Matthijs de Ligt does not rule out a future return to Ajax in advance. The 24-year-old center defender of Bayern Munich still has the Amsterdam club in his heart and still closely follows the Amsterdam club, which he exchanged for Juventus in 2019.

De Ligt regularly thinks about a comeback in the Ajax shirt. “I hope so. I played in the first team for three years, relatively short. I always thought it would be longer, but the situation was slightly different than everyone expected,” the Bayern defender says in an interview on the Ajax website.

“If I ever get the chance to return to Ajax and could still be of value, I would really like to. You never know, but if I were to say it now, I would love it,” emphasizes De Ligt, who is contracted with Bayern until mid-2027.

De Ligt has a very high regard for his former employer. “You always miss Ajax. The team we had back then… I played there for about ten years in total, so you miss all the people you met there. I will always follow the club. If they win, me happy.”

The Dutch international made a particular impression with Ajax in the 2018/19 season, when the final of the Champions League was missed. “It would be strange if I didn't look back on that with nostalgia. A season as beautiful as that, with all the boys together and at the club you come from, you won't get that again anytime soon in your career. Not everything was right Ultimately, only 95 percent do.”

Stagnant development

De Ligt is now five years later and now knows the hard laws of top football. He experienced highs and lows at both Juventus and Bayern. “The expectation is that you continue like this, but the past has shown that this is not the case. I have also had phases in which things went worse and better. Ultimately, if you look at where I started and now, I think that I have made good progress.”

In De Ligt's view, progress has been made in certain areas. “Maybe I also do other facets a little less, but that just happens when so many interests and money are involved. Then it becomes a little less frivolous, especially as a central defender.”

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