Edgar Davids

At 51 years old, Edgar Davids has this physical status:

Edgar Steven Davids (born 13 March 1973) is a Dutch-Surinamese former professional footballer.

He started his career with Ajax, winning many domestic and international titles, and later spent time with Juventus before being loaned out to Barcelona in 2004.

He continued to play for Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Ajax.

Davids returned to competitive football after suffering with injuries for two years during a brief period with Crystal Palace before retiring at the age of 37.

He was appointed player-manager at Barnet's English League Two club in 2012.

In January 2014, he resigned as boss by mutual agreement.

He was capped 74 times by the Netherlands at international level, scoring six goals, and represented his country at the FIFA World Cup (once) and the European Championship (three times). Davids, one of the best-known and most recognizable players of his time, often stood out on the football field due to his dreadlocked hair and the protective goggles he wore due to glaucoma.

Davids, a tenacious, energetic, yet skilful midfielder, was nicknamed "The Pitbull" by Louis van Gaal because of his marking ability, aggression, and a hard tackling style of play.

In 2004, he was one of Pelé's picks to feature in the FIFA 100, his list of the world's top living footballers.

Early life

Davids was born in Suriname and is of Afro-Surinamese and partial Jewish descent from his maternal grandmother. When Davids was an infant, the family moved to the Netherlands. Lorenzo, his uncle, is also a footballer.

Personal life

Davids was introduced to fashion designer Olcay Gulsen. Davids founded Monta Street, his own street soccer company, in 1999.

Davids won a case in the Netherlands against League of Legends creator Riot Games for using his image in an in-game association football-themed skin for the champion Lucian without his permission.

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Club career

Davids started his playing days with Ajax at the age of 12. He was rejected on two previous occasions by the club. In a 5–1 home win over RKC Waalwijk on September 6, 1991, he made his first team debut on September 6, 1991. He helped the Amsterdam club win three domestic EMU titles, as well as continental success with the 1992 UEFA Cup and the 1995 UEFA Champions League. He missed Ajax's first penalty in the shoot-out, which ultimately lost to Juventus in the 1996 UEFA Champions League final. Davids was nicknamed "The Pitbull" by Ajax boss Louis van Gaal when he was in Ajax for his aggressive style of play in the team's midfield.

Davids and co-mate Michael Reiziger, who were both early beneficiaries of the "Bosman" decision, moved to Italy to play for Milan on a free transfer starting in 1996. Davids broke his leg in a 1–0 loss at Perugia on February 23, 1997, during an uneven season in which the defending champions Milan changed their boss twice and finished 11th in Serie A. Since struggling to recover his place in the team, he was allowed to join Juventus in December 1997 for a reduced 9 billion Italian lire (£3 million) transfer fee.

He joined Juventus as a permanent first team player, most often playing on the left flank or in the center, and established a good midfield partnership with French playmaker Zinedine Zidane. Six productive years in Turin followed, with Davids leading the team to the Serie A crown in 1998, 2002, and 2003, as well as two Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Intertototo Cup. Marcello Lippi, Juventus's boss, once referred to him as "my one-man engine room."

Davids was often inspirational in Europe, appearing 15 times as the club advanced to the 2002–03 Champions League final before losing on penalties to Milan. He had also reached the Champions League final with Juventus in 1998, 1998, 1999, as well as the 2002 Coppa Italia Finals.

Davids came from Juventus on loan in January 2004. Barca's resurgent form saw them finish second to Valencia in La Liga midway through a season when the club was struggling in mid-table and recently appointed manager Frank Rijkaard was under intense pressure. Davids' arrival has been cited as the catalyst for Barcelona and European football in the mid-to-late 2000s (decade), with Barcelona winning La Liga the following season (after five years without winning the league championship) and a La Liga and Champions League double in 2005–06.

Davids joined Inter Milan, Italy, in the summer of 2004, on a three-year contract. When Inter finished his service in August 2005, he travelled to England on a free transfer to play for Tottenham Hotspur. He had a fruitful stay at Tottenham Hotspur and is now a fan favourite. In a 2–1 away victory over Wigan Athletic, his first and only goal was scored. Davids played for Spurs in 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, with the club finishing fifth in both seasons.

Davids signed for Ajax on January 28th, 2007, his first match against club rivals Feyenoord was played on February 4th. Davids played his part in the Ajax team during the mid-season switch. He was one of the key midfielders in the Dutch championship but was disqualified on the last day of the season due to a single goal to PSV. He also played a major role in Ajax's cup win. Ajax's final penalty was a key to winning the KNVB Cup by a dramatic penalty shoot-out against AZ. Davids' leg was fractured in a pre-season friendly against the Go Ahead Eagles, sidelining him for about three months prior to the 2007–08 season. Davids said in May 2008 that he will leave Ajax after his deal came to an end on June 30th.

Despite the fact that Davids is not from Oceania and has never played for an Oceanic club or national team, he competed against the LA Galaxy in an exhibition match held at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, on December 6, 2008. Davids was in contract talks with Leicester City in October 22, 2009, but the club withdrew their contract on October 30th failed to make a decision for more than a week.

Davids signed a pay-to-play contract with Crystal Palace, an English Championship club. In the Second Round of the League Cup against Portsmouth, he made his debut on August 24th. He resigned from the club on November 8, 2010, citing it as "one of my life's finest experiences."

International career

In a 1-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland, Davids made his Netherlands national team debut in Tilburg on April 20th, 1994. He quickly became an integral part of the squad for the next decade, but he failed to win any major tournaments for the Oranje.

"Hiddink should avoid sticking his head in some players' asses," he was sent home by then-manager Guus Hiddink during UEFA Euro 1996.

Nevertheless, Davids was still admired by Hiddink, who included him in the Dutch squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. In the second round match against FR Yugoslavia, Davids' most notable result for the national team came. He scored the winning goal in the last minute of the game and made sure that the Dutch team advanced to the next round to face Argentina. The Netherlands eventually placed fourth overall, with Davids named to the FIFA "Team of the Tournament."

Following eye injury in 1995, Davids began wearing protective glasses in 1999. Davids first used them on September 4th, 1999 in a friendly match against Belgium. Davids was banned from playing football after he tested positive for the banned anabolic drug, nandrolone.

Davids was involved in Euro 2000, where the Netherlands reached the semi-finals before losing to Italy by penalty shootout. Davids was also selected as part of the "Team of the Tournament" at the time.

Davids scored the Netherlands' first qualifying goal in their opening 3–0 victory over Belarus, and then played in five of the remaining seven Group 3 fixtures and both legs of Scotland's play-off victory over Scotland.

Davids was named as the team's captain after Euro 2004, according to Marco van Basten, the current national team coach. However, Davids lost his place in the national team in October 2004, thus losing the captain's armband in the process, which was later handed over to goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Davids was recalled to the national team in October 2005, but not as captain, during the latter stages of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. He came out of the picture shortly after, leaving him out of the Dutch squad for the World Cup.

Coaching career

Davids and Johan Cruyff were elected to the new supervisory board at Ajax in June 2011.

Davids had been living in North London with his partner and was coaching Sunday league amateur side Brixton United, as well as managing Sunday league amateur side Brixton United. Davids joined Barnet in a player-manager role on October 11, 2012, alongside Mark Robson. Barnet lost 4–1 at Underhill to Plymouth Argyle on his first day as a manager, with Davids leaving himself out of the team. They won by 4–0 over Northampton Town, where Davids played the entire match, captaining the team, and being named Man of the Match. He got off against Morecambe in November, a match that Barnet lost 4–1. Following Robson's departure, Davids took over the team by himself in December 2012. In a 2–0 home win over Southend United, Davids scored his first goal for Barnet in February 2013.

On the return to Accrington Stanley, Davids sent the Barnet team coach back to pick up 36 supporters whose coach had broken down on the motorway and carry them to the next service station in March 2013.

Despite initially guiding Barnet off the back of League Two and lifting them out of the relegation zone, Barnet dropped back to the bottom two on the final day of the 2012–13 season, with AFC Wimbledon losing to Fleetwood Town who were unable to recover. Davids will remain in charge of Barnet for the club's 2013-14 Conference Premiership season, according to a statement on May 21. Davids revealed in July 2013 that he would wear the number 1 shirt for the 2013–14 season, a shirt number traditionally worn by goalkeepers, in the hopes of "establishing a trend" of midfielders sporting the number 1 shirt.

In the 2013-14 season, discipline was a significant issue for Davids. He was booked in all eight league games he played and three of them were kicked out. When it emerged that he would not attend away games that necessitated an overnight stay, there was also controversies, leaving assistant manager Ulrich Landvreugd to take over. After being sent off for the third time in the season in Barnet's 2–1 loss to Salisbury City, Davids considered retirement from football in December 2013.

On January 18, 2014, Davids resigned as the boss of his department.

Greenwich Borough, the Southern Counties East Football League's, reported they were "in advanced discussions" with Davids, with chairman Perry Skinner stating that he was "70 percent positive he'll come on board." Davids' move to the club had been disadred the following month.

Davids was appointed assistant coach of Telstar, the Dutch Eerste Divisie club.

Davids was named as the head coach of Portugal's S.C. Olhanense on January 4, 2021. He was fired on 19 July 2021, just as a result of his dismissal.

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