The guest manager’s column in a matchday programme is usually filled with polite clichés, but when Frank de Boer brought his Ajax side to the Euroborg on May 12, 2013, the context was extraordinary. Just days prior, Ajax had secured their third consecutive Eredivisie title. The right page of the programme features a focused De Boer under the headline: “We gaan er geen circus van maken” (We are not going to make a circus out of it).
De Boer’s column is a fascinating mix of championship reflection and tactical caution. He admits that the title won two years prior against FC Twente remains his most beautiful memory, noting the unparalleled atmosphere in the stadium that day. However, he quickly pivots to the task at hand in Groningen. Despite the extensive celebrations at the Amsterdam Arena on Sunday and Monday, De Boer insists that Wednesday’s training resumed as normal. He praises the recent flow of the home side, specifically noting how well they played against SC Heerenveen and acknowledging that Groningen was in much better shape than during their mutual duel back in December.
The absolute highlight of the column, however, is a brilliant historical callback. To warn his newly crowned champions against complacency, De Boer reaches back to May 1994. As a player, he had just won the championship with Ajax and faced Groningen at the old De Meer stadium. “That was a match where players and supporters said goodbye to Stefan Pettersson,” De Boer recalls. “We had won the title a few days before, and that played a role. We lost 0-2. I can remember very few matches from those years that we lost at home.” By invoking this specific ghost from the past, De Boer was sending a clear message to his 2013 squad: the Pride of the North is perfectly capable of ruining a championship parade.
A Look into the Future
By 2026, Frank de Boer‘s managerial legacy is viewed through a complex lens. He would go on to win a historic fourth consecutive title with Ajax the following season, cementing his status as a club legend on the touchline. However, his subsequent adventures abroad—with brief, difficult stints at Inter Milan, Crystal Palace, and Atlanta United—alongside a turbulent period managing the Dutch National Team, contrasted sharply with the absolute control he exerted over the Eredivisie in 2013. Meanwhile, the historical anecdote he shared remains a testament to the cyclical nature of football: no matter the era, a relaxed champion is always vulnerable to a hungry underdog.