Klaas-Jan Huntelaar withdrew from the management of Ajax Amsterdam over a year ago. Now his contract has also been officially dissolved.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is no longer formally employed by Ajax Amsterdam. His contract as technical director has been dissolved. The club announced this on Friday. The contract was actually valid until summer 2026.
The former Bundesliga striker and Dutch international had retired in October 2023 due to a burnout and has been on official leave ever since. It was only shortly before that he was given new responsibilities because Ajax parted ways with Sven Mislintat after internal quarrels.
“Klaas-Jan is a true Ajax man,” Alex Kroes, who is now filling the role, said in a statement this Friday. ‘It would be great if he returned to our club at some point. But his health comes first. We thank him for the work he has done and wish him strength and success in his continued recovery.’
Starting management in spring 2022
Huntelaar ended his playing career in July 2021 after returning to Schalke 04 for another six-month stint. He had already played for the miners from 2010 to 2017 and won the DFB Cup in 2011, among other things. During his career, the Bundesliga top scorer of 2012 (29 goals) also played for Real Madrid, AC Milan and, as mentioned, Ajax, where he won the Dutch championship in 2019 and 2021.
He finally joined the management team in March 2022, alongside then sporting director Gerry Hamstra. Under Mislintat, his responsibilities were initially decoupled from the first team, but after his departure, he gradually worked his way up and completed a training course to become a coach at the same time.
It is not known how the now 41-year-old is doing. Huntelaar has largely withdrawn from the public eye and does not attend any media events.
