Carlo Bruil Fotografie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oldest players to play for Ajax

On Thursday, 26th of July 2024, Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer became the oldest player to ever feature in an official game for the Dutch giants as they defeated Vojvodina 1-0 in the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round.

We often laud the youngest players for breaking through but in many ways it is those that are able to play late into their careers that we should heap the most praise on.  Maintaining fitness, focus and skill into your late 30’s, even 40’s, requires serious dedication indeed.

Perhaps it is because these players rest and recuperate better; maybe they have a top quality king-size mattress.  It could be genetic, or a mix of both, but either way it is an impressive feat to play for an elite club like Ajax at an age many of us would struggle to run 100 meters.

With that in mind, we thought we would look at the oldest players in the history of Ajax. Here are the top ten oldest Ajax players:

Remko Pasveer (40 years and 259 days)

Pasveer’s historic appearance came at the ripe young age of 40 years and 259 days. Having started his professional career in 2003 at Twente, the ‘keeper joined Ajax in 2021 from Vitesse Arnhem.

Since his arrival at the club, he has made a respectable 51 appearances for the Amsterdammers in all competitions.

The experienced stopper recently signed a contract extension that will keep him in the Dutch capital until the summer of 2025. His new contract means that Pasveer could yet beat his own record once again in the new season.

Maarten Stekelenburg (39 years and 231 days)

marteen stekelenburg

Pasveer’s fellow goalkeeper and former teammate, Maarten Stekelenburg, held the record for two years after appearing in a 5-0 Eredivisie win over Heerenveen at the age of 39 years and 231 days.

The former Netherlands international actually had two spells at Ajax. He came through the club’s youth system and was with the capital club from 2002 until 2011, making 285 competitive appearances.

Stekelenburg returned to Ajax in 2020 after a four-year stint with Premier League Everton. During his second spell, he played on 29 occasions before calling time on his playing career at the end of season 2022/23.

Arnold Muhren (37 years & 353 days)

Like some of his contemporaries on our list, the midfielder had two separate spells at Ajax. Before he became an icon at English outfit Ipswich Town, Muhren spent from 1971 until 1974 with the Dutch giants.

Muhren ended his career at Ajax in 1989, having rejoined the Amsterdammers in 1985. After hanging up his boots, Muhren was also a part of the club’s academy.

Andre Ooijer (37 years and 300 days)

The much-travelled defender came through the youth ranks at Ajax but failed to make a first-team appearance in his first spell with the club.

He forged a long career for himself, most notably at PSV Eindhoven, where he spent from 1997 until 2006. He rejoined Ajax in 2010 and ended his career with the club in 2012, having made his last appearance for the club from the Dutch capital in a 3-1 win over Vitesse Arnhem in May 2012.

Danny Blind (37 years and 288 days)

The defender is quite simply an Ajax legend. He started his professional career with Sparta Rotterdam but joined Ajax in 1986 and remained with the club until 1999 when he retired from playing.

The last of his 494 appearances for the club came against RKC Waalwijk in a 2-0 win in May 1999. Blind later returned to Ajax as head coach for a short, relatively unsuccessful stint between March 2005 and May 2006.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar (37 years and 155 days)

klass jan huntelaar playing for ajax

Huntelaar is another player who has had multiple spells with the Amsterdam club. The forward’s first experience of being an Ajax player was from 2006 until 2009 when he scored 106 goals in 136 appearances.

After spending time at Real Madrid and Milan, Huntelaar returned to Amsterdam in 2017. He stayed until 2021, with his last Ajax appearance coming in January of the same year as his team recorded a 3-1 win at FC Twente. He scored a brace in that game despite only coming on as an 89th-minute substitute.

Leo van Veen (36 years and 329 days)

The versatile Van Veen enjoyed a long playing career, playing as both a defender and a forward. He didn’t spend a long time at Ajax, playing for the club in just one campaign, season 1982/83, where he made 23 appearances.

His final appearance for the Dutch giants came in May 1983, as his team played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against arch-rivals Feyenoord.

Fred Grim (36 years and 268 days)

The goalkeeper came through the youth ranks at Ajax. However, he failed to play for the first team during his first stay with the club. Instead, he made his name at Cambuur, where he made close to 300 appearances.

Grim returned to Ajax in 1994 and stayed with the Amsterdam club until 2002. His final appearance for the club from the Dutch capital came in May 2002, as his team recorded a 3-2 victory at FC Utrecht.

Ismael Urzaiz 36 years and 224 days)

The Spanish forward enjoyed a long and storied playing career before his time in Amsterdam. Having started his professional career in the Real Madrid youth team, Urzaiz enjoyed the prime of his career at Basque giants Athletic Club, where he featured in 419 games and scored a creditable 128 goals.

His time in Bilbao was in significant contrast to his time in Amsterdam with Ajax. Urzaiz made just six appearances in total for the Dutch giants, failing to score in any of them.

His final appearance for the Amsterdammers came in an uninspiring home 0-0 draw against FC Twente in May 2008. The game was Urzaiz’s final appearance of his playing career, and he then retired from the game.

Piet Schrijvers (36 years and 153 days)

The goalkeeper joined Ajax in 1974, having established himself at FC Twente over a six-year period. Schrijvers went on to make 269 appearances for Ajax over a nine-year period. He is among the few goalkeepers in Ajax history to have scored a goal in an official match.

His final Ajax appearance came in May 1983, as his team recorded a 3-1 victory at NEC Nijmegen in the KNVB Beker final.

During his time with the club, Schrijvers won the Eredivisie title on five occasions and the KNVB Beker twice.

Who are your favourite Ajax players from our list?