Just ten days after the World Cup final in late July, Ajax played Austrian side Sturm Graz and won 2-0. It was not a pre-season friendly, but a Champions League second-round qualifier.
Some of the other victors at that stage were MOL Vidi, Shkendija and Astana.. The point is this: Ajax were not supposed to make it this far.
But here they are, the most talked about team on the continent, a new generation every bit as exciting as the club’s European champions of 1995, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf et al.
Ajax have pulled off a remarkable feat to reach the Champions League semi-finals
For much of the two decades since that side was disbanded, Amsterdam’s biggest impression on Europe has come via its sprawling airport.
But much like the Schiphol Airport of today – fluid movement and clinically efficient yet stylish and entertaining with it – the city’s football team is now an equally impressive feat of engineering and application.
Schiphol is a major transport hub, invariably a stopping-off point en route to elsewhere. Sadly, for Ajax, the same looks set to be true of this captivating young side, but not before they face Spurs in the Champions League semi-final. For now, the talent remains in the departure lounge.
‘When you have guys that are 19, 20, playing at this high level, every match, it’s normal that the big teams will come around with their big bag of money,’ says Lasse Schone, a relative veteran at 32.
Lasse Schone feels a Champions League triumph would be best way for youngsters to sign off
‘But we aren’t talking about that. We still have three titles to go for (Champions League, Eredivise and Dutch Cup) and that’s what we’re focused on.’
If they are to be broken up – midfielder Frenkie de Jong has already agreed to join Barcelona – then what better way to sign off than with the club’s first Champions League trophy in 24 years?
‘That sounds like a good plan,’ says Schone, the Denmark midfielder.
Ajax are good at planning. Just like Schiphol, their success is no accident.
In the hours after Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Juventus, the club tweeted pictures of their scorers, midfielder Donny van de Beek and captain Matthijs de Ligt, 21 and 19 respectively.
But the images of the pair were as children, Ajax kit and all, already part of the club’s fabled academy. ‘Our boys’ read the caption.
The likes of De Ligt, Van de Beek and De Jong – all Holland internationals – have each graduated to the seniors with a degree in philosophy, the Ajax philosophy.
There was one second-half offensive in Turin that captured those principles, a series of 12 passes involving seven players and a total of just 17 touches, cutting through Juventus like an aeroplane through the clouds.
And that is what it is like to face Ajax. They are ferocious, playing at high speed and with precision. To them, a first touch is second nature.
‘We did it our way and were true to the way we want to play football,’ says Schone.
Former Southampton forward Dusan Tadic, the star of the 4-1 win at Real Madrid in the previous round, explains: ‘It doesn’t matter who we’re against, we play high pressing, try to dominate our opponents – this is our way. There is a feeling that we can hurt any team. All of our players, they understand football.’
City/Spurs have a lot to understand about Ajax during the next fortnight. They were the only team from qualifying to make the knockout rounds and negotiated a group including Bayern Munich and Benfica.
Ajax legend and director of football Marc Overmars celebrates with a slide on the pitch
And all of this, don’t forget, with a wage budget less than some Championship clubs. So much for Financial Fair Play cementing the top order.
Could they, then, emerge as European champions come June 1 in Madrid?
‘We have just beaten two of the biggest teams in the world. So yes, why not?’ says Schone.
‘This belief is something you create. We started three rounds before we even got to the group stage. It has been a long journey, but an incredible one.’
And one that is far from over. Thankfully, for any neutrals, their next stop is England. Fans of City/Spurs will not be so grateful should they become the latest club to see their Champions League dreams grounded.
For Ajax, at least this season, the sky’s the limit.