The Johan Cruyff Arena is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost equivalent to €140 million, it is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium was previously known as the Amsterdam Arena until the 2018–19 football season, when it was officially renamed in honour of Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff (1947–2016) who died in March 2016.
Johan Cruyff Arena
The Johan Cruyff Arena with the retractable roof opened and closed
The Arena from outside (1996).
The Arena in Ajax's Champions League game in 2019.
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie since the league's inception in 1956, and along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated that competition.
Johan Cruyff played at Ajax from 1959 to 1973, and from 1981 to 1983, winning 3 European Cups; his No. 14 is the only squad number Ajax has ever retired. Cruyff came back to manage the club from 1985 to 1988.
Against Panathinaikos in the 1971 European Cup Final
Cruijff, seen here with van Basten and Rijkaard, returned as manager in 1985.
Het Houten Stadion, Ajax's first venue, c. 1917–18
