Marco Van Basten has resigned as Ajax coach after failing to achieve the goals he set himself on joining the club last year, he said yesterday.
"It was a tough decision which had a lot to do with the results of the last matches but also the whole season," the 44-year-old former Netherlands striker told a news conference.
Ajax missed out on a Champions League qualifying place for next term after losing 4-0 at Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday and will have to make do with a Europa League play-off spot. Assistant coach John van't Schip will take over from his former team-mate until the end of the season.
Despite investing about €35 million ($46.60 million) in their squad, Ajax will finish the season third behind champions AZ Alkmaar and Twente Enschede in the Dutch league.
"Our main goal at the start was (winning) the championship and later on we made the adjustment to second place and when you miss both goals you can say you failed," added Van Basten.
He joined Ajax in July 2008 after a four-year spell as Netherlands coach. He had signed a four-year deal to take over from Adrie Koster who temporarily succeeded Henk ten Cate.
Ajax suffered an early exit from this season's Dutch Cup, while Olympique Marseille beat the four times European Cup winners in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.
"During the season we were convinced that we could adjust, but we proved to be unstable and it has become clear to me that I have no influence on the players anymore," said Van Basten.
Van Basten's period as manager was his third spell at the Amsterdam club where he began his playing career in 1981 and remained until 1987 when he joined Milan.
He scored 151 goals in 172 games for Ajax, winning the Dutch title several times as well as the league and cup double in 1983 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1987.
After a trophy-laden career, including two European Cups with Milan and a European Championship, Van Basten retired from playing in 1995 at 28 after a series of ankle operations.
He rejoined Ajax in 2000 as youth coach.
In 2004 the former European and World Player of the Year succeeded Dick Advocaat as Netherlands coach.
His Dutch team were eliminated by Portugal in the first knockout round at the 2006 World Cup, while Russia beat them in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.