Pascal Heije was named Talent of the Year at Ajax in 1998 and he was part of the so-called Golden Boys class in Amsterdam. Despite this, a breakthrough in the main force is not forthcoming for the midfielder. Years later, Heije is looking for the reason why at the time he failed to gain a foothold in the A-selection of the Amsterdam club.

“The main reason was guidance. I keep saying that”, Heije concludes in an extensive interview with Ajax Showtime. “Hans Westerhof, the head of youth academy, gave us the confidence. He also gave us the contract. But ‘up there’ it was just bad in terms of policy. When you see it now with Marc Overmars and Edwin van der Sar, it is very different. You can now see that throughout Ajax. In our time the guidance was hard to find. Here you have a contract for five years, but then? You have money and a contract in your pocket, but you are not guided in football.

Despite the high expectations, Heije only made two appearances in Ajax 1, despite the efforts of Jan Wouters, then a youth coach in Amsterdam. “He was going to talk to Morten Olsen (then coach of Ajax, ed.). He said:” What you showed is not normal. “But I didn’t hear anything, I just stayed in the second. Wouters then became the trainer of the First, but I didn’t play. It was just a mess. You had so many contract players. Also with players from abroad making so much money, as a result of the Bosman ruling. That was just capital destruction, which they did then. “

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Heije notes that Ajax has made a lot of catch up in the field of coaching youth players, which can only be beneficial in financial terms. “Yes, look at Ryan Gravenberch. Suppose you didn’t let him play, would clubs like Barcelona and Juventus also be mentioned?” The former Ajax player wonders aloud. “He’s playing a few games now and shows that he can handle the first. If you let him play in the second, he might have been demotivated and might want to leave. Then you would never have known if he could become an Ajax 1 player. . “

According to Heije, it is very important that you find the right trainer at a top club. “At the time, Morten Olsen was also head coach. He almost never came to De Toekomst (Ajax training complex, ed.). When you see Erik ten Hag now, you often see him sitting in the stands or on the side. also for Overmars and Van der Sar. You now see that a talent like Brian Brobbey gets a chance. It is not only Ten Hag, but the entire policy. That is good. They all make the decisions with many players who level. That is the whole puzzle piece “, says Heije.