The problem with being Ajax is that there are any number of top-class former players knocking around that are keen to offer their opinion on how the club should be run. Not only that, there are also former players who never made it at Ajax, yet are still willing to offer their two-pennies’ worth in regards to how the side should operate at any given moment.
That is the position that de Godenzonen finds itself in this year, having missed out on the title last time out and the knives being drawn to criticise at every opportunity. Marco van Duin has chosen to do just that, believing that the club should’ve signed the goalkeeper who has instead moved to Sunderland.
Who is Marco van Duin?
If you’re wondering who Marco van Duin is, you probably won’t be on your own. Even some Ajax fans will have no clue that he was once on the club’s books. He was initially with Vios-W before being signed up to Ajax’s youth system, working with Jong Ajax before being promoted to the first-team in 2007. He was never good enough to play a league game for de Godenzonen, however, and moved to HFC Haarlem a year later. He played 32 times in the league for them, moving to Volendam, NEC and Sparta Rotterdam without making any league appearances at those clubs.
Eventually, he signed for Almere City, playing more than 50 times in the league before moving back to NEC and finally getting some games there. As his career came to a close, van Duin signed for FC Groningen before retiring in 2020. At that point, he signed for NEC as a goalkeeping coach, which is where he began working with Robin Roefs, a young goalkeeper who made his way from VV Heeswijk into the NEC youth system, eventually being promoted to become part of the first-team in 2021, remaining with the club for four years and playing 37 times in the league.
What van Duin Has Said
In the summer of 2025, Roefs made the move from NEC to join the newly promoted Premier League side Sunderland in a deal believed to be worth £11.5 million. The 21-year-old was aware that the Black Cats also have Anthony Patterson on the books, but is happy to battle for the number one jersey in what is considered to be the best league in the world, rather than remain at NEC. He got some game time with his new club in the pre-season, impressing and giving van Duin a reason to be critical of Ajax. The goalkeeping coach is convinced that the club should’ve gone all out to sign him.
@onsoranje Jong Oranje’s Robin Roefs. 🥶 #NothingLikeOranje #TheNextUp ♬ Yunus.ae7 – orijinal ses – Yunus.ae7
Marco van Duin spoke to Voetbal International and said that he was very happy that his former student had joined the Premier League club, but was of the opinion that Ajax had made a massive blunder by not keeping him in the Eredivisie. He believes that Roefs is a ‘goldmine’ and ‘very much an Ajax goalkeeper’, believing that the youngster would’ve gone on to be a top goalkeeper ‘for years to come’. Although the £11.5 million fee is a huge one by Dutch standards, van Duin has suggested that it might well go on to appear to be a small one in the fullness of time.
Why Didn’t Ajax Break the Bank?
If the goalkeeper is really as good as van Duin appears to be suggesting, supporters might well wonder why it is that the club didn’t go all-out to sign the young goalkeeper. The answer might well have come from manager John Heitinga’s former club, Liverpool. In the summer, Ajax made the choice to sign Vitezslav Jaros from the Merseyside team on a season-long loan, with the youngster having made two appearances for the Reds last season. His performances for de Godenzonen have already earned him praise from former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
The former player said that Ajax were poor in their game against Telstar, being fortunate not to be 2-0 or 3-0 down and with only the heroics of Jaros to thank for the scoreline. With such a talented young goalkeeper already on the books, there was no way that Ajax could justify paying millions of pounds to sign another one who might not even get to play. Whilst van Duin might see such a decision as a mistake, the club might also have an eye on how well Roefs does in the Premier League, knowing that Sunderland will almost certainly get relegated and a cut-price deal could be on the cards in the future.