Ajax stole the headlines with their run to the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018/19 season.
Managed by Erik ten Hag, Ajax defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Real Madrid en route to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur following Lucas Moura’s injury-time goal. It was a squad littered with young talent, and seven years on from that memorable run, we look at where the players are now.
Goalkeeper: Andre Onana – Trabzonspor (on loan from Man Utd)
Embed from Getty ImagesGoalkeeper Andre Onana remained at Ajax until 2022 before joining Inter Milan on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract. The Cameroonian impressed at the San Siro, helping Inter reach the 2023 Champions League final.
He then followed manager Erik ten Hag to Man Utd in July 2023 for a reported initial fee of £43.8 million. His time in Manchester was inconsistent, making several costly errors throughout his spell at the club. Despite this, he won the FA Cup in 2024, starting in goal as United defeated Manchester City 2-1 in the final.
Onana’s final appearance for Manchester Utd came in a shock defeat on penalties in the EFL Cup against League 2 Grimbsy Town. It was a result that was labelled one of the biggest cup upsets in English football history. Onana was heavily criticised for his role in both goals conceded that night, and that marked the end for him in England. Days later, he joined Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan for the season. He won the Turkish Cup in the 2025/26 season before his loan was subsequently extended for the 2026/27 season.
Right-Back: Noussair Mazraoui – Manchester United
Embed from Getty ImagesAjax academy graduate Noussair Mazraoui shared right-back duties with Joel Veltman throughout the successful campaign. He won three Eredivisie titles with Ajax before sealing a move to German giants Bayern Munich in 2022, where he won one Bundesliga title. He moved to Manchester United in the summer of 2024. He remains at the club, having made 82 appearances at the time of writing.
The most notable success in Mazraoui’s career comes internationally with Morocco. In 2022, he played a big role as Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. He then went on to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with the Atlas Lions as they controversially picked up the title 2 months after losing the final 1-0. The CAF Appeal Board had deemed Senegal had forfeited the final when leaving the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision. The result of the Senegalese appeal is still pending.
Centre-Back: Matthijs de Ligt – Manchester United
Embed from Getty ImagesMatthijs de Ligt was one of the biggest prospects in the Ajax side. Having become the club captain at just 18, he looked destined for the top. He became the youngest captain in a Champions League knockout game when Ajax faced Real Madrid in the round of 16. He scored the winning goal against Juventus in the quarter-final of the competition.
At the end of the season, he secured a move to Juventus for a reported €75 million. He won the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia before departing to reunite with former teammate Noussair Mazraoui at Bayern Munich in 2022.
Like Mazraoui, de Ligt also departed Bayern Munich for Manchester United in the summer of 2024. De Ligt made 40 appearances in his first season in England. However, he suffered a serious back injury in November 2025 and has not played a game since. At 27, there is still time for de Ligt to overcome his injury woes and re-establish himself at the highest level.
Centre-Back: Daley Blind – Ajax
Embed from Getty ImagesBlind was another player with links to Manchester United. After graduating from the Ajax youth academy, he made over 100 appearances before a four-year spell in Manchester. He returned to Ajax for the 2018/19 season, bringing valuable experience to the side. He remained at the club until the end of 2022 before his contract was mutually terminated, allowing him to join Bayern Munich. His spell in Germany lasted just six months, and he left when his short-term contract expired.
He joined Girona in July 2023 and spent three seasons at the club. The highlight was his first campaign, when the side finished third in La Liga. The third-place finish qualified them for Europe for the first time. In the 2025/26 season, Girona finished 19th, relegating them to the Segunda Division, and that marked the end of Blind’s time in Spain.
In July 2026, Blind signed for Ajax for the third time. At 36, he is nearing the end of his successful career, with there being rumours of a transition into a coaching role in the near future… He retired from international football in August 2024, having made 108 caps for the Netherlands.
Left-Back: Nicolas Tagliafico – Lyon
Embed from Getty ImagesArgentine international Nicolas Tagliafico was a relatively new arrival at Ajax come the 2018/19 season. He joined in January 2018 for a reported £4 million from Independiente. He scored important goals in the Champions League group stage, including the equaliser in Ajax’s 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich. He left Ajax in July 2022, joining French side Lyon for 4.2 million euros.
He remains at Lyon, now aged 34. The most defining success of Tagliafico’s career came in 2022, as he helped Argentina win the World Cup. He started the final as Argentina defeated France on penalties. He also started the 2026 final in which Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain. Tagliafico was also part of the Argentina squad that won the 2021 and 2024 Copa America titles.
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong – Barcelona
Embed from Getty ImagesFrenkie de Jong was another standout young star in Ajax’s 2018/19 squad. His exceptional ball-carrying and elite passing ability helped him to thrive in the “total football” system.
During the 2018/19 season, it was announced that he had agreed to sign for Barcelona in the summer of 2019 for a reported €75 million. He remains at the club despite persistent links with Manchester United in the summer of 2022.
De Jong has made 296 appearances for Barcelona and won three La Liga titles. In April 2026, he broke the record for most appearances for Barcelona by a Dutch player, surpassing Phillip Cocu’s 292. He has been sidelined since the 2026 World Cup after suffering a torn MCL.
Midfielder: Lasse Schone – Retired
Embed from Getty ImagesLasse Schone was the second-oldest member of the 2018/19 squad. Aged 32 at the time, he provided valuable experience in a youthful midfield. Schone had been at the club since 2012 after moving from NEC.
Schone scored the fourth goal in Ajax’s 4-1 second-leg victory over Real Madrid, beating Thibaut Courtois with a free-kick.
Like De Jong, Schone left Ajax in the summer of 2019, having made 287 appearances for the club. He signed for Genoa and remained there until 2021 before spells at Heerenveen and NEC concluded his career. He retired at the end of the 2024/25 season and has since transitioned into the world of fashion design, launching a clothing collection with the brand LABFRESH in 2025.
Midfielder: Donny van de Beek – Girona
Embed from Getty ImagesDonny van de Beek was the most attack-minded member of Ajax’s midfield trio. He scored an important goal against Juventus in the quarter-final and netted the only goal of the game in Ajax’s first-leg victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals. After another strong season in 2019/20, he made the move to Manchester United in a deal worth £35 million, with a further £5 million in potential add-ons.
Van de Beek scored on his debut for Manchester United in September 2020. However, he had limited game time in his first season at the club, largely playing the role of backup for Bruno Fernandes. The same path was to follow in his second season, and he was loaned out to Everton in January 2022. He suffered from a recurring thigh injury throughout the loan spell.
He returned to the Man Utd squad with the arrival of Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2022, but playing time remained limited. He suffered a knee injury in January 2023, which ruled him out for the rest of that season. He then spent the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt before leaving on a permanent transfer to Girona.
He found more consistent game time during his first season at Girona but suffered an Achilles tendon rupture early on in the 2025/26 season, not featuring again for the club after September. He remains at the club as they attempt to bounce back from their relegation to the Segunda Division.
Right-Wing: Hakim Ziyech – Botafogo
Embed from Getty ImagesZiyech’s outstanding performances on the wing for Ajax earned him the nickname “The Wizard”. The Moroccan international scored against Real Madrid and in the second leg of Ajax’s semi-final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. He continued to excel at Ajax before leaving in the summer of 2020.
In February 2020, Chelsea confirmed that they had agreed a deal to sign Ziyech for a reported €40 million. In his first season, he scored the only goal in Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Man City. He was an unused substitute when Chelsea defeated City 1-0 in the Champions League final. He started ten games in Chelsea’s run to the final, scoring twice.
The following season, Ziyech scored in the UEFA Super Cup as Chelsea defeated Villarreal on penalties. He also featured as an extra-time substitute in the 2021 Club World Cup triumph.
In January 2023, a proposed loan move to PSG collapsed on deadline day. He then dropped out of the Chelsea first team before leaving for Galatasaray in the summer. After leaving Galatasaray, he has had short spells with Al-Duhail in Qatar and Wydad AC in Morocco before moving to Brazilian side Botafogo.
Left-Wing: David Neres – Napoli
Embed from Getty ImagesDavid Neres scored important goals against Real Madrid and Juventus and was billed as a top talent across Europe. He attracted interest from Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. The Brazilian international remained at Ajax until he departed for Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2022. His spell in Ukraine was cut short by Russia’s invasion, and he joined Benfica in the summer.
After two years in Portugal, Neres joined Napoli in August 2024. In his first season for the Azzurri, he won the league, and in his second season he scored both goals as Napoli defeated Bologna 2-0 in the Supercoppa final.
Striker: Dusan Tadic – NEC Nijmegen
Embed from Getty ImagesDusan Tadic was the surprise performer in this Ajax side. Tadic joined in 2018 following a spell in England with Southampton. He provided two assists and won the man-of-the-match award in Ajax’s away victory over Real Madrid. He was also named in the Champions League Team of the Tournament. Domestically, he won the Eredivisie Golden Boot in 2018/19 and then the 2020/21 Player of the Season award.
The Serbian international left Ajax in 2023 after scoring 105 goals and providing 112 assists in 241 appearances. He subsequently moved to Turkey to join Fenerbahce before spending a season with Al Wahda in the UAE. This summer he returned to the Netherlands to join NEC Nijmegen at the age of 37.
Honourable mentions
Embed from Getty ImagesOther notable members of the squad include Ryan Gravenberch, who was just 16 during the 2018/19 season. He now plays for Liverpool, having also spent time at Bayern Munich.
Joel Veltman missed much of the campaign through injury. He is now at West Ham United after spending six years at Brighton.
Embed from Getty ImagesManager Erik ten Hag remained at Ajax until 2022 before leaving to take charge of Manchester United. During his two-year spell at Man Utd, he won two trophies, the EFL Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. He was then sacked and took over at Bayer Leverkusen in 2025. He was dismissed by Leverkusen after just three competitive games.
In 2026, he was appointed as the sporting director of FC Twente in the Netherlands.
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