The 45 Best Ajax Players of All Time

By YPB TeamApr 22

Rank the finest players in Ajax's illustrious history, a club synonymous with total football and developing world-class talent.

1
Johan Cruyff
Dutch total football pioneer who is inseparable from Ajax's identity, winning three consecutive European Cups from 1971–73 and three Ballon d'Or awards while in Amsterdam.
1000pts
2
Marco van Basten
Clinical Dutch striker who earned a hat-trick of Ballon d'Or awards after his Ajax years, where he was already demonstrating the technique and finishing that would define his career.
999pts
3
Christian Eriksen
Danish playmaker who emerged at Ajax, winning three consecutive Eredivisie titles from 2011 to 2013 with his vision and set-piece delivery.
686pts
4
Heinz Stuy
Goalkeeper who kept goal in all three of Ajax's European Cup final wins from 1971 to 1973, making 139 Eredivisie appearances for the club.
686pts
5
Jan Wouters
Combative midfielder who won the 1987 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1990 Eredivisie title with Ajax during 150 league appearances from 1986 to 1992.
686pts
6
Danny Blind
Defender and long-time captain who made 372 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax and lifted the 1995 Champions League trophy in Vienna.
663pts
7
Frank de Boer
Left-footed centre-back who made 328 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax, won the 1995 Champions League and later coached the club to four straight league titles.
645pts
8
Bennie Muller
Midfielder who made over 340 league appearances for Ajax from 1958 to 1970, a link between the club's 1960 title side and the first European Cup final in 1969.
645pts
9
Edwin van der Sar
Goalkeeper who made 226 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax in the 1990s and kept goal as Louis van Gaal's young side won the 1995 Champions League unbeaten.
599pts
10
Søren Lerby
Danish midfielder who scored 66 Eredivisie goals for Ajax between 1975 and 1983, winning five league titles and captaining the side.
599pts
11
Matthijs de Ligt
Centre-back who became Ajax captain at 19 and led the 2018–19 side to the Champions League semi-finals and a domestic double.
599pts
12
Arie Haan
Versatile midfielder famous for long-range shooting who won three European Cups with Ajax between 1971 and 1973 before moving to Anderlecht.
548pts
13
Edgar Davids
Dutch midfielder known as 'The Pitbull' whose aggressive pressing and technical quality made him one of the most distinctive players of his generation, emerging from Ajax.
548pts
14
Rafael van der Vaart
Creative midfielder and academy product who scored 52 Eredivisie goals for Ajax and won the 2002 and 2004 Eredivisie titles before joining Hamburg.
548pts
15
Wesley Sneijder
Academy-produced playmaker who scored 43 Eredivisie goals for Ajax from 2002 to 2007, winning the 2004 league title before joining Real Madrid.
548pts
16
Siem de Jong
Attacking midfielder and captain who scored 57 Eredivisie goals for Ajax and was a leader of the side that won four consecutive league titles from 2011 to 2014.
548pts
17
Luis Suárez
Uruguayan striker who scored 111 goals in 159 games for Ajax, captained the club and was Eredivisie top scorer with 35 goals in 2009–10.
548pts
18
Stanley Menzo
Sweeper-keeper who made 249 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax between 1983 and 1994, winning the 1987 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1992 UEFA Cup.
548pts
19
Wim Suurbier
Tireless right-back who made 392 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax from 1964 to 1977 and started all three European Cup finals of the Cruyff era.
548pts
20
Velibor Vasović
Yugoslav sweeper and captain who brought steel to Ajax from 1966 to 1971 and lifted the club's first European Cup at Wembley in 1971.
490pts
21
Ronald Koeman
Ball-playing defender with a ferocious shot who won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup with Ajax in the mid-1980s before starring at PSV and Barcelona.
490pts
22
Johnny Rep
Winger who headed the winning goal in the 1973 European Cup final against Juventus and scored 41 league goals for Ajax between 1971 and 1975.
490pts
23
Ronald de Boer
Versatile midfielder who won the 1992 UEFA Cup and the 1995 Champions League with Ajax across two spells alongside his twin brother Frank.
490pts
24
Johan Neeskens
Combative midfielder who was Cruyff's most important partner in Ajax's three European Cup triumphs, his drives from midfield giving the team its physical dynamism.
490pts
25
Piet Keizer
Tricky left-winger and Cruyff's closest ally in the great Ajax sides of the late 1960s and early 1970s, an indispensable part of the total football revolution.
490pts
26
Piet van Reenen
Prolific pre-war striker who scored more than 200 league goals for Ajax between 1929 and 1943, still among the club's all-time top scorers.
425pts
27
Sjaak Swart
Right-winger nicknamed 'Mr Ajax' who made a club-record 603 appearances between 1956 and 1973, winning eight Eredivisie titles and three European Cups.
350pts
28
Dušan Tadić
Serbian forward and captain who scored 77 Eredivisie goals for Ajax from 2018 to 2023, starring in the 2019 Champions League semi-final run.
350pts
29
Jari Litmanen
Finnish playmaker who scored 91 Eredivisie goals for Ajax, won the 1995 Champions League and was top scorer of the 1995–96 competition.
350pts
30
Jan Vertonghen
Belgian centre-back who won the 2011 and 2012 Eredivisie titles with Ajax, captained the side and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year in 2012.
350pts
31
Barry Hulshoff
Long-haired centre-back who played 283 league games for Ajax between 1965 and 1977 and was a pillar of the defence that won three straight European Cups.
350pts
32
Gerald Vanenburg
Skilful attacking midfielder who scored 64 Eredivisie goals for Ajax from 1980 to 1986 alongside the young Van Basten and Rijkaard.
264pts
33
Frank Rijkaard
Dutch midfielder who came through Ajax, won the 1987 Cup Winners' Cup and returned in 1993 to help the young side win the 1995 Champions League.
264pts
34
Clarence Seedorf
Dynamic Dutch midfielder who emerged from Ajax's famous academy and was part of the 1995 Champions League-winning team before winning further European Cups elsewhere.
264pts
35
Ruud Krol
Attacking left-back and later sweeper who made 339 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax from 1969 to 1980 and was part of the side that won three consecutive European Cups in 1971–73.
264pts
36
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Swedish striker who scored 35 Eredivisie goals in three Ajax seasons, including a famous solo goal against NAC Breda in 2004.
264pts
37
Henk Groot
Prolific forward of the 1960s who had two spells at Ajax, was twice the Eredivisie top scorer and helped lay the foundations for the Michels era.
264pts
38
Donny van de Beek
Academy midfielder whose late runs into the box produced key goals in Ajax's 2019 Champions League semi-final campaign, including the opener at Tottenham in the semi-final.
264pts
39
Nwankwo Kanu
Nigerian forward who won the 1995 Champions League with Ajax and scored 25 Eredivisie goals before moving to Inter and Arsenal.
163pts
40
Hakim Ziyech
Moroccan playmaker whose left foot drove Ajax to the 2017 Europa League final and the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.
163pts
41
Dennis Bergkamp
Technically brilliant Dutch forward who emerged through the Ajax academy and won the UEFA Cup with the club in 1992, later becoming an Arsenal legend.
163pts
42
Gerrie Mühren
Left-sided midfielder of the total football era who won three European Cups with Ajax and is remembered for juggling the ball against Real Madrid in 1973.
163pts
43
Frenkie de Jong
Dutch midfield prodigy whose breathtaking Ajax season in 2018–19 — during their stunning Champions League semi-final run — persuaded Barcelona to pay a huge transfer fee.
163pts
44
Patrick Kluivert
Striker who at 18 scored the winning goal of the 1995 Champions League final against AC Milan and netted 39 league goals for Ajax.
163pts
45
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Clinical striker who scored 76 Eredivisie goals in under three seasons for Ajax and returned in 2017 to help win the 2019 double.
0pts