Julian Brandt's "fresh start" at Ajax has been an outstanding success so far. The 30-year-old has earned praise from all sides. Now Jordi Cruyff has revealed a moment he has Brandt to thank for.
For Ajax's technical director, the "best moment" of the summer came when the Dutch record champions finally announced the former Borussia Dortmund star's arrival on a free transfer. He revealed that at the members' meeting on Monday.
Cruyff said Brandt had helped keep the move to the Eredivisie a surprise. "Nothing was leaked beforehand. Thanks to him, too, it became a great moment. He kept it to himself as well," he said. Cruyff had made similar comments on Dutch television with Ziggo Sport.
About a week earlier, he had said: "What really delighted me was Brandt. How did it happen? Nobody knew anything. Absolutely nobody!" He added: "People went out to eat and suddenly got the news that Brandt was coming to Ajax. And they wondered: 'Hey, we hadn't heard a thing about this. How is that possible?'"
Cruyff also mentioned Marc-Andre ter Stegen's move from Barcelona to Ajax in his speech. The Catalan club had relegated the Germany international goalkeeper to a permanent reserve role, so he joined Ajax on loan in the summer to get playing time at a renowned club and reclaim the number one spot in Germany's goal under Jürgen Klopp. It worked: Klopp named ter Stegen his number one on the road to Euro 2028. "He can play wherever he wants. And yet he had the drive to play for Ajax," Cruyff said. Alongside Brandt, this too had been a "great transfer", Cruyff said.
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How did Julian Brandt react to Van der Vaart's criticism?
Last summer, Brandt was linked with European clubs that looked considerably more attractive at the time. In early March, it had become clear that Dortmund would not offer the attacking player a new contract. Among other possibilities, reports repeatedly linked Brandt with Atletico Madrid as a successor to Antoine Griezmann or with a move to the wealthy Premier League. He chose Ajax in the end, and he will surely have no regrets about that decision at present.
In 17 competitive appearances so far, he has scored eight goals and provided two assists. His performances have even silenced Rafael van der Vaart, a chief critic rarely short of a questionable opinion, and left him enjoying what he sees.
"I must also say that I was irritated by the people who were absolutely delighted with the transfer," van der Vaart had carped shortly after Brandt's arrival. He called the German a "fair-weather footballer" and stressed that Brandt should be glad he was allowed to wear the Ajax Amsterdam shirt at all.
But Brandt's highly successful first third of the season prompted even van der Vaart to make a U-turn. "He's brilliant. He's Ajax's best player," he said at the opening of an artificial-turf pitch in Hamburg in mid-October.
Asked about that sudden praise, Brandt was unmoved. He responded calmly on the "Spielmacher" podcast. "Things swing round very, very quickly. That's the first time I've heard that sentence," he said of van der Vaart's praise.
At Borussia Dortmund, Brandt had grown used to criticism. Opinions on his performances were often divided. To some, he was an outstanding attacking artist. To others, when things were not going well on the pitch in Dortmund, he was the phlegmatic scapegoat who could not win challenges.
Van der Vaart's earlier criticism had left Brandt just as unfazed. "Last time, when he made a different statement, I was confronted with that a lot too. I don't know, my attitude is always: 'Just leave me alone with that rubbish,'" said Brandt, who has since suffered his first setback in an Ajax shirt.
Getty ImagesWhat injury has Julian Brandt suffered?
In late October, Brandt suffered an injury without contact from an opponent during the first half of the 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar. In the 38th minute, he suddenly sat on the ground with his face contorted in pain. He needed treatment before going off, and his worried expression suggested a more serious injury.
Cruyff, however, offered cautious reassurance, explaining that the injury was "nothing serious". Brandt still missed Ajax's final two competitive matches before the international break.