23 October: Ajax is one out of four European clubs to wear
the new UEFA badge of honour on their shirts. Real Madrid, AC
Milan and Bayern Munich are the other ones.
The badge has the shape of the so-called "Cup with the Big
Ears": the European Champions Cup. It is awarded exclusively to
clubs that have won the most prestigious European club trophy
either three consecutive times, or five times in total.
Ajax club won it four times and will therefore wear the
character '4' above the cup-shaped badge. The cups were grabbed
in 1971 (against Panathinaikos, 2-0; in London), 1972 (Inter
Milan, 2-0; Rotterdam), 1973 (Juventus, 1-0; Belgrade) and 1995
(AC Milan, 1-0; Vienna).
An additional European Cup Winners' Cup (1987) and UEFA Cup
(1992), makes Ajax the second most succesful club in European
football history (behind Real Madrid), for which reason Ajax
was the second club to be introduced the the 'Football Hall Of
Fame'. Out of the four teams rewarded with the badge, Ajax is
the only club to have won both other European trophies as well
- not even to mention the European Super Cup (3 times) and the
World Cup (2 times).
The often heard assumption that Ajax is part of the European
elite based on the early 1970s only, is factually incorrect.
Ajax' successes are, in fact, relatively recent. Ajax played
nine European Cup finals, of which over 50% (5 finals) took
place after 1987. During the ten seasons from '87 to '96, Ajax
played a European final every two years (on average) and won
all international trophies once. No European club even comes
close to that record. (MP)
