A goal created from out of nowhere.
The ball at midfield, with Dušan Tadić.
And ten seconds later, it’s in the back of the net.
It’s the second leg of the Champions League round of 16—with a fading, stale Real Madrid against the best upstart team Europe has seen in many, many years.
This Ajax Amsterdam squad, transforming with each UCL game into a mirror image of ’09 Barcelona. Maybe even more fun to watch than that?
With a kind of passing, vision, inventiveness better than maybe all the teams in Europe—the whole group linked together in a kind of psychic chemistry.
The kind of soccer that makes you smile, the whole game, at just how good it is.
L'Equipe awarded Ajax forward Dusan Tadic a very rare 10/10 for his "perfect match" against Real Madrid. Matthijs De Ligt was rated 9/10 – "he made everyone believe he had 15 years experience at the top level". Casemiro was given a 1/10. Courtois, Kroos and Nacho were rated 2/10. pic.twitter.com/bT1bQqmH6a
— Enock Kobina Essel (@kobinaessel39) March 6, 2019
With this assist, this goal, they’ve tapped everyone on the shoulder and said:
“We’re here.”
That may have been the nicest ever assist in a champions league game.
Zero hyperbole. Tadic, take a fuc*ing bow son.
— EiF (@EiFSoccer) March 5, 2019
Here it is again:
#ONJAWO247 #Ikotunegbecelebrity
Tadic's skill is mad and Neres goal issa banger #RMUCL #RMAAJA
tadic doing bits pic.twitter.com/w3cnVV9Bp4— Billionaire 💸💸💸💳 (@onjawo247) March 5, 2019
They went on to win 4-1, at the Bernabeu, the kind of result that’ll be remembered for years. The little Dutch team that could, sticking it to the thrice-consecutive defending champs.
On to the quarterfinals, and Juventus.
Pretty amazing what this Ajax side has managed to do on the road in the Champions League.
Sturm Graz: 3-1
Standard: 2-2
Dynamo Kiev: 0-0
Bayern Munich: 1-1
Benfica: 1-1
AEK: 2-0
Madrid: 4-1
Juventus: 2-1
Spurs: 1-09 played
5 wins
4 draws
0 defeatsThis is a special group. pic.twitter.com/Q0kU6bZfKz
— EiF (@EiFSoccer) April 30, 2019
This Ajax team, if they could play every night, should have their own show. Outside of the Champions League, beyond the Dutch Eredivisie.
Theater. Ballet. The greatest art museums in Europe. Cirque de Soleil. Broadway. The opera.
Traveling the world, to show off the most artful, elegant brand of soccer there can be.
Just look, at but four moments out of the hundreds:
Ajax too smooth 🔥
(via @brfootball) pic.twitter.com/Xn0zWWrN2Q
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 5, 2019
You think again, watching them, about those greatest Barcelona and Spain teams.
But you realize this team won’t last—and that the very moment they’ve shown this promise, they’ll be broken up, sold, cashed in on for another future rebuild.
As Ajax does, and will do.
But you also remember that Frenkie De Jong is set to join that very Barcelona team…
A group with Messi, Alba, and some of that magic still left.
Then you see a tweet like this, and you start to wonder:
After De Jong, Here’s the players Barcelona needs to sign this summer: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico, Schone, Van De Beek, Neres, Tadic and Ziyech.
— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) March 5, 2019
Can this blossoming Ajax team, set to be broken up, do us soccer fans a solid…
By heading down to Spain, throwing on the blaugrana jerseys…
And get put back, beautifully, together again?