125 years of Ajax (1900 – 2025): One club, One city, Ajax Amsterdam
Ajax and Amsterdam celebrate together! In 2025, Ajax turns 125 and the city of Amsterdam celebrates its 750th anniversary. The perfect moment to reflect on the unique bond between the club and the city. On display with free admission at the Amsterdam City Archives until September 28, 2025. A must for every fan of Ajax and its players, past and present. Do you have Ajax stamps in your collection?
Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, abbreviated as AFC Ajax or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club from Amsterdam. The club was founded on March 18, 1900, and is one of the three traditional top clubs in the Netherlands. Since the founding of the Eredivisie, Ajax has played continuously in this top division. Ajax has been crowned Dutch champion thirty-six times, twenty-eight of which have been since the introduction of the Eredivisie in mid-1956. On the UEFA ranking of the best clubs in Europe, Ajax stood as the best Dutch club in the 2023/24 season on November 2, 2023, in 21st place with a total of 64.000 points. The German magazine Kicker Sportmagazin named Ajax the second-best football club of the twentieth century. According to the IFFHS, Ajax is the sixth most successful European club of the twentieth century and was voted World Club Team of the Year by the IFFHS in 1992.
In 1995, Ajax was named World Team of the Year by the English football magazine World Soccer. In 2000, during the FIFA Club of the Century election, Ajax finished in a shared fifth place among the best football clubs of the twentieth century, together with the Brazilian Santos. Additionally, Ajax was named European Team of the Year four times in 1969, 1971, 1972, and 1973, and Dutch Sports Team of the Year five times in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1987, and 1995. It is one of six European clubs entitled to wear the Badge of Honour on the sleeve for winning the European Cup I three times in a row. 1971, 1972 and 1973. Those three consecutive wins are also the reason for retaining the cup as one of five clubs.
In 1995 the third edition of the UEFA Champions League was won, making it, as of 2025, the only club to have won the European Cup I/UEFA Champions League four times. Only FC Barcelona (five titles), Bayern Munich (six titles), Liverpool (six titles), AC Milan (seven titles), and Real Madrid (fourteen titles) have managed to win the most important European club tournament more often.
On December 7, 2021, following their home victory against Sporting CP, Ajax joined a select group of eight football clubs to have won all six group matches during a European Cup I/UEFA Champions League season. Besides Ajax, only Paris Saint-Germain, Spartak Moscow, AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich have achieved this feat.
Since 1996, the club has played its home matches in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Ajax, along with Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, was one of the few top European clubs to succeed in winning all three major UEFA competitions (European Cup I/UEFA Champions League, European Cup II, and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League). Ajax was also one of the few European clubs to win the continental treble in 1972 (winning the national championship, the national cup, and the European Cup I). In that same year, the Club World Cup was won for the first time. This makes it, along with Manchester United (1999), Bayern Munich (2013, 2020), and FC Barcelona (2009, 2015), one of the four clubs to have won the continental treble and the World Cup in the same season. On a national level, Ajax has won the double nine times – winning the national championship and the KNVB Cup in the same season – and is the only club to have managed to win the national championship, the KNVB Cup, and the Johan Cruyff Shield in the same season: in 2001/02 and 2018/19.
Ajax was the first European club to win the European Super Cup by defeating Scottish side Rangers twice in January 1973. In April 1962, Ajax became the first European club to win the International Football Cup by defeating Feyenoord 4–2 in the final. Since the 2012/13 season, Ajax has had a women's team, which competes in the Eredivisie Women. The women's team has won the national championship three times and the KNVB Cup six times in twelve years. The club has been listed on the stock exchange since 1998, as AFC Ajax NV. In April 2021, Ajax ranked 20th among the world's most valuable football clubs according to Forbes, with an estimated value of approximately 350 million euros (413 million dollars).
From a small group of boys playing football on an Amsterdam square to a club with international allure: Ajax is inextricably linked to the city. The exhibition takes you on a journey through 125 years of club history and shows how Ajax and Amsterdam have grown together. It covers iconic players and coaches, highs and lows, pioneers in women's football, and the supporters who give the club its character. Through photographs, archival documents, historical radio and television clips, and unique objects – such as the original medal with the Ajax logo from 1924 – you will discover the story of Ajax. Listen to stories from Louis van Gaal about his childhood in Watergraafsmeer, Jari Litmanen about his first experiences in Amsterdam, Isa Kardinaal about what it means to wear the Ajax shirt, and 'Mister Ajax' Sjaak Swart looking back at the golden years, between 1965 and 1975. But Ajax is more than players, coach, and stadium: supporters also make the club. There is room in this exhibition for their special and personal stories.
Whether you are a seasoned Ajax fan or simply curious about the history of the city and its club, this exhibition is for everyone. Wander through the rich history, view historical footage, or take a seat in the supporters' café. There is a special audio tour for the youngest visitors. One Club, One City, Ajax Amsterdam was created in collaboration between the Amsterdam City Archives and SV Ajax. For this exhibition, sports historian Jurryt van de Vooren delved into the archives in search of remarkable stories.
Most famous Ajax player
Ajax's most famous player is undoubtedly Johan Cruyff. He is regarded as the greatest Dutch footballer of all time and was the heart of the club's 'Total Football' philosophy. Cruyff played for Ajax from 1964 to 1973 and won countless trophies, including eight national titles and three European Cups.
Why Johan Cruyff?
- Legendary Status: Cruyff is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, not only in the Netherlands.
- Pioneer of Total Football: He was the spiritual father of the revolutionary playing style 'Total Football', which put Ajax on the international map.
- Successful: With Ajax, he won, among other things, eight national titles and three European Cups.
Ajax (myth)
Everyone knows Ajax, the football club. This football club is named after the Greek hero Ajax. Ajax was a Greek hero, not a god. If you look at the logo, you see the head of this brave hero.
In Greek mythology, Ajax was a hero who fought in the Trojan War. After the death of his friend Achilles, Ajax wanted the deceased Achilles' beautiful armor. But the cunning Odysseus felt that he also had a right to the armor. Eventually, Odysseus got his way, and Ajax was so angry that he vowed to take revenge. Athena disapproved and caused Ajax to become temporarily insane. During this state of insanity, Ajax was incapable of doing much. After his insanity, Ajax was so ashamed that he committed suicide by throwing himself onto his own sword.
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One Club, One City, Ajax Amsterdam, Amsterdam City Archives, through 28 September 2025, free admission:
Previous museum blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/made-in-holland/
Nice blog.
The golden Johan Cruijff stamp would have been a nice addition too.
'@Aad:
At your request, two gold stamps of Johan Cruijff have been added.
Also included is the special magazine Ajax Life – 125 Icons. You get it for free at the expo, but while stocks last.