Ajax’ famed youth academy coach Ronald de Boer believes Celtic can follow suit regarding the Dutch side’s Champions League success.
Ajax have been taking the competition by storm this season. Qualifying from a group stage that included Bayern Munich, Benfica, and Celtic conquerors AEK Athens, the Dutch champions have continued to fly.
They absolutely mauled Real Madrid in an incredible 4-1 success at the Bernabeu, before winning 2-1 at Juventus to knock them out and progress to the semi-finals.
Both goalscorers on Tuesday night in Turin – Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Ligt – came through Ajax’s academy under de Boer. And the former Rangers star, speaking in the Daily Record, believes Celtic can replicate their success in the long-term.
“Celtic are rated even higher than Ajax so of course it’s possible for them to do the same. Celtic are rated even higher than Ajax so of course it’s possible for them to do the same.
“It’s a great starting point to have such an enormous fanbase but at basic youth level the set-up, from amateur to pro level, is better in Holland.
“I feel the organisation is better in Holland. Every village has its own youth team and competition so the youngsters are out on almost every park all over Holland. We come from countries that face similar challenges in terms of trying to bridge the financial gulf to the big clubs but that doesn’t stop you creating good young talent and that has to be the focus for our nations.”
A one-off or something special?
There’s no denying that the confident, free-flowing football that Ajax have displayed in Europe has been a breath of fresh air. But it’s also the first time they’ve reached the semi-finals in 22 years.
What Ajax have done this season is absolutely incredible, but it can’t be considered the norm. The Dutch champions have also spent around €50million on their squad (Fox Sport), something that’s been overlooked. Yes, their achievements have been incredible, but they’ve still spent highly on big-game players.
They’ve managed to lure the likes of Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic to Holland, and they didn’t come cheap. Those two as well as David Neres and Hakim Ziyech all cost over €10m respectively.
Given the reaction to Ajax’s success, you would think all of their starting XI came through the academy. Only four of the starting XI did. And that’s why it’s difficult to compare it to Celtic.
The Hoops have some promising young talent already coming through their youth system. The likes of Karamoko Dembele, Armstrong Oko-flex, and Kerr McInroy are all impressive looking youngsters. But considering our record signing cost £9million, it’s difficult to say we can compete with team like Ajax.
Congrats to the Dutch side on some stunning results. They continue to pull up trees and are beating teams worth more than double the cost of their own squad. But, at the end of the day, let’s not pretend they haven’t spent some money of their own.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
