Jordi Cruyff, son of Ajax legend Johan Cruyff, will start his new job in February 2026 after the final steps have been taken in the process of Cruyff's appointment.
The club's supervisory board, the second-most powerful organ within Ajax, also intends to name Cruyff to the board. Cruyff will follow up former Ajax and Netherlands defender Danny Blind, who announced his intent to step down earlier this year.
Jordi Cruyff started his football career in the Ajax youth academy in 1981, after which he moved to Barcelona with his father, who was named FC Barcelona manager in 1988.
Following a playing career that saw him play for the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and the Netherlands national team, Cruyff was technical director at AEK Larnaca and Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he was also the manager during the 2017/18 season.
Cruyff went on to manage China and lead the Ecuadorian national team before becoming FC Barcelona's technical director in 2022. Under his tutelage, FC Barcelona, who'd just lost Lionel Messi, brought in the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Robert Lewandowski and Xavi, who returned to the club as manager.
Club in turmoil
Cruyff joins Ajax in the middle of a tumultuous season in which the Amsterdam giants are already 16 points behind league leaders PSV, with survival in the UEFA Champions League out of reach after winning just three points from their first six games, and manager John Heitinga was fired after just five months in charge.
Ajax had been looking for a new technical director since Alex Kroes announced his decision to step down. Kroes took responsibility for the current situation at Ajax. His fellow board members convinced Kroes to stay on until the club had found a replacement.
The 51-year-old Cruyff was quickly declared one of Ajax's top targets after Alex Kroes announced his decision to step down from his role as technical director. Cruyff reportedly had to compete with former left-back Maxwell and former Liverpool director Michael Edwards.
With Cruyff now in line to start in February 2026, Ajax will likely resume their search for a new manager after the club prioritised the search for a new technical director.