Ajax now knew that to conquer Europe, they would have to mature both mentally and physically. The first of their problems were solved in 1970 when Feyenoord shocked Celtic and won the European Cup – the first Dutch team to win the competition. Ajax was astonished. Feyenoord had taken Ajax’s place at the top of Europe. The position Michels and Cruyff had worked tirelessly to achieve had been torn from their hands by a domestic rival. The impact Feyenoord’s victory had on Ajax’s collective mentality, however, cannot be underestimated. Spurred on by both the fear of failure as well as the determination to take back their rightful place in European football, Ajax began to play their best football in Michels’ tenure. Physically, Ajax received a boost following the promotion of Defender Ruud Krol to the first team. Krol, a left-back by trade, was the best defender of his era. Acting as the sweeper for Michels’ eleven, Krol terrorized opposition as Ajax’s last line of defense, winning the ball deep within Ajax’s own territory, and their first attacker, making creative runs and genius passes to the midfield and attack. Previous articles in this series have mentioned both Franz Beckenbauer and Paolo Maldini as the greatest defenders of all time. If there was a greatest eleven created from these ten teams, however, you can bet Krol’s name would be third on the team sheet, directly following his German and Italian counterparts.

At last, Michels had his dream team playing the football he desired. As Krol said, “We had a good team with one superstar – Cruyff – and five or six world-class players. That’s what made us unique.” Indeed, with Cruyff playing the starring role at the front, Johan Neeskens providing tireless box to box quality through the midfield, Haan and Muhren establishing their own realms of tactical discipline along the flanks, and Krol and Vasovic holding together a rarely penetrated defensive line, Ajax was complete. Even the team’s goalkeeper, Heinz Stuy, was selected for his ability to dribble with the ball and deliver pinpoint passes across the field – a foreshadowing of the complete goalkeepers required by all of Europe’s top teams today.

Michels described his philosophy as, “Attackers and midfielders defend, and defenders build up and attack. It all happens with constant fluidity. So, of course, you could call this, ‘Total football.’” This tactical style relies on two key concepts: the utilization of space and the fluidity of positions. Spatially, Ajax’s 4-3-3 would expand when they had possession of the ball and shrink when they were tasked with defending. Defensively, Ajax swamped opposing sides, tenaciously pressing until they regained the ball. To facilitate their press, the team utilized an extremely high defensive line that allowed them to maintain defensive congestion as they attempted to retrieve the ball. To execute the demands of such a philosophy, each player in the team must be tactically sound and mentally proficient, always aware of the team’s changing shape. Michels 4-3-3 included players of immense football knowledge that allowed them to shift responsibilities, bail one another out, and contribute to hypnotic build-up play that paralyzed opposing defenses. At the beginning of the ’70-’71 season, Ajax was ready to storm Europe with their perfected tactic, planting themselves above all other teams in the world.

The Ajax team of 1971 possessed confidence and swagger not yet witnessed on the game’s grandest stage. Not only did they know that no team could match their overwhelming football, they knew that, but also, as Dutch journalist, Jaap de Groot pointed out, “It was the era of hippies and Woodstock, and Ajax began each match 2-0 up just by the way they looked.”

In their march to the European Cup Final, Ajax discarded Celtic with a 3-1 aggregate victory before taking on Atletico Madrid in the Semi-finals. After losing 1-0 in the first leg, Ajax put on a spectacular performance at home, beating the Spanish side 3-0 with goals from Keizer, Suurbier, and Neeskens. At last, Ajax had made it back to the European Cup final for the second time in three years. The final pitted Ajax against Greek champions Panathinaikos at Wembley Stadium in London. After disappointing results in the European Cup in previous years, Ajax felt severe pressure to perform at their highest standards and prove that they deserved to join Europe’s footballing pantheon. Their attempt at victory, however, was not made easier when Ruud Krol broke his leg earlier in the season.

Rinus Michels emphasized the team’s massive expectations, stating, “Feyenoord had already won the European Cup. I think that result put extra pressure on our club to do well. There was more pressure on us to get the result, not just on me, the coach, but on the players too.”

Any doubt that Ajax would not rise to the occasion was shattered just five minutes into the final when Dick Van Dijk thundered home a header into the Greek keeper’s far post. Though Ajax had enough chances to lead the match by four, five, or six goals, they had to wait until three minutes before the final whistle for their second. In the 87th minute, Arie Haan’s deflected shot skipped past the keeper and into the net. At last, Ajax had won the European Cup. In a performance that reflected their dominating style, the Ajax tore the crown from Feyenoord, declaring themselves the new, rightful, kings of Europe.