Midfield
Defensive Midfield: Frank Rijkaard
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Another of the veterans of the 1994/95 Ajax side, Rijkaard was already in the twilight of his career in 1995 and the Champions League final turned out to be his final game as an active player. Following his retirement, Rijkaard immediately moved into the coaching side of the game, where he was appointed as an assistant coach for the Netherlands national team.
In 1998, Rijkaard was surprisingly handed the top job with his country and despite his inexperience, he was able to guide them to the semi-finals of the 2000 European Championships. A loss to Italy on penalties caused him to resign, though, and from there he went on to take over at Sparta Rotterdam. Relegation followed and Rijkaard was fired.
Surprisingly, his next job came at Barcelona, and while his reign isn’t looked upon greatly today due to the success that Pep Guardiola brought to the club later on, he did win the La Liga in 2004/05 and 2005/06, and then the Champions League in 2006/07.
After his reign at Barca came to an end in 2008, Rijkaard went on to manage Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia before retiring from football completely in December 2016.
Right Midfield: Clarence Seedorf
Seedorf was one of the younger members of the side and he arguably went on to become the most successful player of the entire squad. The triumph over Milan turned out to be Seedorf’s final game for Ajax and he moved to Sampdoria for the start of the 1995/96 season.
After a year, he moved to Real Madrid where he enjoyed huge success, winning the La Liga in his first season and helping the side capture the Champions League in 1997/98. The end of 1999 saw a move to Internazionale, where he spent two years before moving across the city to AC Milan.
At Milan, he won his third Champions League in 2002/03, becoming the first player to win the trophy with three different clubs. Another Champions League – in 2006/07 – as well as two Serie A titles followed for him.
After retiring from active competition in 2014, he took over at Milan as their new manager, a baffling move considering his lack of experience. Seedorf lasted just four months in the job and then took over Chinese side Shenzhen, where he was equally unsuccessful and was fired after five months, in December 2016.
Left Midfield: Edgar Davids
Davids – just 22 at the time of the Champions League win – went on to become one of the game’s most iconic players thanks to his trademark dreadlocks and the protective goggles he wore on the pitch, designed to help him deal with glaucoma. Nicknamed ‘The Pitbull’, Davids was one of the most combative midfielders of his day.
A move to AC Milan in 1996/97 ended his time at Ajax, but it was an unsuccessful move and after just one season, he moved to Juventus, where he enjoyed his greatest successes, winning three Serie A titles. Moves to Barcelona, Internazionale, Tottenham Hotspur and another run at Ajax followed.
In a somewhat bizarre ending to his career, Davids ended up moving back to England – a short run with Crystal Palace apparently signalled his retirement in 2010, but he re-emerged in 2012 as player-manager at League Two side Barnet.
Davids inexplicably stayed at Barnet for the best part of two seasons before resigning in January 2014, not before he’d caused some inadvertent comedy by swearing on live UK television.
Central Midfield: Jari Litmanen
Probably the greatest player Finland ever produced, Litmanen broke into Ajax’s first team a couple of years prior to the Champions League victory as a replacement for the departing Dennis Bergkamp. 1994/95 was probably Litmanen’s finest season for Ajax, although he played a huge part in the side getting to the 1995/96 Champions League final too.
After nine seasons at Ajax, Litmanen moved to Barcelona for the 1999/00 season. Injuries hampered his time at Barca though and he only made 21 appearances for the club before moving to England with Liverpool.
He fared better for the Reds, playing a part in the side that Gerard Houllier led to a treble of the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2000/01. He remained injury prone, however, and didn’t actually play in any of the final matches.
A return to Ajax followed his run at Liverpool but it proved largely fruitless and the Finn then settled into almost a journeyman-type role, heading to his native Finland, Germany, Sweden, back to England, and finally to HJK Helsinki where he ended his career in 2011. Since his retirement, he has not been involved in the world of football.
