The 2003–04 season in Dutch football saw
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
regain their title in the
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
.
Zwolle
Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is on ...
were relegated to the
First Division.
Johan Cruyff Shield
----
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
Awards
Dutch Footballer of the Year The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divi ...
* 2003–04 —
Maxwell (Ajax)
Dutch Golden Shoe Winner The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divi ...
* 2003 —
Dirk Kuyt (Utrecht)
* 2004 —
Maxwell (Ajax)
Ajax squad 2003–04
;Goal
*
Sander Boschker
Sander Bernard Jozef Boschker (born 20 October 1970) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the goalkeeping coach at Twente.
During a professional career which spanned 25 years he played mostly for ...
*
Bogdan Lobonț
Bogdan Ionuț Lobonț (; born 18 January 1978) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper.
He amassed 86 appearances for the Romania national team between 1998 and 2018, representing the country in ...
*
Maarten Stekelenburg
Maarten Stekelenburg (; born 22 September 1982) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie club Ajax.
Stekelenburg began his career at Ajax, playing 282 matches over nine seasons in his first spell there and win ...
;Defence
*
Jelle Van Damme
Jelle François Maria Van Damme (; born 10 October 1983) is a Belgian retired professional footballer who played as a centre-back, left-back or left midfielder. He played for clubs in Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Stat ...
*
Julien Escudé
Julien Régis Paul Escudé (born 17 August 1979) is a French former professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender but also as a full back.
After making a name for himself with Rennes, he went on to play abroad with Ajax, Sevil ...
*
Zdeněk Grygera
Zdeněk Grygera (; born 14 May 1980) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Club career
Early career
Grygera began his career at Petra Drnovice before moving to Sparta Prague.
Ajax
In July 2003, he was signed ...
*
John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and a former player who played as a centre back. He manages Jong Ajax, the reserves team of AFC Ajax.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he played for their ...
*
Nigel de Jong
Nigel de Jong (born 30 November 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the technical director of the KNVB, the national Dutch soccer federation. he has also worked as an English lang ...
*
John O'Brien
*
Petri Pasanen
Petri Pasanen (born 24 September 1980) is a Finnish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender. He was most comfortable as centre-back, but also played right-back and left-back ...
*
Hatem Trabelsi
Hatem Trabelsi ( ar, حاتم الطرابلسي, Ḥātem Ṭrabelsī; born 25 January 1977) is a Tunisian former professional footballer who played as a right-back for CS Sfaxien, Ajax, Manchester City and Al-Hilal Riyadh. At international le ...
*
Thomas Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen (born 14 November 1985) is a retired Belgian professional footballer who is currently an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Being left-footed, he usually played as a left-sided centre-back and could play at left-bac ...
*
Fronio Walker
*
Abubakari Yakubu
Abubakari Yakubu (13 December 1981 – 31 October 2017) was a Ghanaian footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder but also as a defender.
Club career
Born in Tema, Yakubu joined AFC Ajax at only 17, going on to remain in the Netherl ...
;Midfield
*
Tomáš Galásek
Tomáš Galásek (; born 15 January 1973) is a Czech former football player and current manager. He was a holding midfielder who was also strong as a centre-back.
Club career
Galásek started his career with Banik Ostrava in 1991, before mo ...
*
Cedric van der Gun
Cedric van der Gun (born 5 May 1979) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.
Club career Ajax/Loan Spells
Born in The Hague, Van der Gun started his professional football at AFC Ajax when he first joined at fifteen ye ...
*
Jari Litmanen
Jari Olavi Litmanen (; born 20 February 1971) is a Finnish former footballer. He was the first-choice captain of the Finland national team between 1996 and 2008 in an international career that ran from 1989 to 2010.
Litmanen is widely consider ...
*
Maxwell
*
Anthony Obodai
*
Steven Pienaar
Steven Jerome Pienaar (; born 17 March 1982) is a South African former professional footballer and current assistant coach of the U18 team of the Ajax Youth Academy.
He was a captain of the South African national team. He primarily played as ...
*
Stefano Seedorf
*
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he st ...
*
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and is currently the assistant manager of Danish 2nd Division club Esbjerg fB.
Van der Vaart began his c ...
;Attack
*
Jamal Akachar
*
Yannis Anastasiou
Giannis Anastasiou ( gr, Γιάννης Αναστασίου; born 5 March 1973) is a Greek professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Super League club Panetolikos.
As a player, Anastasiou played as a strike ...
*
Ryan Babel
Ryan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
*Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Australia
* Division of Ryan, an elector ...
*
Nourdin Boukhari
Nourdin Boukhari ( ar, نور الدين البخاري; born 30 June 1980) is a Dutch-Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. After retiring, he worked as a youth coach he is the currently assistant coach of Eredivis ...
*
Jason Culina
Jason Culina (born 5 August 1980) is a former Australian soccer player and coach.
Club career
Culina began his career with Sydney United under his father, Branko Culina, before moving to Ajax, where he struggled in the reserves. Only after ...
*
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimović (, ; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. Ibrahimović is renowned for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, powerful long-range sho ...
*
Nicolae Mitea
Nicolae Mitea (born 24 March 1985) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a winger. Between 2003 and 2005, he made eight appearances for the Romania national team scoring two goals.
Club career
In 1998, Mitea and Roberto ...
*
Tom De Mul
Tom De Mul (; born 4 March 1986) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a right winger.
Club career
Born in Kapellen, Antwerp, De Mul began his career in K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot, but joined the AFC Ajax youth academy at ag ...
*
Daniël de Ridder
Daniël Robin Frederick de Ridder (born 6 March 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He played as a winger operating either on the right or left side but would occasionally play a more advanced role. He represented Ajax, Celta Vigo, ...
*
Victor Sikora
Victor Tadeusz Sikora (born 11 April 1978) is a Dutch retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Sikora began his career at the Go Ahead Eagles youth academy and worked his way into the first team, debuting as a 16-year-old. H ...
*
Tom Soetaers
Tom Soetaers (born 21 July 1980) is a Belgian former footballer who played as a midfielder and current football coach, mostly being deployed as a left-winger. He is currently in charge of SC Hoegaarden-Outgaarden.
Club career
Soetaers began his ...
*
Wesley Sonck
Wesley Sonck (born 9 August 1978) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who manages the Belgium U19 national team. He played as a striker for Molenbeek, Germinal Ekeren, Germinal Beerschot, Genk, Ajax, Borussia Mönch ...
*
Wamberto
;Management
*
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was cap ...
(Coach)
*
Ruud Krol
Rudolf ("Ruud" or "Rudi") Jozef Krol (; born 24 March 1949) is a Dutch former professional footballer who was capped 83 times for the Netherlands national team. Most of his career he played for his home town club, Ajax, and he became a coach ...
(Assistant)
*
Tonny Bruins Slot (Assistant)
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
*
Promoted : FC Den Bosch
*
Promotion / relegation play-offs ("Nacompetitie"): Excelsior, Sparta, Heracles, Helmond Sport, De Graafschap and VVV Venlo
Topscorers
Promotion and relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...
Group A
Group B
*
Stayed / Promoted : Vitesse Arnhem and De Graafschap
*
Relegated: Volendam
KNVB Cup
Dutch national team
See also
*
Sparta Rotterdam season 2003–04
References
Voetbal International
{{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 in Dutch football