Ajax and adidas recently announced an extension to their existing partnership, taking it to 2031. It’s already supplied us with almost 25 years worth of beautiful kits, and here we pick out 10 of the best.
Partners since 2000, adidas and Ajax have one of the longest running partnerships in European football. As of 2024, the Three Stripes have been connected to the Dutch club as its main partner for almost 25 years, and with the announcement of a new extension until 2031, the iconic partnership will surpass the 30-year milestone, making it the longest running sporting goods partnership in the Eredivisie.
Throughout the period from 2000 to present, we’ve been blessed with some of the most iconic kits in the game, with the partnership really hitting its stride in the last few seasons, consistently delivering kit of the season contenders year after year. So the hardest part of picking out 10 of the best Ajax kits was simply keeping it to 10, but here goes, in chronological order because, well, why not.
2000/01 Home
Where better to start than with the first home shirt produced as part of the partnership? And you could argue that they've never done the home shirt better, although its big and baggy approach clearly comes from that turn-of-the-millennium era. The red stripes down the sleeves bleeding into the cuffs, that classic collar... beauty.
2007/08 Away
Absolutely could be an Argentina away shirt from the era, but that aside, this is a great design that works wonderfully with the iconic vertical ABN ABRO sponsor; that tied in with the central crest and almost shoulder positioning of the adidas logo hitting all the right notes. Teamgeist was a proper vibe, and this design epitomises that to perfection.
2016/17 Away
Probably not to everyone's taste, but a sign of things to come, with the design placing all emphasis on Amsterdam’s iconic St. Andrews crosses, positioning them front and centre. Can't beat a good story/inspiration behind a shirt, and this one's all about that.
2020/21 Away
This season saw the quality of adidas's output for the Dutch side ramped up to all-new levels, and this away shirt in particular was the first to really capture the attention of the wider fanbase outside of just Amsterdam.
2020/21 Third
And that away shirt was joined by this sleek little number, which arrived just ahead of the cusp of 'black and gold' or 'black and bronze' kits and certainly before it hit saturation point. There was a nice story to accompany this one too, with the design celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ajax’s European Cup (now Champions League) triumph back in the 1970/71 season.
2021/22 Home
Having run away with the Eredivisie title in the preceding season, adidas made a subtle switch up to the home shirt. Home shirts are, by their nature, tricky to keep fresh, with the challenge of balancing tradition and progression, but the presence of the historic club logo here, positioned off-centre of the design just as it used to be back in the mid to late 80s, combined with the silver Three Stripes, did just the trick.
2021/22 Third
The pièce de résistance. Not just Ajax's greatest kit of all-time, but arguably one of the greatest kits of all-time full stop. The story behind it (back in August 2008, when Ajax played a friendly match in Cardiff, the Ajax fans were asked to remain in the stands after the game. To entertain them the stadium DJ played several tracks, one of which was Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the rest, as they say, is history), all the elements, and just the perfection of the execution... it just hit the right notes. A true shirt of art.
2022/23 Away
Following up the Bob Marley kit was always a tall order, but adidas had a couple of tricks up their sleeves. The first was this dark navy away shirt, which was all about those eye-catching details on the sleeves and collar that incorporated the Andreas crosses with a touch of gold. Navy and gold is a lowkey killer combo.
2022/23 Third
The other trick adidas had lined up was a collaboration with Amsterdam-based fashion label, Daily Paper. The light golden base was joined by a black-and-red stripe down the centre to create a look that was reminiscent of the classic home kit design. But there was more... a closer look revealed smoky black watermarks of nine of Amsterdam’s most prominent street football courts. From the street to the pitch and back again.
2023/24 Third
The highlight of this season's offerings was the third shirt, which features an eye-catching diamond print in recognition of the Ajax academy, and all of the unbelievable players they have produced over the years.
So many good kits to choose from. Here's to many more in the future...
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