2008–09 AFC Ajax season
During the 2008–09 season AFC Ajax participated in the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup and the UEFA Cup. The first training took place on Monday July 14, 2008. The traditional AFC Ajax Open Day was on Tuesday August 5, 2008, followed by a testimonial match for the retired former Ajax defender Jaap Stam.
Pre-season
The first training for the 2008–09 season was held on July 14, 2008. In preparation for the new season Ajax organized a training camp in De Lutte, Netherlands at the De Thij Sportpark. During the pre-season, the squad from manager Marco van Basten played friendly matches against VV Noordwijk, CVV Germanicus and Excelsior '31 before traveling to the United Kingdom to play against Cardiff City and Sunderland, then traveling to Spain to play Real Murcia. They then returned to Amsterdam to play Arsenal and Internazionale in the annual Amsterdam Tournament.Player statistics
Appearances for competitive matches only2008-09 selection by nationality
Team statistics
Eredivisie standings 2008-09
Points by match day
Total points by match day
Standing by match day
Goals by match day
Statistics for the 2008-09 season
- This is an overview of all the statistics for played matches in the 2008-09 season.
| Friendlies | Amsterdam Tournament | KNVB Cup | UEFA Cup | Eredivisie | Total | |
| Matches | 7 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 34 | 55 |
| Wins | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 31 |
| Draws | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| Losses | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| Home | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 25 |
| Away | 7 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 30 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 60 | 83 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 2 x yellow in 1 match | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Number of substitutes used | 47 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 89 | 177 |
| Goals for | 24 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 74 | 118 |
| Goals against | 8 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 41 | 64 |
| Balance | +16 | -2 | +1 | +6 | +33 | +54 |
| Clean sheets | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 22 |
| Penalties for | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Penalties against | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
2008-09 team records
Top scorers
Placements
- Luis Suárez is voted Player of the year by the supporters of AFC Ajax.
- Gregory van der Wiel is voted Talent of the year by the supporters of AFC Ajax.
Results
Eredivisie
KNVB Cup
UEFA Cup
First round
Group stage
| Team | ||||||||
 Hamburg | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 |
 Ajax | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 |
 Aston Villa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 |
 Žilina | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 4 |
 Slavia Praha | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | –3 | 2 |
Final phase
Round of 32
Round of 16
Amsterdam Tournament
;Final standings of the LG Amsterdam Tournament 2008| Team | ||||||
| Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
 Internazionale | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
 Sevilla FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Ajax | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Friendlies
Transfers for 2008-09
Summer transfer window
For a list of all Dutch football transfers in the summer window please see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2008.Arrivals
- The following players moved to AFC Ajax.
Departures
- The following players moved from AFC Ajax.
Winter transfer window
Arrivals
- The following players moved to AFC Ajax.
Departures
- The following players moved from AFC Ajax.