With five games to go, Ajax squandered a 9-point lead after winning just one of those games. "It's a bizarre championship. We had already given up hope," Luuk de Jong told ESPN after the title-clinching 3-1 win against Sparta Rotterdam.
"I had already indicated in interviews that we will spend the rest of our lives regretting not becoming champions."
De Jong played a pivotal part in Sunday's win, scoring the 2-1 after six minutes after Gjivai Zechiel equalised for Sparta. "It got tense for a while, didn't it? In the first half, there was nothing wrong, then they score the 1-1, and you think, 'It won't be that kind of day, will it?'
"We just played well, but then you still have to go and score that goal. At 1-3, you know it's in the bag."
The PSV captain became the team's top goalscorer by scoring his 14th goal of the Eredivisie season against Sparta, but does not know if he'll wear PSV's shirt next season. The former Dutch international's contract at PSV expires this summer, and whether he'll extend is unclear. "We still have to discuss that with the club. We are going to celebrate hard first."
