It’s 22 years since Louis van Gaal guided Ajax to their last Champions League victory.
The Dutch club defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the final thanks to Patrick Kluivert’s late goal.
The players on display on that night in Vienna was simply astounding. AC Milan had Christian Panucci, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Marcel Desailly; Ajax’s squad included Kluivert, Edwin van der Sar, Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids.
The teams had actually met earlier in the competition, when they faced off in the group stage. Ajax were the victors both home and away, recording a pair of 2-0 victories over their Italian opponents to top Group D.
But Milan progressed to the knockout stages after winning three and drawing one of their other four group matches.
In the final, the Rossoneri came up against an Ajax team brimming with exciting young talent.
Here’s what happened to them.
GK | Edwin van der Sar
After nine seasons at Ajax, Van Der Sar left Holland for Juventus in 1999.
He played two seasons in Italy before signing for Fulham
In 2005, Van der Sar joined Manchester United and won the Champions League again, this time in 2008.
RB | Michael Reiziger
The right-back actually signed for Milan in 1996. He spent a season in Italy before spending seven years at Barcelona.
CB | Danny Blind
Blind retired from football in 1999. Last month, he was sacked as manager of the Dutch national team after a string of poor results.
LB | Frank de Boer
De Boer left Ajax for Barcelona in 1999. He won the La Liga in his debut season at the Camp Nou.
DM | Frank Rijkaard
Rijkaard retired after this game. Not a bad way to go out. He then turned to management and spent five seasons in charge of Barcelona from 2003 to 2008.
RM | Clarence Seedorf
Seedorf left Ajax after the final, signing for Sampdoria. He also played for Real Madrid and both Milan clubs in an impressive career.
LM | Edgar Davids
Like Reiziger, Milan would end up being Davids’ next club. He joined the Italian giants in 1996.
The Dutchman’s career took him to Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, back to Ajax, Crystal Palace and, yes, Barnet.
CAM | Jari Litmanen
The Finn signed for Barcelona in 1999. He spent two seasons in Spain before spending another seasons at Liverpool.
RW | Finidi George
The Nigerian appeared in the 95-96 Champions League final defeat to Juventus.
It would be George’s final season at the club. He joined Real Betis in 1996 and also played for Mallorca and Ipswich Town.
CF | Ronald de Boer
Ronald and Frank de Boer both joined Barcelona in January 1999. Ronald left the following year, however, signing for Scottish outfit Rangers.
LW | Marc Overmars
Arsenal signed Overmars from Ajax in 1997. His winner at Old Trafford helped the Gunners snatch the Premier League from Manchester United and caught the eye of Barcelona, who moved for Overmars in 2000.
Overmars is currently Ajax’s director of football.
Manager: Louis van Gaal
After taking Ajax to back-to-back Champions League finals, Van Gaal took over from Sir Bobby Robson at Barcelona in 1997.
His managerial career has seen him manage some of the finest clubs in Europe, including Bayern Munich and, more recently, to a less successful degree, Manchester United.
He has also managed the Dutch national team on two separate occasions, leading the Flying Dutchmen to third place at the 2014 World Cup finals.
