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The Premier League has been blessed with an enormous number of talented players over time, both homegrown and foreign. One of the places that stands out for producing such players consistently is Dutch club AFC Ajax.
The club, which has a caboodle of gems, has a prodigious history of producing talent for generations. Theirs is a legacy for years gone by, and for years to come. It is something that Ajax stand for and it is also something that they are extremely proud of.
The majority of the players who joined the Dutch side turned out to be sensational. The Premier League is one such competition to have been blessed by their presence. There are a multitude of those who have joined the English competition. But the five listed below could be considered to be the best Ajax players to have played in the Premier League.
Let's take a look at them:
#5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is indeed an intriguing character. He is a player who has an unparagoned way of doing things. This is one of the main reasons why his life in the Premier League was a huge success.
Ibrahimovic's journey began at Malmo, but it was his next club, Ajax, that turned him into a world-class player. He scored 48 goals and assisted 17 in 110 appearances for the club.
His demand thereon has only increased. The Swedish striker has played for many major clubs across the best leagues in Europe. From Italy to Spain to England, he has etched himself in every club's history books.
Furthermore, it was his move to Premier League side Manchester United in 2016 that helped the club get back on track from their downfall. His impact was instant as United managed to grab three silverwares in his debut season.
The triumph against his former club Ajax in the Europa League final also earned him his only European title. The 40-year-old striker currently plays for AC Milan and is on the hunt for his second Serie A title with the Rossoneri.
#4 Marc Overmars
Ajax got hold of the quick-footed winger in 1992 and turned him into one of the most exciting players of that era. Becoming the best, Marc Overmars won plenty of trophies along with a Champions League title during his five-year stay at Ajax. The year he won the European title also made him a sought-after name in the Premier League.
Arsenal and Manchester United were interested in signing him. He turned down the Red Devils and joined the Gunners in 1997, two years post the interest shown by them. After a rusty start to his Premier League life which drew plenty of criticism, he burst into life in the second half of his season.
His incredible run helped Arsenal chase down Manchester United for the Premier League title. It was followed by the FA Cup and the FA Charity Shield (Community Shield) coup.
Three seasons later, he moved to Barcelona which didn't work out well for him. He joined them during one of their worst spells and failed to win a single trophy during his four-year stay. He is currently the director of football at Ajax.
#3 Edwin van der Sar
The Premier League was blessed with one of the best goalkeepers when Fulham signed Edwin van der Sar from Juventus in 2001. He was one of the few players at Ajax to remain at the club after winning the Champions League in 1995. In 1999, he joined Juventus, becoming the first non-Italian goalkeeper for them in the process.
However, he did not last there as the Bianconeri signed Gianluigi Buffon in 2001. Van der Sar did not prefer being the second option, as a result of which he joined the newly-promoted Premier League side, Fulham. He was arguably the best player at the club as long as he stayed there.
Manchester United had attempted to sign him as a replacement for the departing Peter Schmeichel. However, the Dutch chose to move to Italy. After six years of goalkeeping dilemma, United finally landed him.
He succeeded Schmeichel remarkably and recorded an aggregate of almost two trophies a year. His heroics in the penalty shootout helped United defeat Chelsea for the 2007-08 Champions League title, which was also his second.
#2 Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan is another Ajax player to bless the Premier League. Luis Suarez is deadly when it comes to scoring goals and no pleading could make him show mercy. The striker played for another club called Groningen in the Eredivisie before joining Ajax. He was a talented striker, but the move to Ajax unlocked his full potential.
In his third season with the Dutch side, he scored 49 goals in 48 appearances. This proved to be the catalyst for the greater things that happened in his career. Liverpool signed him in 2011 which eventually benefitted both parties. The Reds were not a force in the league after the christening of the Premier League. But Suarez's addition started their rise.
He was a goal scoring menace in the Premier League. His contributions brought Liverpool closest to winning their first Premier League title when they finished runners-up in the 2013-14 season. That same season he also equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goals (31) in a season which was later broken by Mohamed Salah.
#1 Dennis Bergkamp
There is no discussion that could budge a person from declaring Dennis Bergkamp the best ever Dutch and Ajax player to play in the Premier League. He is one of the most versatile players ever and the goalkeeping position is the only one he hasn't tried in his career.
The talented Ajax graduate spent seven years with the club. By the time he closed his chapter there, he had recorded a goal every two matches. This was despite being played in many different positions. However, his scoring pace dipped after he moved to Inter Milan in 1993.
It was Arsenal who redeemed him when they signed him two years after his failed move to the Nerazzurri. The rest, as we say, is history. His move was crucial to Arsenal's rise back to the top after their early 90's collapse.
Bergkamp helped Arsenal fracture Manchester United's dominant run in the Premier League. This, in turn, gave the world its fireciest rivalry as both clubs outdid each other year after year. Bergkamp scored 113 goals and made 94 assists in 403 appearances for the Gunners.
His 11 year stay and accolades earned him legendary status at the club. The Dutch forward hung his boots in 2006 at the newly inaugrated Emirates Stadium. The testimonial match between Arsenal and Ajax closed off his incredible journey.
He even has a statue after him at the Emirates Stadium, such was his impact.
