Julian Brandt thrills Ajax, convinces van der Vaart's critics

Julian Brandt impresses in his first season at Ajax Amsterdam with a strong scoring rate and has even convinced former chief critic Rafael van der Vaart. The 30‑year‑old German, who came to the Netherlands in the summer after leaving Borussia Dortmund, has so far delivered eight goals in 15 league matches.

Lack of assists despite high goal ratio

Although Brandt has already scored eight goals in 15 appearances, there is still no assist statistic for the 2026/27 season. A statistic does cloud that, but the explanation is simple: many of his precise passes do not reach teammates in the final third. Especially Marcos Leonardo, signed in the summer for just under 20 million euros from Al‑Hilal, remains goal‑poor despite numerous chances.

Individual match examples show creativity

In the 1‑1 draw against NEC Nijmegen on matchday eight, Brandt created eight scoring chances – more than all other Ajax players combined, who had only five chances. This makes him the clear best player in his team in the current Eredivisie season when it comes to creating chances.

Julian Brandt explains late signing with Ajax Amsterdam

The former Dortmund and Leverkusen player was mainly known in the Bundesliga as an assist provider, a player who can deliver the killer pass and showcase his strikers optimally. In the Netherlands, however, he appears more as a goal scorer, partly due to the lower level of the Eredivisie compared with the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Brandt settled in quickly after leaving Borussia Dortmund, where he did not receive a new contract. His performances have convinced former critic Rafael van der Vaart, who now calls him the “best player at Ajax”. Despite this recognition, the praise means little to Brandt: “Last time, when he made another statement, I was also confronted with it a lot. I don’t know, I’m always like: ‘Just leave me alone with the rubbish’,” he said in the ‘Spielmacher’ podcast.