.jpg) Davids in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edgar Steven Davids[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1973-03-13)13 March 1973 (age 52)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Paramaribo,Suriname[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1991 | Ajax | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1996 | Ajax | 106 | (20) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | AC Milan | 19 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–2004 | Juventus | 159 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | →Barcelona (loan) | 18 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Inter Milan | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Tottenham Hotspur | 40 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Ajax | 25 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Crystal Palace | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Barnet | 36 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 423 | (34) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Netherlands U-21 | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–2005 | Netherlands | 74 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Barnet | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Telstar (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Olhanense | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Netherlands (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Edgar Steven Davids (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɛdɡɑrˈdaːvɪts]ⓘ; born 13 March 1973) is a Dutch former professionalfootballer. Davids was nicknamed"The Pitbull" because of his marking ability, aggression, and hard tackling style of play.[4][5][6]
After beginning his career withAjax, winning several domestic and international titles, he subsequently played in Italy forAC Milan, and later enjoyed a successful spell withJuventus, before being loaned out toBarcelona in 2004. He went on to play forInter Milan andTottenham Hotspur before returning to Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for two years, Davids returned to competitive football during a brief spell withCrystal Palace before retiring at the age of 37. In 2012, he was appointedplayer-manager at the EnglishLeague Two club Barnet. He resigned by mutual agreement as manager in January 2014. He wascapped 74 times by theNetherlands at international level, scoring six goals, and represented his country at the1998 FIFA World Cup and theUEFA European Championship (three times: 1996, 2000, and 2004).
One of the most recognizable players of his generation,[7][8] Davids often stood out on the football field due to hisdreadlocked hair and the protective goggles he wore due toglaucoma.[9][10] A combative and energetic, yet creative and skilfulmidfielder, in 2004 he was one of the players chosen byPelé to feature in theFIFA 100, his list of the world's greatest living footballers.[11]
Edgar Steven Davids was born on 13 March 1973, inParamaribo,Suriname and is ofAfro-Surinamese descent, withJewish heritage from his mother.[12] The family moved to the Netherlands when Davids was an infant.[12][13] His cousinLorenzo is also a footballer.[14][15]
After being rejected on two previous occasions by the club,[16] Davids started his career at the age of 12 withAjax.[17] He made his first team debut on 6 September 1991 in a 5–1 home win overRKC Waalwijk. He helped theAmsterdam club to three domesticEredivisie titles, as well as continental success with the1992 UEFA Cup and the1995 UEFA Champions League. In the1996 UEFA Champions League final, he missed Ajax's firstpenalty in theshoot-out, which they ultimately lost toJuventus. While at Ajax, Davids was nicknamed "ThePitbull" by Ajax managerLouis van Gaal due to his fierce style of play in the team's midfield.[7][5]
_clashing_with_Gennaro_Gattuso_(A.C._Milan)_-_20030528.jpg)
At the start of the1996–97 season, Davids moved to Italy to play for AC Milan on afree transfer alongside team-mateMichael Reiziger, both early beneficiaries of the "Bosman ruling".[18] In anunsuccessful season in which defending champions Milan changed their manager twice and finished 11th in Serie A, Davids broke his leg in a 1–0 defeat atPerugia on 23 February 1997.[19] After failing to recover his place in the team he was allowed to join league rivals Juventus in December 1997 for a reduced 9 billionItalian lire (£3 million)transfer fee.[20][21] At Milan, Davids had been one of the biggest disappointments of the first half of the Serie A season, his teammateAlessandro Costacurta was critical of his character, calling him the "rotten apple" of the dressing room.[22]
At Juventus, he soon became a permanent first team member in the midfield, playing initially on the left flank, or later usually in the centre, as a defensive midfielder, forming a notable midfield partnership alongside FrenchplaymakerZinedine Zidane; he was considered by pundits to be one of the best January transfers, while Juventus managerMarcello Lippi opined that Davids's new role within the team was one of the most important tactical changes of the season, along with the shift to a three–player defence and using Zidane in a more advanced role behind the strikers.[5][22][23] Six successful years inTurin followed, with Davids helping the side to theSerie A title in1998,2002, and2003, as well as twoSupercoppa Italiana and theUEFA Intertoto Cup. Lippi once described him as "my one-man engine room".[4][5][24]
Davids was often inspirational in Europe, playing 15 times as the club made it all the way to the2002–03 Champions Leaguefinal before losing to Milan onpenalties. He had also previously managed to reach the Champions League final with Juventus in1998, followed by a semi-final finish during the1998–99 season, as well as reaching the2002 Coppa Italia Final.[4][5][25][26]
Following some tensions with Juventus manager Lippi, as well as competition from new arrivals for a starting spot at Juventus during the first half of the 2003-04 season, Davids joinedBarcelona on loan in January 2004.[26] Joining midway through a season where the club was struggling in mid-table and recently appointed managerFrank Rijkaard was under considerable pressure, Davids led Barça's successful resurgence of form which saw them finishing second toValencia inLa Liga.[27] Davids' arrival has been cited as the catalyst for theCatalan club's dominance ofSpanish andEuropean football during the mid-to-late 2000s (decade), with Barcelona winningLa Liga the following season (after five years without winning the league title) and aLa Liga and Champions League double in2005–06.[28]
In the summer of 2004, Davids permanently moved on to Italian clubInter Milan on a three-year contract.[29] When Inter terminated the remaining years of his contract in August 2005, he moved to England on afree transfer to play forTottenham Hotspur.[30] He had a successful stay at Tottenham and instantly became a fan favourite. His first and only goal was in a 2–1 away win againstEverton.[31] Davids played for Spurs in the2005–06 and the2006–07 seasons, with the club finishing fifth in both seasons.
Davids signed once more for Ajax on 28 January 2007[32] and played his first match againstclub rivalsFeyenoord on 4 February.[33] After the mid-season switch, Davids proved his value for the Ajax team again. He was one of the keymidfielders in the run for theDutch championship that was lost on one single goal toPSV on the final day of the league. He also played a major role in Ajax's cup campaign. He secured theKNVB Cup for Ajax by scoring the finalpenalty in a thrillingpenalty shoot-out againstAZ. Prior to the start of the2007–08 season, Davids' leg was broken in a pre-season friendly againstGo Ahead Eagles, sidelining him for around three months.[34] In May 2008, Davids said he would leave Ajax when his contract expired on 30 June.[35]
Davids played against theLA Galaxy on 6 December 2008 in an exhibition match held atMount Smart Stadium inAuckland, New Zealand, as part of an Oceania XI All-Star team, despite the fact he is not from Oceania and has never played for an Oceanic club or national team.[36] Davids was in contract negotiations with EnglishChampionship clubLeicester City from 22 October 2009;[37] however, he failed to make a decision for over a week and the club withdrew their offer on 30 October.[37]
On 20 August 2010, Davids agreed a pay-as-you-play deal with English Championship clubCrystal Palace. He made his debut on 24 August 2010 at left-back in the Second Round of theLeague Cup againstPortsmouth.[38] On 8 November 2010, he announced his departure from the club, stating it was "one of the greatest experiences of my life".[39]
Davids made his debut for theNetherlands national team on 20 April 1994 inTilburg, in a 1–0 defeat to theRepublic of Ireland.[40] He quickly became an integral part of the squad for the next decade, though he failed to win any major tournaments for theOranje.
DuringUEFA Euro 1996, he was sent home by then managerGuus Hiddink for saying in a radio interview, "Hiddink should stop putting his head in some players' asses."[5]
Nonetheless, Davids remained appreciated by Hiddink, who included him in the Dutch squad for the1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Davids' most notable performance for the national team came in thesecond round match againstFR Yugoslavia. He scored the winning goal in the last minute of the game and ensured that the Dutch team went through to the next round to meetArgentina. The Netherlands eventually finished fourth overall and Davids was named to the officialFIFA "Team of the Tournament".
In 1999, Davids began wearing protective glasses following surgery in his right eye caused byglaucoma,[41] which developed in 1995 following eye injuries. Davids first wore them on 4 September 1999 in a friendly match againstBelgium.[42] On 17 May 2001, Davids was suspended byFIFA when he tested positive for the bannedanabolic steroid,nandrolone.[43]
Davids played inEuro 2000, where the Netherlands reached the semi-finals before losing toItaly viapenalty shootout. Davids was again named as part of the "Team of the Tournament".
During the Netherlands'Euro 2004 qualifying matches, Davids scored the Netherlands' first qualifying goal in their opening 3–0 victory againstBelarus, and subsequently played in five of the remaining seven Group 3 fixtures and both legs of the play-off victory againstScotland.
AfterEuro 2004, new national team coachMarco van Basten appointed Davids as captain of the team. However, lack of first team football at his club Inter meant Davids lost his place in the national team in October 2004, thus losing the captain's armband in the process, which was later handed to goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar. In October 2005, during the latter stages ofqualifying for the2006 World Cup, Davids was recalled to the national team, though not as captain. He fell out of the picture again shortly after, thereby missing out on the Dutch squad for the World Cup.
A quick, hard-working, tenacious team player, gifted with power and pace, as well as exceptional physical strength and stamina in spite of his diminutive stature. Davids was renowned for his dynamic and combative style of play, tight marking of opponents, and ability to break down opposition plays as adefensive midfielder.[4][5][6][44][45][46][47]
A well-rounded midfielder, in addition to his ball-winning ability, as well as his physical and athletic attributes, Davids was also a highly talented and creative player, who was known for his outstanding technique, flair, vision, acceleration, close control, quick footwork, andball-juggling skills; his technical ability and prowess atstreet soccer and as afreestyle footballer earned him the nickname "The Mayor of the Street" in his youth.[5][26][45]
Davids was also a powerful striker of the ball, as well as being an accurate passer and crosser with his excellent left foot, which enabled him to create chances for teammates after winning back possession, or help control the pace of games in midfield.[4][25][44][45] His tactical intelligence, awareness, positioning, and ability to read the game, combined with his speed, energy, tackling, vision, anddribbling ability, allowed him to start counter-attacks after winning back possession and also enabled him to carry the ball forward, make attacking runs, and contribute to his team's offensive play by linking up the defence and the attack effectively. His versatility and wide range of skills thus enabled him to be deployed in several other midfield positions throughout his career; he was capable of playing as aleft midfielder, or as acentral orbox-to-box midfielder, or even as aleft back, and in his youth, was also deployed as anattacking midfielder, or as asecond striker on occasion.[7][5][45][48][49][50][51][52][53]
Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, although he received acclaim for his playing ability and leadership as a footballer, Davids also gained a degree of infamy due to his strong character, temper, and outspokenness, which often led him to be involved in conflicts with his managers; he also struggled with injuries throughout his career.[7][44][45][53] Due to his aggressive and hard-tackling playing style, Davids earned several nicknames throughout his career, such as "The Piranha", "Tubarão" (The Shark), and most notably, "The Pitbull".[5] His Juventus manager Lippi once described him as his "one-man engine room."[4][5] During his time in Italy, pundits likened him to his rival, Argentine holding midfielderMatías Almeyda, although Almeyda believed that Davids was more offensive-minded, while he instead preferred to focus on the defensive aspect of the game in order to support his more creative and offensive teammates.[54][55]
Davids has appeared in commercials for the American sportswear companyNike.[56][57] In 1996, he starred in a Nike commercial titled "Good vs Evil" in a gladiatorial game set in aRoman amphitheatre. Appearing alongside football players from around the world, includingRonaldo,Paolo Maldini,Eric Cantona,Patrick Kluivert, andJorge Campos, they defend "the beautiful game" against a team of demonic warriors, before it culminates with Cantona striking the ball and destroying evil.[56]
In a global Nike advertising campaign in the run-up to the2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Davids starred in a "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded by Nike as "Scorpion KO") directed byTerry Gilliam, appearing alongside football players such asThierry Henry,Ronaldinho,Francesco Totti,Luís Figo and Japanese starHidetoshi Nakata, with former player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee".[58][59]
Davids features in EA Sports'FIFA video game series, and was selected to appear on the cover ofFIFA Football 2003 alongsideManchester United wingerRyan Giggs and Brazilian internationalRoberto Carlos.[60] The online gameLeague of Legends byRiot Games used Davids' likeness for a character skin called Striker Lucian without permission. Davids sued, and Dutch courts ruled that Riot Games must compensate Davids a percentage of their earnings from the skin.[61]
In June 2011, Davids was elected to the new supervisory board at Ajax alongsideJohan Cruyff.[62][63][64]
Since 2010, Davids had been living inNorth London with his partner and had been participating in street football as well as managingSunday league amateur side Brixton United.[65] On 11 October 2012, Davids joinedLeague Two sideBarnet in aplayer-manager role, alongsideMark Robson.[66] On his managerial debut, Barnet lost 4–1 atUnderhill toPlymouth Argyle, with Davids leaving himself out of the squad.[67] They followed this up with a 4–0 home win overNorthampton Town where Davids played the full match, captaining the team and being voted Man of the Match.[68][69] At the end of December 2012, following the departure of Robson, Davids took charge of the club by himself.[70] Davids scored his first goal for Barnet in February 2013 in a 2–0 home victory overSouthend United.[71]
In March 2013, on the return journey from a defeat atAccrington Stanley, Davids sent the Barnet team coach back to pick up 36 supporters whose coach had broken down on the motorway and take them to the next service station.[72]
Despite initially guiding Barnet off the foot of League Two, and lifting them out of the relegation zone, Barnet dropped back into the bottom two on the final day of the 2012–13 season, following a defeat toNorthampton Town, and were relegated out of theFootball League to the advantage ofAFC Wimbledon who were able to escape by beatingFleetwood Town. On 21 May 2013, it was announced that Davids would remain in charge of Barnet for the club's 2013–14Conference Premier season.[73] In July 2013, Davids announced his decision to wear the number 1 shirt for the 2013–14 season, a shirt number traditionally worn bygoalkeepers, saying that he intended to "set a trend" of midfielders wearing the number 1 shirt.[74]
Discipline was a major problem for Davids in the 2013–14 season. He was booked in each of the first eight league games he played, and sent off in three of them. There was also controversy when it emerged that he would not attend away games that required an overnight stay, leaving assistant managerUlrich Landvreugd to take charge.[75] In December 2013, Davids considered retiring from football after being sent off for the third time in the season in Barnet's 2–1 defeat bySalisbury City.[76]
Davids resigned from his post as manager on 18 January 2014.[77]
In June 2014,Southern Counties East Football League sideGreenwich Borough announced they were "in advanced talks" with Davids, with chairman Perry Skinner stating that he was "70% sure he'll come on board".[78] The following month it was announced the club's attempt to sign Davids had been unsuccessful.[79]
In 2020, Davids was appointed as assistant coach of DutchEerste Divisie clubTelstar.[80]
On 4 January 2021, Davids was announced as the head coach of Portuguese side,Olhanense.[81] He was sacked on 19 July 2021.[82]
In May 2022, Davids became an assistant coach alongsideDanny Blind for theNetherlands national team underLouis van Gaal for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[83]
Davids was engaged to fashion designerOlcay Gulsen.[84] In 1999, Davids started his own Street Soccer brand called Monta Street.[85]
Davids won a lawsuit filed in a Dutch court againstLeague of Legends developerRiot Games for using his likeness in an in-game association football-themed skin for the champion Lucian without his permission.[86][87]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 1991–92 | Eredivisie | 13 | 2 | – | – | 3[c] | 0 | – | 16 | 2 | |||
| 1992–93 | Eredivisie | 28 | 4 | 5 | 5 | – | 8[c] | 3 | – | 41 | 12 | |||
| 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 5[d] | 2 | – | 21 | 4 | |||
| 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 22 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 7[e] | 0 | – | 31 | 5 | |||
| 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 28 | 7 | 6 | 0 | – | 11[e] | 1 | 3[f] | 0 | 48 | 8 | ||
| Total | 106 | 20 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 157 | 31 | ||
| AC Milan | 1996–97 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 4[e] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| 1997–98 | Serie A | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||
| Juventus | 1997–98 | Serie A | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 5[e] | 0 | – | 28 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | 9[e] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 41 | 3 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 5[c] | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 5[e] | 0 | – | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 9[e] | 0 | – | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 15[e] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 5[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 159 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 228 | 11 | ||
| Barcelona | 2003–04 | La Liga | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| Inter Milan | 2004–05 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 5[e] | 0 | – | 23 | 0 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2005–06 | Premier League | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 1 | ||
| Ajax | 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2010–11 | Championship | 6 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 0 | |||
| Barnet | 2012–13 | League Two | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | Conference Premier | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1[h] | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 | ||
| Total | 423 | 32 | 46 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 97 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 576 | 47 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1994 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 11 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2000 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 74 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 June 1998 | Stadium Municipal,Toulouse, France |  FR Yugoslavia | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | 31 March 1999 | Amsterdam Arena,Amsterdam, Netherlands |  Argentina | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 4 September 1999 | De Kuip,Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Belgium | 1–2 | 5–5 | Friendly |
| 4 | 2–2 | |||||
| 5 | 21 August 2002 | Ullevaal Stadion,Oslo, Norway |  Norway | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 7 September 2002 | Philips Stadion,Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Belarus | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Barnet |  | 11 October 2012 | 18 January 2014 | 68 | 25 | 18 | 25 | 036.8 |
| Olhanense |  | 4 January 2021 | 19 July 2021 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 044.4 |
| Total | 86 | 33 | 23 | 30 | 038.37 | |||
Ajax[91]
Juventus[91]
Inter Milan[91]
Netherlands[91]
Individual
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