Ajax v Manchester City: What did Ajax ever do for us? The teams would meet again in the final, which Ajax won 1-0, cementing their place as one of the all-time great teams. Johan Cruyff It's hard to overstate the importance of Johan Cruyff in establishing the Ajax myth. The forward has few equals in the history of the game, and a footballing vision which has never been equalled: Incredible youth system Cruyff is by no means the only world class player to have been reared in the Jong Ajax (Young Ajax) development squad. Here are a few more you may have heard of: Okay, perhaps that last one isn't quite up to the standard of his predecessors, but let's not let some low-quality rapping stand in the way of praise. Total football Dutch football and Ajax enjoyed a dream-like prolonged zenith in the 1970s, largely thanks to coach Rinus Michel's pioneering work at Ajax and later with the national team. Ajax players of the period were instructed and coached to fill in for one another all over the pitch. This new fluidity brought unprecedented success, Ajax won all 46 of their home matches in 1971-72 and 1972-73. And three European Cups in a row: Excellent kit Never underestimate the importance of an iconic playing uniform. As with Brazil's gold, Ajax's instantly recognisable thick red stripe entered the British consciousness at the same time as colour television became the norm. Cruyff is the iconic figure most associated with the shirt, but Jari Litmanen also wore it with distinction during the club's 1990s renaissance: In recent years the unusual vertically-typeset sponsor has disappeared, but Luis Suarez demonstrates that the shirt remains one of football's most distinctive: