Lasse Schöne is Ajax’ veteran: a composed playmaker in a youthful and vibrant squad. We look into his story and the lifetime of experiences at the club.
He came to the club in need of an assured presence and ended up being one. He struck a 40-yard free-kick in off the bar during the country’s fiercest derby. He saw players come and go, rising up Ajax’ youth ranks and being sold on for ludicrous money. This one time, he stepped aside to let a strapping, young player score a free-kick on his debut, celebrating the dawn of another mercurial talent with the Amsterdam ArenA. He was a few yards away when that same player fell injured, crash-landing a career even before it began flight. As Ajax’ most tenured player, Lasse Schone has experienced an awful lot.
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Johan Cruijff opens up his autobiography, My Turn, by listing his experiences growing up in Amsterdam. “We played football everywhere we could” disclosed the Dutch legend. “It was here I learned to think about how to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. You see that the kerb isn’t actually an obstacle, but that you can turn it into a teammate for a one-two.” Every footballer faces challenges and obstacles, but only the best know how to turn those obstacles into an advantage.