Julien Escude

Shirt Number	4
Position(s)	Defender
Birthdate	17 August 1979
Ajacied	2003 - Present
Nationality	France
Previous Club	Stade Rennes (Fra)

2003 Season

Julien Escudé, the first-ever French player of Ajax, joined the club in the summer of 2003 to replace the departing Cristian Chivu. Escudé, a left-footed defender coming from Stade Rennes of France's top league, signed a contract for four years.

Escudé made his (unofficial) debut for Ajax in a friendly against Dutch First Class amateur side DVS '33 (see picture) on 19 July 2003, during Ajax's pre-season campaign for the 2003-2004 season.

"Ajax is a big club that shines in Europe, offers an incredible quality of play and that is highly likely to take part in the UEFA Champions League this year," Escudé told French newspaper L'Equipe after his signing. "With this team I am sure to make progress. I'm only 23 years old and my formation is far from finished."