1971–72 AFC Ajax season

AFC Ajax
1971–72 season
	Ajax playing Internazionale in the 1972 European Cup Final
Chairman	Jaap van Praag
Manager	Stefan Kovacs
Stadium	Olympic Stadium
Eredivisie	1st
KNVB Cup	Winners
European Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: ; Johan Cruyff (25); All: ; Johan Cruyff (33)
Home colours	Away colours
	← 1970–71 1972–73 →

During the 1971–72 Dutch football season, AFC Ajax competed in the Eredivisie. Ajax won the treble that season, winning the Eredivisie, the 1971–72 KNVB Cup and the 1971–72 European Cup. It was the club's first season without Rinus Michels since 1965.

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	NED	Heinz Stuy
2	MF	AUT	Heinz Schilcher
3	DF	NED	Wim Suurbier
4	DF	NED	Barry Hulshoff
5	DF	NED	Ruud Krol
6	DF	NED	Ruud Suurendonk
7	MF	NED	Johan Neeskens
8	FW	NED	Sjaak Swart
9	DF	NED	Gerrie Mühren
10	FW	NED	Dick van Dijk
11	FW	NED	Piet Keizer


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
12	DF	GER	Horst Blankenburg
13	GK	NED	Sies Wever
14	FW	NED	Johan Cruyff
15	MF	NED	Arie Haan
16	FW	NED	Johnny Rep
—	GK	NED	Bob Hoogenboom
—	DF	NED	Louis Donkers
—	DF	NED	Cor ten Bosch
—	MF	NED	Henk Heijt
—	MF	NED	Arnold Mühren
—	FW	NED	Gerrie Kleton

Transfers

In

Position	Player	From	Type	Fee
FW	Arnold Mühren	RKSV Volendam	Transfer	€79,113
MF	Heinz Schilcher	SK Sturm Graz	Transfer
FW	Johnny Rep	Jong Ajax	Transfer	Free
FW	Gerrie Kleton	Jong Ajax	Transfer	Free

Out

Position	Player	To	Type	Fee	Ref.
MF	Nico Rijnders	Royal FC Brugeois	Transfer	Free
DF	Velibor Vasović	Retired

Out mid season

Position	Player	To	Type	Fee	Ref.
DF	Ruud Suurendonk	AS Monaco			^[1]

Results

In the 1971–72 season Ajax lost just one game. They were unbeaten at home in both domestic and European competitions. The season included a 12-1 victory over Vitesse at the De Meer Stadion. A result which set a record for the largest win in Eredivisie history. It would stand until 2020, when Ajax beat VVV-Venlo 13–0.^[2]

Eredivisie

15 August 1971 1	Twente	0–2	Ajax	Enschede
		Report	Suurendonk 41' van Dijk 52'	Stadium: Diekman Stadion Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Leonardus van der Kroft

22 August 1971 2	Ajax	1–0	FC Den Haag	Amsterdam
	Swart 90'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 29,500 Referee: Jef Dorpmans

29 August 1971 3	Rotterdam	1–1	Ajax	Rotterdam
	Klijnjan 33' (pen.)	Report	Swart 82'	Stadium: Het Kasteel Attendance: 31,000 Referee: Ad Boogaerts

5 September 1971 4	Ajax	1–0	Excelsior	Amsterdam
	Hulshoff 12'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Joop Vervoot

11 September 1971 5	Groningen	0–0	Ajax	Groningen
	Hovenkamp 84'	Report	Keizer 84'	Stadium: Oosterpark Attendance: 17,500 Referee: Koen Hoppenbrouwer

19 September 1971 6	Ajax	5–0	Breda	Amsterdam
	van Dijk 16' (pen.) Schilcher 67' Cruyff 90'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 17,000 Referee: Henk Pijper

25 September 1971 7	Eindhoven	1–1	Ajax	Eindhoven
	Devrindt 43'	Report	van Dijk 49'	Stadium: Philips Stadion Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Theo Boosten

3 October 1971 8	Ajax	1–0	Nijmegen	Amsterdam
	van Dijk 68'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 29,500 Referee: Koen Brouwer

15 October 1971 9	Amsterdam	0–2	Ajax	Amsterdam
		Report	Keizer 16' Neeskens 61'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 26,410 Referee: Joop Vervoort

24 October 1971 10	Ajax	4–1	Go Ahead Eagles	Amsterdam
	Hulshoff 14', 35' Haan 40' Neeskens 74'	Report	Geels 29' (pen.)	Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 24,000 Referee: Charles Corver

31 October 1971 11	MVV	0–3	Ajax	Maastricht
		Report	Neeskens 16' Cruyff 27' Swart 45'	Stadium: De Geusselt Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Leonardus van der Kroft

7 November 1971 12	Ajax	2–1	Feijenoord	Amsterdam
	Swart 67' Israël 76' (o.g.)	Report	Israël 88'	Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 29,500 Referee: Laurens Van Ravens

14 November 1971 13	Utrecht	2–3	Ajax	Utrecht
	Steen Olsen 31' Bonsink 83'	Report	Keizer 55', 75' Rep 80'	Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Arie Van Germert

21 November 1971 14	Ajax	5–2	Telstar	Amsterdam
	Cruyff 1', 39', 77' Keizer 16' van Dijk 45'	Report	van Essen 24' (pen.) Manders 75'	Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 13,500 Referee: Koen Brouwer

28 November 1971 15	Volendam	0–1	Ajax	Volendam
		Report	Swart 7'	Stadium: Kras Stadion Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Charles Corver

5 December 1971 16	Ajax	5–0	FC Den Bosch	Amsterdam
	Keizer 13' Cruyff 26', 54' Mühren 59' (pen.), 72' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Henk Pijper

12 December 1971 17	Vitesse Arnhem	1–3	Ajax	Arnhem
	Gerritsen 20'	Report	Swart 8' Keizer 35' Cruyff 60'	Stadium: Nieuw Monnikenhuize Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Frans Derks

19 December 1971 18	Ajax	1–0	Twente	Amsterdam
	Haan 63'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 29,500 Referee: Jan Keizer (referee)

2 January 1972 19	FC Den Haag	1–2	Ajax	The Hague
	Roodnat 40'	Report	Keizer 50' Cruyff 53'	Stadium: Zuiderpark Attendance: 28,500 Referee: Ad Boogaerts

16 January 1972 20	Ajax	2–1	Rotterdam	Amsterdam
	Cruyff 34' Mühren 75'	Report	Kowalik 51'	Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 29,500 Referee: Laurens Van Ravens

6 February 1972 21	Breda	2–5	Ajax	Breda
	Schrijvers 43' (pen.), 79' van Dijk 68'	Report	Keizer 10' Suurbier 17' van Dijk 19', 23' Mühren 66' Cruyff 79'	Stadium: NAC Stadion Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Charles Corver

26 February 1972 22	Excelsior	0–4	Ajax	Rotterdam
		Report	Cruyff 30', 40' van Nierop 68' (o.g.) van der Heijden 87' (o.g.)	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 23,640 Referee: Koen Hoppenbrouwer

3 March 1972 23	Ajax	7–0	Groningen	Amsterdam
	Cruyff 1', 33', 42' Swart 5' Mühren 35', 63' Keizer 60'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Leonardus van der Kroft

12 March 1972 24	Ajax	4–1	PSV Eindhoven	Amsterdam
	Keizer 44', 49' Mühren 51' (pen.) Strik 61' (o.g.)	Report	Hoekema 18'	Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 23,500 Referee: Ad Boogaerts

19 March 1972 25	Nijmegen	0–1	Ajax	Nijmegen
		Report	Neeskens 45'	Stadium: De Goffert Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Jef Dorpmans

26 March 1972 26	Ajax	2–0	Amsterdam	Amsterdam
	Muller 82' (o.g.) Neeskens 90'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Henk Pijper

1 April 1972 27	Go Ahead Eagles	3–2	Ajax	Deventer
	Smid 7' Geels 56', 62'	Report	Neeskens 27' Cruyff 30'	Stadium: De Adelaarshorst Attendance: 24,000 Referee: Leonardus van der Kroft

9 April 1972 28	Ajax	8–0	MVV	Amsterdam
	Keizer 12', 35' Swart 31', 82' van Dijk 38', 74' Neeskens 41' Mühren 64'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Charles Corver

15 April 1972 29	Feijenoord	1–5	Ajax	Rotterdam
	Posthumus 23'	Report	Haan 9' Mühren 19' Cruyff 40', 58' Keizer 83'	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 62,257 Referee: Ad Boogaerts

23 April 1972 30	Ajax	4–0	Utrecht	Amsterdam
	Swart 50' van Dijk 60' Mühren 68' (pen.) Cruyff 75'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Theo Boosten

30 April 1972 31	Telstar	1–2	Ajax	Velsen
	Jonker 24'	Report	Swart 28' Hulshoff 72'	Stadium: Sportpark Schoonenberg Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Jef Dorpmans

7 May 1972 32	Ajax	2–0	Volendam	Amsterdam
	Cruyff 8' van Dijk 70'	Report		Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 11,000 Referee: Arie Van Gemert

14 May 1972 33	Den Bosch	0–1	Ajax	's-Hertogenbosch
		Report	Cruyff 86'	Stadium: De Vliert Attendance: 19,000 Referee: Koen Brouwer

19 May 1972 34	Ajax	12–1	Vitesse	Amsterdam
	Neeskens 10', 28', 88' Cruyff 32', 42', 47', 78' van Dijk 49', 51', 81' Mühren 63' Hulshoff 70'	Report	Veenendaal 75'	Stadium: De Meer Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Joop Vervoort

KNVB Cup

9 January 1972 Round 1	Ajax	8–3	Zwolle	Amsterdam
	Swart Cruyff Mühren Rorije (o.g.) Keizer Neeskens			Stadium: De Meer

20 February 1972 Round of 16	Ajax	3–0	Go Ahead Eagles	Amsterdam
	Haan Swart Hulshoff			Stadium: De Meer

29 March 1972 Quarter finals	Ajax	1–0	Nijmegen	Amsterdam
	Keizer			Stadium: De Meer

11 April 1972 Semi–finals	Ajax	2–0	Volendam	Amsterdam
	van Dijk Neeskens			Stadium: De Meer

11 May 1972 Final	Ajax	3–2	FC Den Haag	Rotterdam
	Cruyff Mühren (pen.) Keizer		Van Eeden Mansveld (pen.)	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 60,000

European Cup

15 September 1971 Round 1	Ajax	2–0	Dynamo Dresden	Amsterdam
19:15	Swart 2' Keizer 18'	Report		Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 45,027 Referee: Milivoje Gugulović

29 September 1971 Round 1	Dynamo Dresden	0–0 (0–2 agg.)	Ajax	Dresden
18:30	Sammer 14'	Report	Haan 28'	Stadium: Dynamostadion Attendance: 32,307 Referee: Ken Burns (referee)

20 October 1971 Round of 16	Marseille	1–2	Ajax	Marseille
19:30	Gress 9'	Report	Keizer 39' Cruyff 68'	Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 48,039 Referee: Robert Schaut

3 November 1971 Round of 16	Ajax	4–1 (6–2 agg.)	Marseille	Amsterdam
19:15	Cruyff 32', 64' Swart 37' Haan 80' Neeskens	Report	Couécou 10' 17' Skoblar 44'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 53,785 Referee: Alisair McKenzie

8 March 1972 Quarter finals	Ajax	2–1	Arsenal	Amsterdam
19:15	Mühren 26', 70' (pen.)	Report	Kennedy 14' 44'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 53,754 Referee: Leonidas Vamvakopoulos

22 March 1972 Quarter finals	Arsenal	0–1 (1–3 agg.)	Ajax	London
18:30	Storey 60'	Report	Graham 15' (o.g)	Stadium: Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 56,155 Referee: Ferdinand Marschall

5 April 1972 Semi finals	Ajax	1–0	Benfica	Amsterdam
19:15	Swart 64'	Report		Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 53,921 Referee: Karlo Kruashvili

19 April 1972 Semi finals	Benfica	0–0 (0–1 agg.)	Ajax	Lisbon
21:45		Report	Keizer 53'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 58,983 Referee: Norman Burtenshaw

31 May 1972 Final	Ajax	2–0	Internazionale	Rotterdam
19:30	Cruyff 48', 77'	Report MatchCentre	Boninsegna 79'	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 61,354 Referee: Robert Héliès

Statistics

Goals record

Rank	Po.	Name	Eredivisie	European Cup	KNVB Cup	Total
1	FW	Johan Cruyff	25	5	3	33
2	FW	Piet Keizer	14	2	3	19
3	FW	Dick van Dijk	16	0	1	17
3	FW	Sjaak Swart	11	3	2	17
5	DF	Gerrie Mühren	9	2	2	13
6	MF	Johan Neeskens	10	0	2	12
7	DF	Barry Hulshoff	5	0	1	6
8	MF	Arie Haan	3	1	1	5
9	MF	Arnold Mühren	2	0	0	2
10	FW	Johnny Rep	1	0	0	1
	MF	Heinz Schilcher	1	0	0	1
	DF	Wim Suurbier	1	0	0	1
	DF	Ruud Suurendonk	1	0	0	1

References

^ "Ruud Suurendonk". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
^ "Ajax thrash VVV Venlo 13-0 to break Eredivisie record". ESPN. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

External links

[1] "Ruud Suurendonk". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 July 2019.

[2] "Ajax thrash VVV Venlo 13-0 to break Eredivisie record". ESPN. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

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