🎂 Jari Litmanen reaches 50 and reminisces about Ajax glory | OneFootball

Jari Litmanen recalls that many observers believed the great Ajax team of the 1990s were on a “different level” to their rivals at that time.

The Finnish legend turned 50 on Saturday, prompting FIFA.com to ask him to take a trip down memory lane.

Litmanen spent seven years in Amsterdam after joining from MyPa in his homeland in 1992.

He would have the pleasure of playing with the likes of Patrick Kluivert and the de Boer brothers in a youthful side that conquered Europe.

Litmanen appeared in both Champions League finals they reached, beating Milan in 1995 before losing to Juventus on penalties the following year.

Asked how he viewed the Ajax team when he joined, Litmanen replied: “In a word, excellent.

“They were a young side and I remember being really impressed by the quality of their play. Ajax had just won the UEFA Cup.

“A lot of the people I played against said we were on a different level technically and tactically, and so many coaches told me we were their favourite team to watch.”

Litmanen won five Eredivisie titles during two spells with the Dutch giants, and was named Footballer of the Year in the Netherlands in 1993/94.