajax he barely completed his work and in April 2022 he decided to accept the offer from Manchester United, who signed him until 2025 and put all the financial means in his hands to return the Old Trafford club to success He is in it.

2

ANDRE ONANA

Inter will switch for the Old Trafford club

André Onana is the goalkeeper of that wonderful Ajax, who after losing 1-2 against Madrid in Amsterdam took full revenge at the Bernabéu days later: 1-4. Formed in the Barça youth academy, the Cameroonian who is now 27 years old ended his contract with Ajax in 2022 and signed as a free agent for Inter, who will now receive 50 million euros for the transfer of the goal in which he has been runner – up to Europe.

3

NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI

At Bayern since 2022

Bayern Munich have signed Moroccan right-back Noussair Mazraoui. in 2022, also after ending his 24-year contract with the Amsterdam club. Mazzraoui, who was interested in Barça at the time, was the winger of the last Ajax who became a reference in Europe. In Munich he has a contract until 2026, although his first season was not very encouraging.

4

DALEY BLIND

Experience for Girona

Daley Blind, son of 1995 European champion Ajax captain Danny Blind, has only signed with Girona until 2025. At 33 years old, the versatile and skilled defender arrives at Montilivi after 333 appearances including Ajax and after also going through Manchester United and Bayern, where he ended his contract in June. He left Ajax in December 2022 after the contract was terminated.

5

MATHIJS DE LIGT

In Bayern passing through Turin

This is what the emerging Ajax of 2019 looks forward to with Frenkie. Captain and defender, at only 19 years old, he was targeted by Barça, but he finally signed for Juventus in 2019 in exchange for 75+10 million euros. In 2022 he was sold to Beyern for 67+10.

6

NICOLAS TAGLIAFICO

In Lyon in 2022 for 4 million

Nicolás Tagliafico, a left-back and Argentine international, was also on Barça’s agenda in several markets, but finally in the summer of 2022 he was transferred to Olympique de Lyon by Ajax in exchange for four million euros. He is now 30 years old and has a contract until 2025.

7

LASSE SCONE

Genoa, Heerenveen and now NEC

Author of the great goal from a free kick that sealed the win at the Bernabéu, the 37-year-old Danish midfielder is still playing. He does it in the Eredivisie in the ranks of NEC Nijmegen, after he moved to the Italian Genoa in 2019 for 1.8 million euros and in January 2021, now free, he went to Heerenveen.

8

JUDGE ZIYECH

Chelsea bought it in 2020

Hakym Ziyech, scorer of the goal at the Bernabéu that night, was one of Ajax’s last good sales in the 2020 winter market. The Moroccan international midfielder was sold to Chelsea for 40 million euros. Although he has a contract until 2025, the London club put him on the market and his future is pointed to the Saudi League. He was going to Al Nassr but he did not pass the recognition.

9

david neres

First at Shakhtar and then at Benfica

David Neres is 26 years old and his career did not live up to its promise in the Champions League tie where the right-handed Brazilian winger also shone by scoring one of Ajax’s four goals at the Bernabéu . Sold to Ukrainian Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2022 for 12 million euros, in the summer of the same year he was transferred to Benfica for 15.

10

DONNY VAN DE BEEK

At Manchester United since 2020

It was another of those emerging Ajax sensations. A hard-working, up-and-coming midfielder and technically a bit rougher than his linemates, he caught the attention of half of Europe, including Real Madrid and Barça. Finally, Manchester United bought the Dutch international in September 2020 for 45 million euros. He is 26 years old, but his star is fading.

Eleven

DUSAN TADIC

Great class, he left with 34 years

Dusan Tadic has been a huge striker for Ajax since signing in 2018 from Southampton for €12m. His first seasons in Amsterdam left a great performance: in the 2018-19 season, the one at the Bernabéu, he signed 38 goals and provided 23 assists. This summer, at the age of 34 and after not missing a game in his five ‘ajacied’ seasons (161 consecutive Eredivisie appearances), he reached an agreement with the club to break the contract that bound them until 2024. In other yet among the players Danny de Wit, Joel Veltman and Dolberg played at the Bernabéu that night, the first at AZ Alkmaar at the age of 25, the second playing at Brighton at the age of 31 and the third making his debut at Anderlecht at the age of 25, after being sold by Ajax to Nice in 2021 for 20 million euros. Now, Tadic is the last to close the door. Apparently, the reason is his disgust with the exodus of talent from the squad, which has accelerated in the last two seasons: Antony, Lisandro Martínez, Haller, Gravenberch, Tagliafico, Onana and Mazraoui.