Goals from Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Lasse Schone saw Ajax rout the three-time defending champions to complete an unforgettable 5-3 aggregate win in the last 16.
Ajax trailed 2-1 after the first leg in Amsterdam but travelled to Madrid and left Spain with a quarter-final berth thanks to an incredible display against Santiago Solari’s struggling outfit.
De Boer – who was part of the Ajax side that defeated Madrid 2-0 in their group-stage clash at the Bernabeu in November 1995 as they went on to reach the final – hailed the achievement of Erik ten Hag’s men.
“What we did in 1995 [beating Real 2-0 in Madrid] was fantastic, but this tops the lot,” the 48-year-old Dutchman told Veronica TV.
Four-time European champions but without a Champions League trophy since 1995, Ajax will feature in the quarters for the first time since 2002-03.
That season, Ajax – led by Ronald Koeman and boasting Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael van der Vaart, Jari Litmanen and Wesley Sneijder – were beaten by eventual champions AC Milan in the last eight.
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