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Ajax Amsterdam's academy is arguably the best youth football system in the world right now. The Dutch giants consistently produce world-class footballers and have even eclipsed Barcelona's famous La Masia in recent years.
Consisting of 13 different youth teams at various age levels, Ajax can claim Johan Cruyff, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Ruud Krol, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp as just a few of their most illustrious alumni.
Under Erik ten Hag in the last couple of years, Ajax have once again risen to the pinnacle of European football, reaching the Champions League semifinals last year. They also scored a massive 119 goals en route to the Eredivisie title.
After selling two of their best players, they once again played some scintillating football in the group stages this season, before missing out on qualification by just one point. The Dutch champions will, however, be among the favourites now for the Europa League.
Their recent resurgence has been in spite of the club continuing to sell their best players to European heavyweights. Over the last couple of decades, Ajax have been a feeder club to the continental elite, with players like Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Christian Eriksen and several others going on to achieve great things in other leagues.
What if Ajax had held on to these players over the last few years? Let's take a look at a starting XI of some of the greatest players Ajax Amsterdam have sold in recent history:
GK: Jasper Cillessen (Valencia)
Although he wasn't actually a youth graduate, Ajax was where Jasper Cillessen really made a name for himself. He won 3 league titles with them before completing a high profile move to Barcelona.
Cillessen was mostly just a back-up for Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the Camp Nou, but the Dutchman put on solid performances whenever he was called upon, and remained the Netherlands national team's first choice.
The 29-year-old moved on to Valencia last summer for €35 million, where he's been starting regularly until a recent calf injury.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table EPL live scores
Defence
CB: Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
It is, sometimes, hard to imagine that Matthijs de Ligt is only 20 - that's how long he's been playing at the top level. He made his Netherlands debut at just 17, and was made Ajax captain at 18.
His performances at the back, and a few crucial goals, were instrumental in the club's run to the Champions League semifinal this year. It also earned him a massive €75 million move to Juventus.
He's not completely adapted to the Italian top-flight yet, but still has a lot of time to do so. Few players of his age possess the experience that he does, and de Ligt is sure to be a mainstay in Juve's defence for several years to come.
CB: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham)
One of the major reasons for Tottenham Hotspur's success under Mauricio Pochettino, Toby Alderweireld has been the defensive backbone of the club ever since he arrived from Atletico Madrid.
The Belgian international has consistently been one of the Premier League's best centre backs for the past 5 to 6 years. Tottenham managed to sign him for a paltry £11.5 million from Atletico once his loan spell at Southampton ended, a fee that he's repaid ten times over.
He's still searching for silverware with the North Londoners though, and came very close when he reached the Champions League final last year (defeating his old club en route). Under Jose Mourinho though, that could change.
CB: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)
Another Belgian centre back at Spurs, Jan Vertonghen broke through at Ajax thanks to his versatility under Frank de Boer, leading them to an Eredivisie title as captain in 2012.
Understandably, that attracted the attention of several European giants, and he joined Tottenham for €12 million. The Belgian pairing of Vertonghen and Alderweireld has become a familiar sight for fans now, and he's still going strong in spite of the arrivals of Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez.
He also has 118 caps for Belgium. At the age of 32, he's one of Tottenham's most experienced stars, and Jose Mourinho is reportedly eager to tie him down to a new contract.
Midfield
RM: Ryan Babel (Galatasaray)
One of football's eternal journeymen, Ryan Babel has played for Ajax (twice), Liverpool, Hoffenheim, Fulham, Besiktas and Galatasaray to name a few clubs.
After coming through the academy and making his breakthrough at Ajax, the versatile winger was linked with several Premier League clubs before he joined Liverpool. He was a controversial figure at Merseyside, and never really stayed at a club for more than 3 years once he left in 2010.
Returning to England briefly with Fulham last January, he put in a few impressive performances, but was unable to avoid relegation. His Netherlands career has been a bigger success though - he was recalled by the Oranje after a 6-year absence in 2017, and he's still going strong ahead of Euro 2020.
CM: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Another one of Ajax's recent spate of talented youth graduates, 22-year-old Frenkie de Jong has silently established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world over the last few years.
Blessed with technical skills, vision, passing, and excellent dribbling, de Jong ran the Ajax midfield for 2 years before Barcelona spotted him as an ideal heir to Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic.
He's wasted no time in becoming an indispensable figure at the Camp Nou, and is currently one of the first men on Ernesto Valverde's team sheet. That's saying something, in a team that has the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
CAM: Wesley Sneijder (Retired)
There's really no need for an introduction to this man. Wesley Sneijder is best known for his spells at Real Madrid and Inter Milan, but he also won 4 titles at boyhood club Ajax.
He's the most-capped Dutch player of all time (with 134) and has consistently produced brilliant performances for the national team. He came close to winning the World Cup in 2010 and led his country to a third-place finish in 2014.
After joining Qatari team Al-Gharafa in January 2018, he spent one and a half seasons at the club before announcing his retirement ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.
CM: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)
Rounding off a trio of illustrious Ajax graduates at Tottenham, Christian Eriksen is one of the most gifted midfielders in Europe. The Danish star won three league titles with Ajax before he moved to England in 2013.
Eriksen's creativity and set-piece abilities have been invaluable to Spurs over the years. He's been their primary midfield driver, forming fruitful partnerships with more goalscoring players like Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Harry Kane.
His contract expires next summer though, which has led to rampant speculation linking him to other Premier League clubs. Mourinho is understood to be keen on keeping him, and only time will reveal where he'll end up next season.
LM: Justin Kluivert (Roma)
When Justin Kluivert broke through at Ajax, he was noticed both for his performances and his surname. He truly broke into the spotlight when he scored a hat-trick against Roda in 2017, and Roma snapped him up the following summer.
Although he's been playing regularly for the Italians, he's yet to make the kind of impact that fans expected in the Serie A. He's improved a lot this season though, starting 12 league matches and scoring 3 goals before an unfortunate injury at the start of December.
Kluivert is still only 20 and has plenty of time to try and live up to his father's name. He clearly has the talent to become a regular for the Dutch national team in the years to come.
Strikers
Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Luis Suarez's performances with Groningen prompted Ajax to sign him in 2007. There, he established himself as one of the most ruthless forwards in Europe, earning himself a move to Liverpool and the Premier League.
He continued to terrorise defences in England (Norwich fans will have a hard time forgetting him). Suarez combined strength, pace and dribbling with a lethal eye for goal, and went on to score 31 goals in the 2013/14 season.
Eventually, he moved to Barcelona under the cloud of his biting scandal at the 2014 World Cup. But his performances at the Camp Nou have established himself as one of the club's greatest ever strikers - his partnership with Messi is near-telepathic when they're both on form.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (free agent)
Imagine a strike force of Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That could have been a reality if Ibrahimovic had stayed a few more years at Ajax.
The Dutch giants signed the Swedish superstar from Malmo in 2001. After helping them win 4 titles, he quickly moved on Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona, PSG, Manchester United and LA Galaxy. A serious knee injury threatened to end his career at United, but he proved that he was far from done by scoring 52 goals in 56 matches in the USA.
At the age of 38, he's not ready to retire yet. Rumours linked him to a return to Milan a while ago, but fresh reports have emerged claiming that Everton are interested following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti. Could Ibrahimovic come back to the PL? Only time will tell.
