Ajax Amsterdam has appointed Jordi Cruijff as its new technical director, hoping the son of club great Johan can help get the club back on track.
The 51-year-old Cruijff signed a contract until June 2028 at the Johan Cruijff Arena, after Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Go Ahead Eagles.
Ajax announced last month that it had reached a verbal agreement with Cruyff to take over the position of new technical director, a crucial position in the club hierarchy, in February.
«It is very special to be here and sign my contract. In the stadium named after my father and at the club that has been important in my life since I was young,» Cruyff said in a club statement.
«From February I will fully commit myself to Ajax. This gives me a great sense of responsibility and pride. Ajax is a unique club with a rich history and I will do everything I can to add a new, successful chapter to it together.»
One of his pressing tasks will be to find a coach for the club, which fired John Heitinga in November and has Fred Grim as interim coach until the end of the season after Erik ten Hag ruled out a return.
Ajax has gone through a horror period over the past three years to the high level of before. This season they have improved in the Dutch league and are third, but 18 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.
However, in the Champions League they lost their first five games and in last week’s cup they suffered a record loss of 0-6 against AZ Alkmaar.
Cruyff was born in Amsterdam and played for Ajax in his youth before moving to Barcelona with his father in 1988, where he played in the youth academy before playing for the first team. Cruyff subsequently played for Manchester United, Celta Vigo, Deportivo Alaves and Espanyol and won nine caps for the Netherlands.
After his playing career, Cruijff became a coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ecuador, and returned to Barcelona in 2021 as a technical advisor and sporting director. His last position was that of technical advisor for Indonesia.
Published on January 18, 2026
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Kianna-Underwood-Hairspray-Opening-Night-Los-Angeles-011726-4de4757df97c4e258c891bec8c5832a3.jpg?w=238&resize=238,178&ssl=1 "El padre de la ex estrella de Nickelodeon Kianna Underwood habla después de su muerte en un atropello y fuga")
