NOS Football•
Jordi Cruijff and Ajax have reached a verbal agreement on a contract until mid-2028. The 51-year-old Cruijff, son of club icon Johan Cruijff, will therefore succeed Alex Kroes as technical director.
“The process to arrive at a permanent appointment is in the final phase, and a number of steps still need to be taken,” Ajax reports. “Ajax’s goal is for Cruijff to start at the beginning of February 2026.”
According to a press release from the club, Ajax’s supervisory board (SB) has agreed and nothing stands in the way of an appointment. The appointment will become official at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (EGM) to be convened.
Ajax has been looking for a new technical director since the dismissal of coach John Heitinga on November 6, because the current technical director Kroes made his position available at the time.
From youth player to technical director
Cruijff, born in Amsterdam in 1974, played football for Ajax in his youth and moved to Barcelona with his father in 1988, where he played in the youth team of FC Barcelona.
Cruijff made his debut for Barça under his father and coach. The nine-time Dutch international later continued his career at Manchester United, Celta de Vigo, Alavés and Espanyol.
After his active career, Cruijff became a trainer and sporting director of Maccabi Tel Aviv, among others, and as a technical advisor and sporting director he worked again at Barcelona from 2021. His last position was that of technical advisor to Indonesia.
