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Danny Blind
Danny Blind looking up.jpg
Personal information
Date of birth (1961-08-01) 1 August 1961 (age 63)
Place of birth Oost-Souburg, Netherlands
Height 1.76 m
Playing position Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1979–1986 Sparta Rotterdam 165 (18)
1986–1999 Ajax 372 (27)
Total 537 (45)
National team
1986–1996 Netherlands 42 (1)
Teams managed
2005–2006 Ajax
2015–2017 Netherlands
Honours
Representing  Netherlands
UEFA European Championship
Third 1992
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born 1 August 1961) is a famous Dutch former football player and coach. He was a strong defender for teams like Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax. He also played for the Netherlands national team. After his playing career, he became a coach for both Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

Danny Blind is one of only two Dutch players, along with Arnold Mühren, to have won all the major European club football competitions. This is a very special achievement!

Danny Blind's Playing Career

Playing for Clubs

Danny Blind started his professional football journey on 29 August 1979 with Sparta Rotterdam. He played there for seven seasons. In July 1986, he moved to Ajax, a much bigger club. The famous manager Johan Cruyff wanted him for the team.

At Ajax, Danny Blind won many important trophies. He helped his team win three big European cups:

He also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1995. This was a match against Grêmio from Brazil. Danny Blind scored the winning penalty in the penalty shootout! He was also a hero in the European Super Cup final in 1995, scoring two penalties to help Ajax win 5–1 against Real Zaragoza.

In the Netherlands, he won five Dutch Eredivisie Championships (the top league) and four national cups with Ajax. He stopped playing football on 16 May 1999.

Danny Blind was known as a very reliable and strong defender. He was also a great leader on the field. Even though he played in defense, he was good at passing and shooting the ball. He started his career as a right-back before becoming a central defender.

Playing for the Netherlands

Danny Blind played 42 games for the Netherlands over ten years. He scored one goal against Greece. His first game for the national team was in 1986 against Scotland.

He played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. He also played in the 1992 and 1996 European Championships. He retired from international football after the 1996 European Championship.

Danny Blind's Coaching Career

Danny Blind became the head coach at Ajax on 14 March 2005. He was in charge for about 422 days. During this time, he led Ajax to win the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield.

Later, in 2007, he became the director of football at his old club, Sparta Rotterdam. In 2008, he returned to Ajax as the new director of football. He then became an assistant coach and later a technical director for Ajax. He left this role in 2012.

On 1 July 2015, Danny Blind was chosen to be the head coach of the Netherlands national team. However, his team did not qualify for Euro 2016. He was removed from his position by the Dutch Football Association on 26 March 2017, after the team lost a game to Bulgaria.

In 2021, Danny Blind returned to the Netherlands national team as an assistant coach to Louis van Gaal.

Personal Life

Danny Blind has a son named Daley Blind. Daley is also a professional football player. He has played for Ajax and Manchester United. Daley is also a Dutch international player, just like his father. He has played over 100 games for the national team.

Honours

As a Player

Ajax

Individual Awards

  • Dutch Golden Shoe: 1995, 1996
  • ESM Team of the Year: 1994–95, 1995–96
  • Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award: 1995

As a Manager

Ajax

See also

  • List of players to have won all international club competitions
  • List of players to have won the three main European club competitions
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