Barcelona and Ajax meet in the Nou Camp this evening as two of European football’s most famous clubs go head-to-head once again in the Champions League.
The list of ex-players to have played for Barcelona and Ajax reads like a who’s who of famous footballers, so we’ve decided to have a little fun.
There can be no understating of the impact that the Dutch philosophy of Total Football has had on the Nou Camp as Johan Cruyff’s arrival in Catalonia in 1973 changed the approach and identity of FC Barcelona.
The Dutch influence still runs deep in the Nou Camp as seen by the club’s commitment to a 4-3-3 shape from youth team to senior levels and their strict emphasis on developing technically gifted footballers.
The ties and history between both clubs run deep but who are the best XI players to have represented both? Using a 4-3-3 formation we have opted for:
Edgar Davids – GK
Ok, so there hasn’t been a ‘keeper to play for both clubs just yet but Davids did play for both, coming through the academy in Ajax to lift the European Cup in ’95 and miss during the ’96 penalty shoot-out defeat to Juventus.
The combative midfielder represented the Blaugrana for six months during the ’04 season and was a key factor in turning around a disastrous campaign.
We’ve opted for Davids in goal because he wore the number one jersey during his player-manager spell at Barnet. They’re almost as big as Barca and Ajax.
Here he is swearing live on Sky Sports.
Michael Reiziger – RB
Solid, quick, good on the ball and equally adept going forward as he was defending, Michael Reiziger was the prototype for the modern era full-back.
Louis Van Gaal features prominently in his career as he gave the defender his debut at 17 as Reiziger established himself as a key-member of the Ajax team. He even managed to keep out Winston Bogarde (is he still getting paid by Chelsea?) from the starting XI against AC Milan for that famous 1-0 win in Vienna.
An ill-fated and injury plagued spell with AC Milan followed but the right-back found a new lease of life at the Nou Camp where he made over 200 appearances in a seven-year spell winning back-to-back titles in ’98 and ’99.
Ronald Koeman – RCB
The name of the current Southampton manager will forever be remembered in Barcelona history because it was his rocket of a free-kick in extra-time that gave Barcelona their first ever European title.
Koeman was the defensive rock upon which Johan Cryuff’s so called Dream Team was built as Barca won La Liga four years in a row.
What’s astonishing is that the classy Dutch defender netted 193 league goals in 533 career matches, that’s the most of any defender in the history of football.
He already had an amazing reputation in Holland before making the move to Spain and during his time playing in Amsterdam, ’83-’86, he won the league and cup.
Despite returning to manage Ajax, we’re still not sure that he was loved by all their fans, Koeman left the club as a player to join PSV and helped them win three leagues, two cups and the European Cup before moving to Barca.
Frank de Boer – LCB
The current Ajax manager was an incredibly versatile, gifted and classy defender who always looked like he never got a single drop of muck on his jersey because he was far cleverer than most strikers.
De Boer’s range of passing was crucial to the way that Ajax played as his partnership with the equally, calm, composed but resolute Danny Blind was superb.
At Ajax, he won 5 Leagues, 2 Cups, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League. You don’t become the most capped outfield player in the history of the Netherlands national football team, with 112 caps, by being a bad player.
In 1999, Frank and his brother Ronald signed for FC Barcelona for £22 million, joining their former Ajax manager Louis van Gaal at the Camp Nou. Their first year was a success, winning the 1998–99 La Liga title, but they were unable to repeat their earlier triumphs.
In 2000, Van Gaal was sacked and de Boer memorably tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone a year later. He was suspended but he was reinstated after a successful appeal.
Maxwell – LB
Zlatan Ibrahimvoic’s best buddy, they’ve played together at four different clubs ya know, is probably the answer to the following question.
Name me a solid, reliable yet unspectacular Brazilian left-back who arguably prefers defending that bombing forward?
Maxwell signed for Ajax in 2001 and went on to win the title twice and be named Dutch Footballer of the Year in ’04. The €5m that Barcelona payed Inter Milan for him proved to be a steal as he provided vital cover for Eric Abidal and won 10 trophies in just three years at the Nou Camp.
Marc Overmars – RCM
The flying Dutchman is probably still best remembered for his brilliant contribution at Arsenal where his electric pace, dribbling skills and final ball absolutely terrorized defenders up and down the country.
Overmars was hardly an unknown talent before arriving in North London though having won Dutch Player of the Year in ’92 and Golden Shoe the year after.
Like most players that leave Arsene Wenger’s side, the Dutchman didn’t manage to replicate his devastating form at Barcelona as he became the then most expensive Dutch player in history. Injuries, managerial instability and a resurgent Real Madrid Galactico’s project meant that Overmars didn’t win a single trophy in Spain.
He did score this memorable goal though.
Johan Neeskens – CM
Without a doubt Neeskens was one of the greatest Dutch midfielders that have ever played the game and was an integral part of the Oranje side that finished runners up in two World Cup finals, ’74 and ’78.
He was comfortably able to play as a right-back but his finest position was in the middle of the park where his supreme passing range, vision and awareness of space endured his place as the fulcrum of the great Ajax side of the early ’70’s.
They completed a hat-trick of European Cup wins between 1971 and 1973.
He joined Barca with Cruyff in ’73 but his spell in Spain didn’t prove to be as fruitful, the Cup Winners Cup was the only notable success, but he returned to Catalonia to work as Frank Rijkaard’s No2 where they won the ’06 Champions League among others.
Michael Laudrup – LCM
It’s a real shame that Michael Laudrup’s peak years as a player coincided with his decision not to play for Denmark during their stunning Euro ’92 success but nothing can detract from the great Dane’s achievements.
Seeing Laudrup dribbling with the ball was like watching poetry in motion as he also had the knack for scoring and linking up superbly with the attackers around him.
Such was his status at the Nou Camp that he , along with Koeman and Stoichkov, were the only three ‘foreigners’ given a starting place in Cruyff’s Dream Team and he re-paid his managers faith.
The Dane was twice named as Spanish player of the year and some of these quotes from fampus footballers on his genius are superb.
Raul, “The best I have ever played with”, Iniesta, “”Who is the best player in history? Laudrup” and finally Romario, “The best player I have ever played with and the 4th best in the history of the game”.
It’s ironic that it was the Brazilian who had a part in Laudrup leaving the Nou Camp as his arrival saw four ‘foreigners’ and less game time for the Dane.
His final year in professional football was spent in Amsterdam where he won the League and cup double.
Well worth a watch if you have the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG5TqmDfjuw
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – RCF
We were so tempted to opt for the genius Finn Jari Litmanen in the No 10 jersey, especially since he was the creative fulcrum of that amazing Ajax side, but Zlatan is Zlatan.
Amsterdam represented the first point of call on the Swedish strikers journey around Europe’s biggest clubs but the Eredivisie was always too small a pool to hold his talents.
In three years he managed to get; two titles, a cup, a scrap with Rafael Van der Vaart and this goal. Typical Zlatan.
As for his time at the Nou Camp? Well we advise you to read the first chapter of his autobiography. He still managed to get four trophies in two years though.
Johan Cryuff – LCF
What else can be said about one of the greatest footballers of all time?
Daring, unique, talented, individual, opinionated, brash, wonderful, inspiring, revolutionary and genius. Just Cruyff.
Without him both Barcelona and Ajax wouldn’t be the clubs that they are today.
Patrick Kluivert – CG
They say that the art of scoring goals can’t be coached, taught or developed. Some strikers are just born with that predatory instinct and ability to punish opposing teams.
Very rarely has a teenager shaken the world of football as strongly as he did in the ’95 Champions League final and a goals record of almost one in two for both clubs speaks for itself.
