WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Ajax and Juventus were to have played out a classic European Cup final once before, in Belgrade in 1973. The Ajax of Cruyff, Krol, Neeskens and Haan, seeking to complete a hat-trick for their "Total Football", against the Juventus of Capello, Causio, Bettega and Anastasi.

The Dutch side, who had overcome Franz Beckenbauer's Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, went ahead after four minutes but everything else thereafter was anti-climax; it was an immensely forgettable match. Johnny Rep, a 21-year-old newcomer to the Ajax side, headed the only goal.

"To score and to win was very special for me, but it was not a good match," Rep said. "To get a goal so early was probably the worst thing that could have happened because Juventus were so scared of us they would not attack for fear of letting us score again. So they just retreated into defence."

Rep played in two World Cup finals, in 1974 and 1978, but lost both. The 1973 European final thus remained the pinnacle of his career. His career as a top-level player ended at Feyenoord in 1986.

Now 44, his new goals lie in coaching. Currently he runs the Amsterdam club Black Sheep, the oldest professional club in the Netherlands, who play in the Dutch Third Division, but his ambitions are set much higher.

"It has taken seven years, but I am qualified now to be a trainer in the First or Second Division," he said. "I want to coach at the highest level and one day to coach Ajax would be a dream."