Ajax Amsterdam, << EYE ahks ahm stur dahm, >> is a leading soccer club in the Netherlands. The sport is called football in the Netherlands and many other countries. Ajax is based in Amsterdam and plays its home matches in the Johan Cruyff Arena. The team competes in the Eredivisie, the top national Dutch league, where it has won the championship 36 times. Ajax became known for its free-flowing style of play, called “total football.” The style was first developed under the coaching of Rinus Michels in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Ajax is a dominant team in soccer in the Netherlands and has won several international championships. The club won the European Cup in 1971, 1972, and 1973, and the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League in 1995. The European Cup became the UEFA Champions League beginning with the 1992-93 season. The team also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1972 and 1995, and the UEFA Cup in 1992.
Ajax is known for developing star players from the Netherlands, who often play for the Dutch national team and for other leading teams throughout Europe. Johan Cruyff, a Dutch forward who ranks as one of the greatest goal scorers in soccer history, played for Ajax from 1964 to 1973 and from 1981 to 1983. Other notable players who started their careers with Ajax include forwards Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Nicolaas (Johnny) Rep, and Marco van Basten; midfielders Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, and Wesley Sneijder; and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Ajax was established in 1900.
