The Legend

“I first saw John when he was about 10. By the time he was 15 it was already clear that he would be a very good footballer. I knew then that he could be an Ajax player.

John has always had a great personality. He has always been bold, but in a good way. He reminded me of my old team-mate Ruud Krol. At 17, he was so good that when he was on the ball, the opposition were afraid to try and take it off him. He had so much experience and strength, he could take on three men and play a 40 metre pass as if there was nobody in his way.

Good in the air
On top of that, his timing is excellent. He always picks the right time to come forward out of defence. And he could smash the ball home from 35 yards out. That’s why he scored as many as 17 goals as a defender for Ajax’ top junior team (A1). Name me one other defender who scores as many goals as John does. He has been good in the air since he was a youth player.

He had a period when he was injured for about 18 months. He worked so hard to come back. I’ve never seen a player fight like that to get fit again. Before the injury his left foot was a bit weaker than his right. But by the time he returned to fitness, it was just as strong. And he can now shoot as hard with his left foot as with his right foot.

Loves to get forward
The way he overcame the setback of that injury showed that he had not just technique, but a strong mentality. If there was one weakness in his game it was that he would sometimes give away too many cheap free-kicks, and pick up too many yellow cards. But that’s something he has worked on.

Jaap Stam was very good for him at Ajax, he helped him hone some of the final elements of his game. Stam has now retired, of course, and that means that John is the man in defence for Ajax. And he does the job well. You will always see him talking to the other defenders, organizing the back line. And he still loves to get forward, and still scores a lot of goals.

He’s quick
Ajax defenders have always been expected to play a special way. In my time defenders were always pushing up to midfield and attacking – not like in Italy where they tried to put eight men behind the ball. It meant that they had to be very fast. If they weren’t, they would end up leaving spaces behind them. The system means that defenders have always had to play one on one.

There are less defenders around who can play like that that these days, but John can. He also strong in the tackle and good in air. Like my old team-mate Barry Hulsof used to, he always wins the aerial battles. And he’s quick – not as quick as Marc Overmars maybe! – but quick enough.

I’d say John has now returned to where he was when he was at 17. He’s already a key member of the national team and will be for many years to come. He has the right kind of self-confidence, and knows he has the ability to be the best.