With one of the most iconic looks in all of football, we dive into the greatest Ajax kits of all time.
This month, Ajax and adidas unveiled the club’s 125th-anniversary kit. Merging the elegance and simplicity of Ajax’s early years with a modern twist, the design has us reminiscing about the countless iconic looks the Amsterdam club has delivered over the decades.
Ajax remains one of those clubs that never needs to reinvent the wheel. The instantly recognizable central red stripe, framed by white panels, has become synonymous with the Dutch giants. This timeless identity means their creativity often shines brightest in away and third kits.
With that in mind, let’s take a trip through history and admire some of the most unforgettable designs from one of football’s most storied institutions.
125th Anniversary
The driving force behind this story, Ajax and adidas have dropped an instant “streets won’t forget” classic.
The design is directly inspired by some of the first-ever Ajax kits, with a simple stripe design and collars to match. Like with many anniversary kits, the sponsor logos blend into the design to give it a classic aesthetic that harkens back to the days before corporate entities took over the game. Besides the hits of nostalgia, it makes for the cleanest possible look.
To honor Amsterdam, the city’s flag has replaced the Ajax logo on the chest, the perfect finishing touch.
2000-01 Home
This was the debut of adidas and Ajax as a duo and it remains as one of the best they’ve ever done.
There’s only so much variation you can do with the main template for an Ajax home kit, but this design choice was probably our favorite. The red trims going down the sleeves and around the edges of the entire kit look wonderful, and opting for a white collar was a stroke of genius.
As the old adage says, “start as you mean to go on.”
1994-95 Away
A historical kit will always hit so much sweeter looking back, as Ajax lifted their fourth European Cup wearing this shirt and it’s a thing of beauty.
The dark blue and burgundy colors go perfectly together, with the club’s logo featuring prominently on the design that swoops gorgeously across the kit. Even amongst all the legendary kits we saw in the 1990s, this kit sets itself apart as one of the best.
2018-19 Away
This design might not break the mold, but once again, it’s the performances in this kit that have cemented its legacy in our memories.
Ajax’s 2019 Champions League campaign remains one of the most cherished underdog stories in recent history, with Erik ten Hag guiding his squad to an unlikely semifinal berth.
This kit took center stage during their iconic 4-1 away victory over Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Clad in black and gold, Ajax outclassed Los Blancos in a performance that epitomized Champions League magic — and they looked undeniably sharp doing it.
2020-21 Third
Inspired by the legendary Bob Marley, this design paid tribute to the icon and his timeless anthem, “Three Little Birds.” The connection runs deep: After a 2008 friendly against Cardiff City, traveling Ajax fans were asked to stay in the stadium after full-time.
When Three Little Birds echoed through the stadium speakers, the supporters sang well into the night. The song has since become a fan anthem, and this kit perfectly embodied that bond.
The black, green, and red stripes — symbols of Pan-Africanism and Rastafarianism and inseparable from reggae culture — were masterfully woven into the sleeve and shoulder trims. The trio of birds adorning the back collar? Simply the icing on the cake.
