De Klassieker

Lore & Background

The rivalry between these two clubs goes beyond the football rivalry, transcending into the city rivalry between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. This rivalry began when these two cities first received their city rights in the 13th century. The football clubs are the pride of these cities; Ajax to Amsterdam and Feyenoord to Rotterdam. The inhabitants of these cities differ significantly in both attitudes and cultures which is clearly reflected on the football pitch. The clash is seen between the artists of Amsterdam and the workers of Rotterdam. Amsterdam is renowned for its culture, having produced many artists and actors. Ajax’s style of play has long been a source of pride for the supporters, and one of irritation for the Feyenoord fans. The Rotterdammers feel that those hailing from Amsterdam possess delusions of grandeur, and there is a saying to reflect these sentiments: 'While Amsterdam dreams, Rotterdam works'. Rotterdam was forced to work after being bombed heavily in the Second World War by the Nazis. A harbor town, its people are proud of their work ethic and resentful of Amsterdam's showiness.

In Their Own Story

Inside the Camp Nou, the atmosphere vibrates with a tension that precedes kickoff—a mix of anticipation and historic weight. On one side, the blue and red stripes stand as a wall of Catalan defiance; on the other, Real Madrid's white shirts move with imperial precision. When the referee blows the whistle, the roar of ninety thousand voices creates a sound where history is not just remembered, but lived in every pass and tackle.

Reader's Guide

The first encounter between these two clubs was on 9 October 1921 in Rotterdam which was surrounded by controversy. The match initially ended 3–2 in Ajax' favour. This was later officially declared 2–2 due to Feyenoord's protest to what they believed was a dubious goal by Ajax. There has also been a competition as who has the biggest stadium between these two clubs which mainly occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. The Olympic Stadium was constructed in 1928 and had a capacity of 31,600. In 1934 De Meer Stadion was constructed with a capacity of 22,000. In 1937 Feyenoord opened De Kuip with a capacity of 64,000. Ajax responded by adding a second ring to Olympic Stadium, also in 1937. After the Second World War, Feyenoord expanded De Kuip to 69,000 in 1949. From the season 1947–48 up to and including 1955–56 no competitive matches were played between these two clubs. Once the Eredivisie was introduced in 1956–57, regional leagues were abolished in favour of a single national league. The two clubs have faced off twice a year since then. In the season 1960-61 the highest scoring match occurred: 9–5 in favour of Feyenoord. Four years later in the season 1964-65 a 9–4 scoreline in Feyenoord's favour almost replicated it. The rivalry heated up in the early 1970s when these two clubs were arguably the best in the world. During the early 1970s Ajax won three European Cups and an Intercontinental Cup, Feyenoord had won one European Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one UEFA Cup. During the 1980–81 season, Feyenoord legend Wim Jansen made the leap to Ajax. On his debut for Ajax, which happened to be an away game against Feyenoord, a Feyenoord fan threw an iceball in Jansen's eye. The rivalry intensified further during the 1983–84 season when Ajax legend Johan Cruyff made the transfer from Ajax to Feyenoord. In the 1983–84 season, Feyenoord and Cruyff lost 8–2 to Ajax in Amsterdam, but Feyenoord won their home game 4-1, and Feyenoord ended up winning the league and cup that season. On 7 April 2024, Feyenoord beat Ajax 6–0, the biggest win ever for Feyenoord over Ajax and the biggest loss ever for Ajax in the Eredivisie. De Klassieker scheduled for 1 September 2024 was suspended after a police strike was announced.

Did You Know?

• The record attendance for De Klassieker was 65,562 on 9 January 1966 in Rotterdam.
• The highest scoring match was in 1960-61, ending 9–5 in favor of Feyenoord.
• From 1947–48 to 1955–56 no competitive matches were played between Ajax and Feyenoord.
• The most serious fan incident occurred in the Beverwijk clash in 1997, when Ajax fan Carlo Picornie was killed.