Where are the Ajax players now from their glorious Champions League ride in the 2018/19 season?

In the 2018/19 season, Ajax Amsterdam surprised the whole of Europe. From the second round of the Champions League to the semi-finals. It knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus, for example. In the semi-final, they fell to Tottenham London due to the then away goals rule. Where do the architects of that campaign play today?

When Ajax dragged through Europe in the 2018/19 season, André Onana guarded his sanctuary. He left for Inter Milan as a free agent in the summer of 2022. Now, however, he is a Manchester United player, where he is under constant fire from critics.

Noussair Mazraoui and Nicolás Tagliafico were playing on the edge of defence at the time. The former left in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer to German side Bayern Munich. The latter made his way to French side Olympique Lyon in the same transfer window.

In the centre of defence, the pair of Matthijs de Ligt and Daley Blind shone. Many European clubs were interested in De Ligt. In the end, the talented stopper chose Italian Juventus, where he went for 85 and a half million euros. He is now at Bayern Munich in Germany. Blind only went to Bayern Munich as a free agent in the winter of 2023, spending half a season there before signing for Spanish side Girona, with whom he has been astonishing La Liga this season.

The centre of midfield for a change was dominated by young midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was also predicted to make a big transfer. This is what the promising Dutchman got after the season. Barcelona bought him for 86 million euros.

Defenders Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic were chasing in the wing spaces at that time. Ziyech, a Moroccan winger, left for Chelsea for 40 million euros in the summer of 2020, and is now a guest at Turkish side Galatasaray. Tadic, the Serbian winger, left for Turkish side Fenerbahce on a free transfer after the end of the 2023 season.

The offensive line was supported by Donny van de Beek. The skilful midfielder left Ajax in the summer of 2020 for Manchester United in England, but didn’t really catch on there. He tried out a loan spell at Everton, and is now trying to make it in Frankfurt, Germany.

The attack back then was spearheaded by the trio of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, David Neres and Kasper Dolberg. The former left for German side Schalke in the winter of 2021, where he retired six months later. David Neres, a Brazilian player, left in the winter transfer window of 2022 for Ukrainian Shakhtar Donetsk, from where he made his way to Benfica Lisbon.

Kasper Dolberg, the Danish striker, left after the aforementioned season for the French team OGC Nice for twenty and a half million euros. Subsequently, he was a guest at Seville and Hoffenheim, and now he is at Anderlecht in Belgium.

Interestingly, the Czech offensive player Václav Černý was also on the roster of Ajax Amsterdam at that time. He is currently a football player of German Wolfsburg.

Source: Transfermarkt