2002–03 AFC Ajax Season
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2002–03 AFC Ajax Season
During the 2002–03 Dutch Football season, AFC Ajax competed in the Eredivisie. Season summary Despite being the top scorers in the Eredivisie, Ajax were unable to defend their title and finished second. They also failed to retain the cup, but compensated by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals before being knocked out by eventual winners A.C. Milan. First-team squad :''Squad at end of season'' Left club during season Reserve squad Transfers In Out * Richard Knopper * Fred Grim * Ferdi Vierklau Results UEFA Champions League First group stage Second group stage References {{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 AFC Ajax season AFC Ajax seasons AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional Association football, football Football team, club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. ...
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AFC Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional Association football, football Football team, club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the Ajax the Great, legendary Greek hero) is List of football clubs by competitive honours won, the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 and 20 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the since the league's inception in 1956, and along with and , it is one of the country's "Big Three (Netherlands), big three" clubs. Ajax was one of the most successful clubs in the world in the 20th century. According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, Ajax was the seventh-most successful European club of the 20th century and ''The World's Club Team of the Year'' in 1992. According to German magazine ''Kicker (sports magazine), Kicker'', Ajax was the second-most successful Europe ...
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Hatem Trabelsi
Hatem Trabelsi (; born 25 January 1977) is a Tunisian former professional footballer who played as a right-back for CS Sfaxien, Ajax and Manchester City At international level, he played for the Tunisia national team in three World Cups, gaining a total of 66 caps before retiring from international football in 2006. Club career Born in Ariana, Tunisia, Trabelsi grew up in Sfax, and started his football career with his home town club Sfaxien, where he initially played as a forward. An injury crisis at Sfaxien resulted in Trabelsi playing as a stop-gap right-back, leading to him converting to defence and becoming the team's regular right-back. In 2001 Trabelsi moved to Europe, signing for Dutch club Ajax. In 2003, Ajax unilaterally took up the option to extend Trabelsi's contract by three years. He took the matter to court, and lost. He then refused to play for the club. During the pre season of 2004, a £4 million transfer fee was agreed between Ajax and Arsenal, for Trabelsi to ...
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John O'Brien (soccer)
Jonathan Patrick O'Brien (born August 29, 1977) is an American former soccer player. After retiring, he pursued a career in psychology. O'Brien was one of the first Americans to earn a starting spot with a major European team, with Ajax Amsterdam in the late 1990s.O'Brien was the second American ever to play for the 1st team of Ajax, the first being Eddy Hamel who played for the club from 1922 to 1930. At the peak of his career, United States national teammate Landon Donovan called O'Brien the "best soccer player in the USA." Club career O'Brien grew up in Playa del Rey, California and attended Brentwood School. After being brought to attention of youth director Co Adriaanse, he had his first trial with Ajax at the age of 14 and signed an amateur contract with the Dutch giants in 1994 as a 17-year-old. After two years on their youth teams, Ajax offered O'Brien a professional contract in 1998. He spent the 1998–99 season on loan to FC Utrecht and made his Ajax debut in 1999. ...
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Wamberto De Jesus Sousa Campos
Wamberto de Jesus Sousa Campos (born 14 December 1974) is a Brazilian former footballer who last played as a forward and as a midfielder. He notably represented Ajax and Standard Liége. He was also nicknamed ''Wampie'' by Ajax supporters. Biography Wamberto played for Seraing and Standard Liège in Belgium and Ajax in Netherlands. The tricky and illusive player established himself in Belgium between 1993 and 1998, before joining Ajax in August 1998. He is famously remembered for scoring the equaliser in offside position against Utrecht in the 2002 Dutch Cup final, which was won by Ajax in the extra time. In January 2004, he was loaned to Belgian club Mons for 18 months who also retained the first option to buy him. But Mons failed to protect their place in top division, and Wamberto joined Standard Liège in the summer of 2004 on a two-year contract, but he rejoined the newly promoted Mons on a free transfer in summer 2006. He was released after a year, and returned to the Net ...
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Petri Pasanen
Petri Pasanen (born 24 September 1980) is a Finnish football coach, TV studio presenter and a former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was most comfortable as centre-back, but also played right-back and left-back as well. Pasanen began his senior career in his native Finland before moving to Ajax. He spent most of his career at Bundesliga club Werder Bremen which he represented in the UEFA Champions League in multiple seasons, and in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. At international level, he made 76 appearances for the Finland national team scoring one goal. Club career FC Lahti Born in Lahti, Finland, Pasanen became a regular for local club FC Lahti during the club's promotion season in 1998. During the next two seasons he made 42 appearances for the club in Finland's Veikkausliiga. Ajax Many of Europe's top clubs had become interested in the promising Pasanen, and in the summer of 2000 he joined Dutch club Ajax. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but is believe ...
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Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer. Noted for his playmaking ability, he was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, Sneijder started his professional career playing for Ajax, with whom he won four trophies and was awarded the Johan Cruyff Trophy in 2004. He was sold to Real Madrid for €27 million in 2007, winning La Liga in his first season with the club, and transferred to Inter Milan for €15 million in 2009. At Inter, he won Serie A, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and two Coppa Italia. In 2010, Sneijder was named UEFA midfielder of the season, and one of the three best midfielders in the world by FIFA. After being sold to Galatasaray for €7.5 million in 2013, he helped the club win the Süper Lig in his first season, following with the capture of the Turkish Super Cup, after a 1–0 win against rivals Fenerbahçe. He had brief ...
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Maxwell (footballer, Born 1981)
Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade (born 27 August 1981), known as Maxwell, is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back. He is currently employed by Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain as assistant sporting director. Maxwell came through the ranks at Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, Cruzeiro and played for AFC Ajax, Ajax, Inter Milan, FC Barcelona, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, winning trophies for each of these clubs. He was the most decorated active footballer in Europe at the time of his retirement, with 30 official titles. He made his international debut with Brazil national football team, Brazil in 2013 and appeared at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Club career Early career Born in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, Maxwell started his career at Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, Cruzeiro. In June 2001, he signed a five-year contract with AFC Ajax. Maxwell playe ...
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John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former player who is currently the assistant manager at Premier League club Liverpool. He will become the manager of Eredivisie club Ajax on 1 July 2025. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he played for their first squad from 2001 to 2008. After a one-year spell at Atlético Madrid in Spain, he signed for Everton in 2009. Joining Fulham for six months in January 2014, he then signed with German side Hertha BSC the following summer, signing a two-year deal with the Berlin-based club. In June 2015, he returned to his boyhood club Ajax for a single season before retiring in 2016. After making his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2004, Heitinga earned over 85 caps and represented his country at two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and three European Championships (2004, 2008, and 2012). In 2008, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Club career Ajax Heitinga was part of ...
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Steven Pienaar
Steven Jerome Pienaar (; born 17 March 1982) is a South African former professional footballer and current coach of the U14 team of Sharjah FC in the United Arab Emirates. He hails from Westbury, a suburb in Johannesburg's Westrand. He was a captain of the South African national team. He primarily played as a winger, but also played as an attacking midfielder. Pienaar played at club level in South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany, and England for Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Bidvest Wits. Pienaar is currently serving as an international ambassador at former club Everton. Club career Ajax Cape Town Pienaar was born in Johannesburg. He started his professional career at Ajax Cape Town, some away from his hometown. He was brought to the attention of Ajax CT whilst playing for the School of Excellence and was asked to join their youth academy. Pienaar said, "I was very fortunate to go to the School of Excellence 200 ...
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Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and Volley (association football), volleys, technique, ball control, and physical dominance. He is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and is one of the most decorated footballers in the world, having won 34 trophies in his career. He scored over List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals#Footballers with 500 or more goals, 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and scored in four consecutive decades between the 1990s and the 2020s. Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in 1999, and signed for AFC Ajax, Ajax two years later, where he won two Eredivisie titles and gained a reputation as one of the most promising forwards in Europe. He departed three years later to sign for Juventus FC, Juventus before joining domestic rivals In ...
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Richard Witschge
Richard Peter Witschge (born 20 September 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was known for his technique and passing ability. In an 18-year professional career he played mainly for Ajax, but also represented, amongst other clubs, Barcelona. In 11 seasons in the Eredivisie, he amassed totals of 226 matches and 15 goals. Witschge represented the Netherlands in the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996. Club career Ajax Witschge was born in Amsterdam, North Holland. A product of local club Ajax's prolific youth ranks under Johan Cruyff, he first appeared in the Eredivisie on 26 October 1986 at the age of 17, and scored his first league goal approximately a year later. His older brother Rob was already playing for the club. Barcelona After becoming established in the first team, Witschge signed for Cruyff's Barcelona in 1991. The manager later admitted to deliberately overpaying for him, as a favour to Ajax's incoming board of directors headed b ...
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Andy Van Der Meyde
Andy van der Meijde (; born 30 September 1979), anglicised to van der Meyde, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. After making a name for himself at Ajax, he went on to represent Inter Milan and Everton, his spell at the latter club being cut short due to several problems, both on and off the pitch. A full international between 2002 and 2004, he won 17 caps and scored one goal for the Dutch national team. He represented his country at UEFA Euro 2004. Club career Ajax Born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Van der Meyde signed for Ajax as a youngster, and made his first-team debut aged just 18, helping to a 1–0 win against Twente on 12 November 1997. In 1999, in order to gain experience, he was loaned to Twente for one season, and was an undisputed starter for a side that finished sixth in the Eredivisie. It would be in 2001–02 that Van der Meyde established himself as first-choice at Ajax. After a turbulent start, Ronald Koeman was instated ...
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