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Cruijff and Van Basten linked with Ajax in Dutch media

29 October: In only a few days' time, two Ajax officials have generated a buzz in Dutch football by talking about a possible return of two men who may well be the two most famous Ajax players ever: Johan Cruijff and his apprentice, Marco van Basten.

In an interview with Johan Derksen for the Voetbal Insite website, chairman Michael van Praag revealed that he would love to see Johan Cruijff becoming Ajax' "chairman of honour", in the way Franz Beckenbauer is so for Bayern Munich.

"That would be perfect", Van Praag said. "Johan has a tremendous reputation. (...) 'Der Kaiser' (= Beckenbauer, ed.) is only pushed forward on formal and very important occasions. If Johan, for example, would call Lennart Johansson (= UEFA president, ed.), he would get him on the phone straight away. It might take me two days to accomplish that."

Van Praag said to be aware that Cruijff probably does not feel like returning as a coach or technical director: "I asked Johan twice to become our technical director. But he didn't want it. I can understand that. Johan has a tremendous reputation. It would damage his reputation if he'd stick out his neck at Ajax and it would go wrong."

In the mean time, general director Arie van Eijden admitted in national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that Ajax has contacted former striker Marco van Basten to talk about a possible return to Ajax.

Chronic ankle injuries forced Van Basten to stop playing football in 1995, at age 31. He repeatedly said that he did not want to return to the world of football and that he considered himself "not the coaching type". He spent his time playing golf, in which he made it to the highest level in Holland.

At a recent golf tournament he was quoted saying that he had started thinking about a return in football. Vanb Eijden in the Algemeen Dagblad interview: "I had heard that Marco was getting tired of just playing golf and that his thoughts started drifting away to football again. Ajax wants to involve as many prominent former players as possible in the club."

So far, there has been no official reaction by either Cruijff or Van Basten. (MP)

(Source: Voetbal Internation Planet)