Career transitions of former Ajax players

Former Ajax Amsterdam players have been discussing their professional and personal transitions following their football careers.

Nicolae Mitea, a Romanian international who played for the club between 2003 and 2008, has transitioned into coaching at Barca Academy. Mitea has addressed how injuries impacted his career trajectory, noting that medical issues led to his retirement in 2014 at the age of 28. He highlighted that his five-year tenure at Ajax was a significant achievement, citing the club’s decision to extend his contract following a ligament injury as evidence of their confidence in him.

Mitea has also provided details regarding his financial transition. He revealed that his career earnings, totaling approximately 2 million euros, have been exhausted through personal expenditures and investments. He noted a stark contrast between his peak earnings—where he earned monthly salaries of up to 80,000 euros while playing alongside figures such as Zlatan Ibrahimović—and his current income as a youth coach in Romania, earning approximately 5,000 lei (roughly 940 euros) per month.

Additionally, Mitea clarified past media scrutiny regarding his lifestyle in Amsterdam and his former relationship with Andreea Tonciu. He described the relationship as a serious period of youth where both were heavily scrutinized, but noted that over a decade has passed since they were a couple.

Other former Ajax academy players, such as Elikia Mbinga, have pursued different paths, including Mbinga’s transition into the music industry as an afrobeats artist.