Sjaak Swart


Jesaia Swart, commonly known as Sjaak Swart, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger for Ajax. During his career at Ajax, he amassed a total of 603 official matches, a record for the club.

Biography

Swart is Jewish and was born in Muiderberg, a fishing village about 20 kilometers east of Amsterdam. His Jewish fisherman father sold herring at the market. As a child, he and his father concealed themselves as non-Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, hiding from Germans and Dutch colluders, who rounded up any Jews; nearly 75 per cent of the Dutch Jewish population was killed in those years.
Nicknamed Mr. Ajax, he played for Ajax a total of 603 official matches, a record for the club, starting in 1956. He was part of their European Cup victories in 1971, 1972, and 1973.
Swart retired from football after the 1972-73 season and was honoured with a goodbye match between Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam on 8 August 1973.

International career

For the Netherlands national team, Swart earned 31 caps, scoring ten goals.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
13 July 1960Suriname Stadium, Paramaribo, Suriname1–04–3Friendly
222 March 1961De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands4–26–2Friendly
39 May 1962De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands1–04–0Friendly
45 September 1962Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands5–08–0Friendly
55 September 1962Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands6–08–0Friendly
611 November 1962Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands2–13–1UEFA Euro 1964 qualification
723 March 1966De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands1–22–4Friendly
86 November 1966Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands1–11–2Friendly
930 November 1966De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands1–02–0UEFA Euro 1968 qualification
101 November 1967De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands1–01–2Friendly

Honours

Ajax