In appreciation of Ajax and Frenkie de Jong

From 2019

Even the least cynical football fan must admit that the sport is run by clubs that spend exorbitant amounts of money during transfer windows in order to lift the European Cup. Juventus have won seven straight Serie A titles, and they certainly did not buy Cristiano Ronaldo for €100m this summer to continue that streak. Manchester City have already promised Pep Guardiola another large allowance for the upcoming summer and Real Madrid have done the same for Zinedine Zidane. In the last two years, Liverpool have significantly improved their defence by setting world-record fees for Virgil van Dijk and Alison Becker. Yet Ajax are a welcome antithesis to this trend.

Ajax offer a moneyball-like approach to modern football: spend intelligently on players such as Frenkie de Jong, investments that are almost certain to yield profits for the club — Ajax bought de Jong for €9.11m in 2015 from Willem II and have already agreed to terms on a €75m fee with Barcelona for the summer. Of course, this method is dependent upon a quality player development system that improves the players’ technical abilities.

And whether those players come from Ajax’s youth program or transfer, they seem to improve during their time in Amsterdam. Matthijs de Ligt, the club’s 19 year-old center-half, is a product of the youth system. According to transfermarkt.com, de Ligt’s value is estimated to be €63m and Barcelona seem keen on bringing him to the Nou Camp this summer.

Yet Ajax are more than a great story and a shrewd market strategy; they have compiled a squad of young players with a collective penchant for playing open, creative football. They are unselfish and have a tendency to add flair to their build-up with clever runs, audacious flick-ons, and inventive combination play.

And when they break through and score, they immediately show an interest in doing so again. If they have a lead, they don’t engage in the circuitous passing or time-wasting histrionics that we see so often in modern football. Perhaps this is a product of the club’s overall youthfulness; Ajax are captained, after all, by the aforementioned de Ligt. Yet, their lack of experience does less to hinder than to endear. How can you not love a team that plays the game with a boyish spirit, as though their primary purpose is to enjoy rather than to win? In truth, however, those aren’t mutually exclusive; it appears that they do the former because of the latter.

Of course, we can’t know how long Ajax will be able to maintain this style of play. With Frenkie de Jong set to leave, it’s unclear whether they’ll be able to imitate these results in the future. De Jong is the man who makes everything work for Ajax, as indispensable to his club’s attack as Vinny Chase is to his entourage. He allows Ajax to counter-attack with the same relentlessly threatening nature as Liverpool. A little bit de Bruyne, a little bit Modric, and a little bit — dare I say it — Pogba, de Jong is the model for a box-to-box midfielder. He intelligently and willfully tracks back to make goal-saving interceptions and tackles, like this one:

And moving forward, de Jong thrives. He has an innate sense of the exact moment to get rid of the ball; he breaks multiple lines with passes easily and often; he combines with teammates cleverly and productively. Only 21 years old, de Jong shouldn’t be able to do the things that he does. His intelligence, his composure, and his awareness belie his age.

Ajax’s Champions League success is reminiscent of that of Monaco in 2017, when they also advanced to the competition’s semi-finals. Led by Mbappe and Bernardo Silva, Monaco had all of the qualities that make Ajax so entertaining. Yet two years later, Mbappe and Bernardo Silva have both departed the club for high transfer fees. Today, Monaco sit in 16th place in the French Ligue 1. Whether Ajax will succumb to a similar fate depends largely on the club’s willingness to continue the methods that have been so effective. The club must continue to invest in their player development system. They must make intelligent investments in the transfer windows by paying low prices for young players who can improve in the Dutch capital.

But even that may be insufficient. The game is unfair; the clubs with thicker wallets — and there are many — will always have an advantage and an assurance of annual success.

So, support Ajax in the Champions League. Root for the underdog, the little guys, the Oakland A’s. Watch them play and revel in the ephemera of their success. They likely won’t be back in this stage of the Champions League next year, or the year after that, or the year after that, even if their methods deserve the guarantee of uninterrupted success; such is life as a club with meager resources.

But for one special season, Ajax have managed to circumvent the financial limitations that restrict the club. They play the most beautiful form of football one can imagine. It’s a storyline, a style of football that will make you fall in love with the sport, either for the first time or all over again.

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