“The best!” Julian Brandt created a very special moment at Ajax

Julian Brandt's "fresh start" at Ajax has been a success so far. The 30-year-old has won praise from all quarters, and Jordi Cruyff has now revealed a special moment he has Brandt to thank for.

For Ajax's technical director, the "best moment" of the summer came when the Dutch record champions finally announced the former Borussia Dortmund star's arrival on a free transfer. He told members at Monday's meeting.

"Nothing was leaked beforehand. Thanks to him, too, it became a great moment. He kept it to himself as well," Cruyff said of Brandt's surprise move to the Eredivisie. Cruyff had made similar comments on Dutch television on Ziggo Sport.

"What I was really pleased about was Brandt. How did it happen? Nobody knew anything. Absolutely nobody!" he had said around a week earlier: "People went out to eat and suddenly got the news that Brandt was coming to Ajax. And they wondered: 'Hey, we hadn't heard anything about that. How is that possible?'"

Marc-Andre ter Stegen's move from Barcelona to Ajax also featured in Cruyff's speech. The Germany goalkeeper had become a permanent reserve at the Catalan club and joined Ajax on loan in the summer. He wanted playing time at a renowned club to regain his place as Germany's number one under Jürgen Klopp. Klopp named ter Stegen his number one on the road to Euro 2028. "He can play wherever he wants. And yet he had the drive to play for Ajax," Cruyff said in praise of ter Stegen. Along with Brandt, Cruyff called him a "great transfer".

Last summer, Brandt was linked with clubs across Europe that looked far more attractive at the time. Those links followed the news in early March that he would not receive a new contract at Dortmund. Brandt was repeatedly tipped to join Atletico Madrid as Antoine Griezmann's successor or move to the financially powerful Premier League. He chose Ajax instead, and he is surely not regretting it now.

In 17 competitive appearances to date, Brandt has eight goals and two assists. His performances have even quietened chief critic Rafael van der Vaart, never short of a questionable opinion.

"I also have to say that the people who were completely delighted by the transfer irritated me," van der Vaart had quibbled shortly after Brandt's arrival. He called the German a "fair-weather footballer" and stressed that Brandt should be glad to wear the Ajax Amsterdam shirt at all.

Even van der Vaart changed his tune after Brandt's highly successful first third of the season. "He's superb. He's Ajax's best player," he said at the opening of an artificial-turf pitch in Hamburg in mid-October.

Brandt took the praise in his stride. Asked about van der Vaart's sudden appreciation, he responded calmly on the "Spielmacher" podcast. "It swings around very, very quickly. That's the first time I've heard that sentence," he said.

Dealing with criticism is nothing new for Brandt, who often faced it at Borussia Dortmund. His performances divided opinion. Some saw an outstanding attacking artist. Others, when things were going badly in Dortmund, saw a phlegmatic scapegoat who never won a challenge.

Van der Vaart's earlier criticism had left Brandt just as unfazed. "Last time, when he made a different statement, I was confronted with it a lot too. I don't know, I'm always like: 'Just leave me alone with that rubbish,'" said Brandt, who has since suffered his first setback in an Ajax shirt.

At the end of October, Brandt suffered an injury without any contact from an opponent during the first half of the 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar. In the 38th minute, he suddenly sat on the ground, his face contorted in pain. He received treatment before being substituted. His worried expression suggested a more serious injury.

Cruyff offered cautious reassurance, saying the injury was "nothing serious". Brandt nevertheless missed Ajax's last two competitive matches before the international break.