Former Ajax players share career transitions after football

Former Ajax Amsterdam players are sharing their divergent paths following their departures from professional football.

Nicolae Mitea, a Romanian international who played for Ajax between 2003 and 2008, has transitioned into coaching. Despite having earned up to 80,000 euros per month during his peak career years and accumulating an estimated two million euros, Mitea currently earns a monthly salary of 5,000 lei working as a coach at Barca Academy. He noted that injuries significantly impacted his career and mentioned that difficulties in the real estate market have hindered his ability to utilize land holdings.

Elikia Mbinga, formerly a captain in the Ajax academy, has pivoted to a career in the music industry. After leaving professional football at age 21, Mbinga, now performing under the name ELIKIA, has found success in afrobeats. He has surpassed 30 million streams on digital platforms and maintains approximately 430,000 monthly listeners.