March 18, 1900, remains a historic moment for European club football, as Dutch football club AFC Ajax was founded on that very day in the centre of Amsterdam city in the Netherlands. (More Football News)
The football giants, who have won scores of league titles as well as a number of UEFA라이브 바카라 continental trophies, began their journey as a team competing in the lower levels of the Dutch footballing pyramid, and it took them 11 years to qualify for the First Division.
The 1911 season was special for another reason, as it was the first time that Ajax donned their iconic red and white striped jerseys. Since then, the colours have become synonymous with both the club and its city for more than a century.
The club would go on to win their first league title in 1918, and would have a golden period where club legend Sjaak Swart would make his debut, spending 18 years at the club. In his second season, ‘Mr Ajax’ Swart would win the club라이브 바카라 first Eredivisie title – as the first division was renamed.
Ajax was beginning to forge its unique identity in Europe. Like other Dutch clubs to follow, they adopted a new logo in 1928 inspired by the Greek mythological hero Ajax the Great, who was a symbol of strength and loyalty.
With a new brand both on and off the pitch, the club celebrated a host of national titles throughout the 1930s, which were among the 36 league awards that were to grace their trophy cabinet till date.
However, the journey from being Dutch giants to European giants was due to one of the pivotal moments in their history in 1964.
Two years after winning their first continental title, a scrawny Dutch player named Johan Cryuff would make his debut in Ajax colours. The club goes from being almost relegated that season to winning back-to-back European cups in 1971 and 1972, followed by an Intercontinental Cup.
Ajax showed no sign of stopping, winning two European Super Cups and another European Cup between 1973 and 1974, even though they lost Cruyff to FC Barcelona. However, the prodigal son returned in 1982, leading to the club라이브 바카라 20th national title, and five years later, winning the European Cup II as a coach.
Then under the tutelage of another legendary Dutch manager Louis van Gaal, Ajax would go on to win a UEFA Super Cup in 1992 and their first UEFA Champions League three years later.
Since then, fortunes have dwindled for Ajax as well as Dutch football in general. Eredivisie titles have continued to flow in, with the club earning a third star (30 titles) in 2011, but European success has been hard to come by. Their biggest achievement was reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
However, despite their glory days behind them, Ajax라이브 바카라 name remains written in golden letters in the annals of European footballing history, and all fans of the beautiful game can wish them a happy 125th birthday.
