4 Players who have played for both Real Madrid and Ajax
Two of the most historic European clubs, Ajax and Real Madrid are all set to take on each other in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Real Madrid will go in as the hot favorites to win the tie despite their inconsistent form this season. The Spanish giants sacked manager Julen Lopetegui midway through the season and called in Santiago Solari to steady the sinking ship. Ajax, on the other hand, came through a tough UCL group and are currently placed second in the Dutch League.
The two European clubs have 17 Champions League titles between them. Arguably the biggest club in Spain and the biggest club in the Netherlands have a lot of things in common throughout their rich history. The two giants have shared some exceptional players over the years.
Here is a look at 4 major players who have represented both Real Madrid and Ajax at the highest level possible.
#4 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Ajax ( 2006-2008)
Real Madrid (2009)
Once a PSV youth product, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar joined Ajax in January 2006 for a fee of around 9 million Euros. Huntelaar started his Ajax career in the best possible way scoring 9 goals in 7 matches including a goal on his Champions League debut. He ended his first season as the club's highest goal scorer. In his second season, Huntelaar again finished as the club highest goal scorer. In his fourth and last season for Ajax, the Dutch striker played up front with Luis Suarez. He went on to captain Ajax in the 2008-09 season under new manager Marco Van Basten. In January 2009, Huntelaar decided to leave Ajax as he received an offer from Spanish giants Real Madrid. He made 92 appearances for Ajax in which he scored more than 75 goals.
Real Madrid signed Huntelaar in 2009 from Ajax for a fee of around 20 million Euros. However, his time at the Bernabeu did not go according to plan as the Dutch striker failed to have any significant impact at the club. Huntelaar found it difficult to break into the first team on a regular basis. He spent just the one season at Real Madrid in which he made 20 appearances, scoring 8 goals. Huntelaar moved on to Milan in August 2009.