As we all know, Ajax is the most successful club the Netherlands has produced, as they have won the most silverware at home and abroad.
Today, we will examine the most successful teams in the history of the Dutch top flight, starting with Ajax.
Ajax (36-time winners of the Dutch top-flight title)
Despite not winning the Dutch top-flight title in recent seasons, Ajax are still way ahead of their rivals when it comes to winning the Eredivisie. They are regarded as the most high-profile Dutch club, mainly due to their success in the European Cup in the 1970s.
Ajax’s first league title came in season 1917/18 when the league was still in its former guise, the Netherlands Football League Championship.
The Amsterdam giants have won the Dutch top-flight title 36 times. Some stellar names have contributed to those titles, including the great Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels, Marco van Basten, and Frank Rijkaard.
Defender and former captain Frank de Boer won five Eredivisie titles as a player before returning as head coach and winning the title another four times.
The club from the country’s capital has won the Dutch top-flight 36 times and finished as top-flight runners-up 23 times.
PSV Eindhoven (25-time winners of the Dutch Top-flight title)
Although not traditionally considered Ajax’s biggest domestic rivals, PSV Eindhoven is the second most successful club in terms of Dutch top-flight titles, having claimed the title on 26 occasions.
PSV’s first title triumph came in season 1928/29 when they won a mini-championship play-off league.
Eindhoven is a club that tends to win their Dutch titles in bunches. For instance, from season 1999/2000 until season 2007/08, PSV claimed the Dutch top-flight crown on seven occasions but also experienced periods of drought when it came to being Dutch football’s top dogs.
Dutch footballing icons such as Dick Advocaat, Ronald Koeman, Guus Hiddink and Philip Cocu have led the team to title success in the Eredivisie.
On the pitch, the likes of Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romario, Ronaldo, Phillip Cocu, Boudewijn Zenden, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel have all starred for PSV in their successful campaigns.
The Red and Whites have also finished as runners-up in the Dutch top-flight on 16 occasions, a tally topped by only Ajax and Feyenoord.
Feyenoord (16-time winners of the Dutch top-flight title)
The Rotterdam outfit is considered to be Ajax’s main rival when it comes to the domestic game, mainly due to the rivalry between the two teams’ respective cities, which are the most populated in the Netherlands.
@condormedia Feyenoord: 116 years of rich Dutch history ⭐️🇳🇱 #football #feyenoord #rotterdam #fyp
Feyenoord are lagging behind their bitter rivals and PSV Eindhoven when it comes to winning top-flight titles, having been crowned Dutch champions on just two occasions.
The club’s first Dutch top-flight title came in the 1923/24 season. However, the Rotterdam club has failed to maintain consistency in recent decades.
They had periods during the 1930s, 1960s, and 1970s when they won multiple titles, but they have also endured long waits between title triumphs.
Over the years, Feyenoord have had some heroes who epitomised the club, such as Wim Jansen, Dirk Kuyt and Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Feyenoord is in the unfortunate position of having finished as runners-up more times than they have been crowned champions. They have finished second in the Dutch top-flight table on 22 occasions.
HVV Den Haag (Ten-time winners of the Dutch top-flight title)
Although an amateur club, HVV were the dominant force in Dutch football before the First World War. In fact, all ten of their top-flight titles came between 1890 and 1914. They also finished as runners-up on one occasion.
The Hague-based club has not featured in the Dutch top flight since 1932, and they currently ply their trade in the lower divisions of the game in the Netherlands.
Despite being a pre-war powerhouse, HVV quickly fell behind ADO and HBS as the most popular club in the Hague. Despite their decline, HVV Den Haag is still the fourth most successful club in the Dutch top flight when it comes to winning titles.
Sparta Rotterdam (Six-time winners of the Dutch top-flight title)
Sparta may have had to live in the shadow of city rivals Feyenoord, but they can still claim to be six-time Dutch champions. They also have the honour of being the Netherlands’ oldest football club, having been established in 1888.
Before rivals Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven or even Ajax, Sparta Rotterdam won their first Dutch top-flight title in season 1908/09.
In fact, five of their six top-flight titles were won between 1909 and 1915. Sparta’s only other Dutch top-flight title was in season 1958/59.
AVV RAP (Five-time winners of the Dutch top-flight title)
Like the aforementioned HVV Den Haag, AVV Rap enjoyed their glory days in the early years of the Dutch top-flight. They were crowned champions in seasons 1891/92, 1893/94, 1896/97, 1897/98 and 1898/99.
They were HVV’s main title rivals at one point, having also finished as runners-up twice in the Dutch top flight.
RAP made history in season 1891/92 by becoming the first-ever winner of the Netherlands Football League Championship.
Unfortunately for the club, their success was short-lived, as in 1914, RAP ceased to exist as they merged with fellow Amsterdam outfit Volharding. The new club was known as Volharding-RAP-Combination or V.R.C.
The entity didn’t last, and it decided to return to its origins as a cricket club and was renamed VRA. It was a sad end to such a historic football story.
How long will Ajax remain the most successful club in Dutch top-flight history?