The Mad squad
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATTHIJSDELIGT FREE AJAX UPSTARTS DALEYBLIND FREE Ajer: Ajax heroics an inspiration for Hoops
BY LIAM BRYCE THERE was a bit of a rammy at Europe’s most exclusive club on Tuesday night.
Bouncers have been left facing questions over how a crowd of young Dutchmen, barely a transfer fee between them, were allowed in to set about their most important member in the VIP suite.
The Spanish client, who can be named as Real Madrid, had been described as looking extremely worse for wear long before the incident and is not expected back at the club for quite some time.
The audacity of these young upstarts, known only in obscure football circles as Ajax, has left club bosses embarrassed after they were allowed in despite their refusal to spend obscene amounts of money.
Scottish punters have a history of either being turned away at the door or being let in simply to provide mild entertainment for the rich and famous.
In all seriousness, chasing even modest success in the Champions League has become an increasingly futile exercise for Scottish clubs.
Ajax’s stunning 5-3 aggregate win over Los Blancos threw a spanner in UEFA’s increasingly obvious quest to ensure the elite clubs continue to reign supreme over the rest.
And, under boss Erik ten Hag, they did it with a squad largely comprised of youth players and savvy signings.
Historically, Scotland have failed to produce players on a par with the Dutch.
Ajax have, at the very least, shown relentless spending is not the only way to dine at Europe’s top table. So, who are these Ajax stars?
We take a look at the team that conquered Gareth Bale, left, and Co in Madrid. THE poster boy of the Ajax academy, de Ligt’s journey to becoming the club’s youngest captain began at just nine years old. He rose rapidly through the ranks and was wearing the armband at just 18.
A towering centre-back, de Ligt patrolled the Bernabeu with an authority that must have left watching Sergio Ramos feeling like he’d been turfed out his own house by a kid. Expect to see his name come the summer transfer window. THERE’s bargains then there’s bargains and then there’s Frenkie de Jong.
The midfielder cost Ajax just £1 from Willem II in 2015 – not a bad investment considering he’s off to Barcelona next season for a tidy £64.5million. Described by Dutch maestro Rafael van der Vaart as the best player in Holland, de Jong’s display in Madrid has been described as a real coming-of-age moment. THE man who produced the most GIF-worthy pass of all time, Blind is generally remembered for that laseraccurate assist to set up Robin van Persie’s famous diving header at the 2014 World Cup.
He earned a move to Manchester United but never really nailed down a settled position. The utility-man tag isn’t exactly unfair but it doesn’t do the Dutchman real justice. Blind is a classy operator. BY CRAIG SWAN KRISTOFFER AJER admits Ajax’s stunning rout of Real Madrid offers Euro inspiration to Celtic.
The Dutch side were sensational as they won 4-1 in the Bernabeu to reach the last eight of the Champions League.
Ajax tore down the spending myth and, having faced the Amsterdam side in both the Champions and Europa League over the past six years, Ajer reckons it offers the Hoops motivation for the future.
The Norway defender said: “To have so many young players producing such a fine performance against a team that’s won the Champions League for the last three years was really impressive.
“It shows if you have a good structure for a number of years you can deliver good results.
“We can use that to inspire us because we have a good pathway for our academy players.
“If you build up the way Celtic have been doing and the way Ajax have done, you can create a system where you’re not only selling great players but bringing really good ones through that you can keep.
“Some excellent players have come through our youth system recently to play in the first team.” Dutch bargain stunners who dethroned the Euro champs