Ajax have announced that plans are afoot to rename their stadium in honour of the great Johan Cruyff, who sadly passed away last year.
Cruyff spent 11 years at Ajax in two spells as a player and returned as a coach for three years in the mid-1980s, winning more than 20 trophies overall.
And so, on what would have been their eternal talisman’s 70th birthday, Ajax declared that after positive consultations with the relevant authorities, an “agreement of intent” is now in place to rename the Amsterdam Arena.
We’re very happy with this tribute to my father. Thanks to all those who made it possible, particularly Mayor Van der Laan. #CruyffLegacy pic.twitter.com/QI4z1WFvya
— Jordi Cruyff (@JordiCruyff) April 25, 2017
A statement of the official Ajax website reads:
The board of the Amsterdam Arena, the board of Ajax and the mayor and aldermen of Sports Participation of the Amsterdam Municipality have agreed in a letter of intent to change the name of the Amsterdam Arena to the Johan Cruijff Arena.
With the name change, the three parties want the best footballer of Amsterdam and the Netherlands to be given a worthy tribute.
Within six months, an agreed final contract is to be submitted to the council, the management and supervisory boards of the Stadium and Ajax Amsterdam.
The Dutch club also confirmed that, as well as the stadium re-titling, the Mayor has also decided to rename a “street, square, bridge or otherwise” in Amsterdam in honour of their most famous footballing son.
We’d be interested to hear from anybody who doesn’t think Jopie deserves this kind of hometown reverence.
More Cruyff-related morsels on Pies…
Johan Cruyff: 10 Brilliant Quotes From One Of Football’s Great Philosophers
12 Corking Photos Of Johan Cruyff In His 1970s Pomp
The Curious Story Of Johan Cruyff’s Long-Delayed Barcelona Debut
Great Documentary ‘En Un Momento Dado’ Reveals Johan Cruyff’s Deep Links With Barcelona