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Ajax
(1980–1987)
Rijkaard was just 17, when
Ajax coach Leo Beenhakker gave him his senior
squad debut August 23, 1980. He made an
immediate impact, scoring for his team 0–3 in
the 2–4 away victory over Go Ahead Eagles, the
first league match in the 1980–81 season. He
would play another 23 games for Ajax in his
first season, netting a total of 4 goals. In
1981–82 he won his first Dutch Eredivisie
championship with Ajax, and went on to
successfully defend that title in the following
1982-83 season. Rijkaard stayed at Ajax for
seven and a half seasons, as a central defender
(1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85), a right midfielder
and a central midfielder (1985–86). During this
period he won the Dutch league championship
three times (1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85) and the
Dutch Cup (KNVB-Cup 3 times (1982–83, 1985–86,
1986–87). In the 1986–87 season he won the
European Cup II (Cup Winners' Cup) with Ajax (Final:
Ajax 1-0 Lokomotiv Leipzig). In September 1987,
what would have been Rijkaard's third season
(1987–88) under Dutch football legend Johan
Cruyff as head coach, Rijkaard stormed off the
training field and vowed never to play under him
again. He was signed by the Portuguese club
Sporting CP, but he signed too late to be
eligible to play in any competition. He was
immediately loaned out to Spanish team Real
Zaragoza, but upon completing his first season
at Zaragoza, was signed by Italian side AC Milan. |
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