Jesaia Swart (born 3 July 1938), commonly known as Sjaak Swart, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger for Ajax. During his career at Ajax, he amassed a total of 603 official matches, a record for the club.
Swart is Jewish and was born in Muiderberg, a fishing village about 20 kilometers east of Amsterdam. His Jewish fisherman father sold herring at the market. As a child, he and his father concealed themselves as non-Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, hiding from Germans and Dutch colluders, who rounded up any Jews; nearly 75 per cent of the Dutch Jewish population was killed in those years.
Nicknamed Mr. Ajax, he played for Ajax a total of 603 official matches, a record for the club, starting in 1956. He was part of their European Cup victories in 1971, 1972, and 1973.
Swart retired from football after the 1972âÂÂ73 season and was honoured with a goodbye match between Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam on 8 August 1973.
For the Netherlands national team, Swart earned 31 caps, scoring ten goals.
Ajax