May 24, 1995 will always remain a special day for Ajax. Not only was it the last time they won the Champions League, but they did so by sticking to their own much-heralded philosophy. The team that beat AC Milan 1-0 in Vienna was built around a number of players who came through the club's own youth academy and it was no coincidence that the match winner was Patrick Kluivert - an 18-year-old striker who was Ajax through and through.
Unfortunately for the Amsterdammers, the landscape of football has significantly changed since the Bosman ruling just seven months after Kluivert's legendary toe poke.
Clubs from Spain, Italy, Germany, England and France stockpile all the talent and consequently dominate European club football's elite competition. Since Ajax's victory in 1995, only Jose Mourinho's Porto managed to bring home the trophy from outside the so-called big five leagues back in 2004.
In their past five attempts, Ajax have failed to make it out of the group stages even once, having to settle for third spot in their section. Winning the Champions League ever again has seemed like mission impossible for the Eredivisie giants.
However, two decades after Kluivert left Amsterdam jumping, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon again at last – and it's a familiar recipe that could help Ajax return to the European elite once more.
Whereas Frank de Boer's men never really looked like being able to spring a surprise in their group with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and APOEL, Ajax's Under-19 team did catch the eye with some sublime performances in the Uefa Youth League.
The youthful Godenzonen hammered PSG 6-1 at De Toekomst on matchday one, only to hit them for six again in the reverse fixture in Paris (6-3). APOEL held on for a scoreless draw in Cyprus, but had little chance in Amsterdam as they were beaten 4-1. Barcelona, meanwhile, were outclassed twice, even if they got a hard-fought 2-2 draw at home before only narrowly losing 1-0 in Netherlands, with Ajax topping their group on 14 points from six matches.
Ajax's elite youth team has caught the eye for their recognisable free-flowing attacking style of play as well as their collective strength, yet they also possess a number of individuals who are capable of being decisive and seem destined for greatness if they stay fit and keep up their current development.
In midfield, the 17-year-old Donny van de Beek combines the energy and power of Paul Pogba with the sublime touch of Dennis Bergkamp. The Netherlands Under-19 star is equally comfortable in a role playing higher up the pitch as he is as a holding midfielder, as illustrated by his recent wonder goals against the U-19 teams of Sparta and AZ.
Alongside Van de Beek, Abdelhak Nouri has been making even bigger waves and the attacking midfielder is deservedly regarded as one of the biggest talents on the globe in his age category. Also 17, Nouri's amazing first touch, close control, brilliant technique and superb passing skills remind onlookers of a younger Ronaldinho, even if the gifted midfielder no longer sports the same long curly hairdo as the Brazilian.
Up front, Czech Republic winger Vaclav Cerny is the one who has been making headlines. The left-footed attacker, who recently turned 17, joined Ajax from Pribram back in 2013 and it's clear to see why the Amsterdammers were so keen to bring him to Holland. Cerny is almost unstoppable in one-on-one situations, possesses great pace, always has eyes for his team-mates and has an impressive shot, too.
Unsurprisingly, head coach Frank de Boer is well aware of the trio's huge potential and is confident they will make the step up at some point.
"When it comes to football intelligence, these three players are on par with the first-team players," De Boer recently said.
"Nouri and Cerny's lack of physical power is nothing to worry about. They will find themselves in situations where they have to deal with it. The same goes for Van de Beek.
"They regularly train with the first team already. We are trying to get them ready one step at a time."
Ajax's biggest challenge in the years to come will be to keep these three out of the hands of Europe's finest, but if they manage to do just that, the reigning Dutch champions could very well become a force to be reckoned with once more in the not too distant future.
Apart from Cerny, Nouri and Van de Beek, highly talented youngsters such as Riechedly Bazoer, Jairo Riedewald, Richairo Zivkovic (all 18) have made their senior debut already and are among the continent's hottest prospects, too, while first-team regulars Joel Veltman, Stefano Denswil, Nicolai Boilesen, Davy Klaassen, Lucas Andersen, Viktor Fischer, Ricardo Kishna, Anwar El Ghazi and Arek Milik all have yet to hit 23.
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