Ajax Amsterdam's Best XI if they hadn't sold their players

Midfield

RM: Ryan Babel (Galatasaray)

Fulham FC v Cardiff City - Premier League

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)

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

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)

Netherlands v Peru - International Friendly

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)

Tottenham Hotspur v Olympiacos FC: Group B - UEFA Champions League

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)

Hellas Verona v AS Roma - Serie A

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.