In 1986 you made your debut at Ajax under Johan Cruyff – how was your relationship with the Dutch icon?
As a young talent I joined Johan Cruyff’s Ajax and played with later legends such as Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Jan Wouters. Before my debut, Cruyff said, “Boy, enjoy it. You can make mistakes, but just have faith in yourself – do what you’re good at.” Johan saw great potential in me. In the second half of a home game against Utrecht, I came on for Rijkaard and scored with one of my first touches. My debut couldn’t have been better. Cruyff was a father figure to me – to all of us.
What was it like to play with world-class players-to-be, in Van Basten and Rijkaard?
They were way ahead
