Don't Worry About a Thing: The Shocking Decline of Ajax

Football is a funny old sport. Treated as the last great equal playing field, it’s not really, is it? All the prizes usually go to a select few teams. But, if you’re one of those teams, then who's complaining? It’s perfect, just carry on, and watch the success roll in. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. Transitions happen, and they don’t always go well. Sometimes, it’s a car crash. Nowhere has this been more evident in recent years than in one of Europe’s most successful teams: Ajax.

On the surface, anything less than the best would seem like a failure for the team from Amsterdam. They’re one of the world’s most successful teams, home to some of the world’s best players, and with one of the world's best academies. So, what happened?

Carlos Borges: Ajax’s Portuguese Winger

Our story begins in 2019. Ajax had just finished the 2018/19 season by winning the domestic double and coming within seconds of reaching the Champions League final. Their management structure, consisting of Manager Erik ten Hag, Sporting Director Marc Overmars, and CEO Edwin Van der Sar, had built and coached one of the best young teams in the world, as they proved over the next three years.