Danny Blind facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Dirk Franciscus Blind | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 August 1961 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Oost-Souburg, Netherlands | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1979–1986 | Sparta Rotterdam | 165 | (18) | ||||||||||
| 1986–1999 | Ajax | 372 | (27) | ||||||||||
| Total | 537 | (45) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1986–1996 | Netherlands | 42 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Netherlands | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born on August 1, 1961) is a famous Dutch former football player and coach. He was a strong defender for teams like Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax. Danny also played for the Dutch 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 who have won all the major European club football competitions. This is a very special achievement!
Contents
Danny Blind's Football Playing Career
Playing for Clubs: Sparta and Ajax
Danny Blind started his professional football journey on August 29, 1979, with Sparta Rotterdam. He played for Sparta for seven seasons. In July 1986, he moved to Ajax, a much bigger club. The famous manager Johan Cruyff wanted him to join the team.
When Danny joined Ajax, some people, like superstar Marco van Basten, were surprised. They wondered why Ajax would sign a less-known defender from a smaller club. But Danny quickly proved his worth!
With Ajax, Danny Blind won many important trophies. He helped the team win three different European cups:
- The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1987.
- The UEFA Cup in 1992.
- The UEFA Champions League in 1995.
He also helped Ajax win the Intercontinental Cup in 1995. In that final against Brazil's Grêmio, Danny scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out! He was a hero again in the European Super Cup final of 1995. Ajax won 5–1 against Real Zaragoza, and Danny scored two penalties in the second game.
In the Netherlands, Danny won five Dutch Eredivisie Championships (the top league title) and four national cups with Ajax. He stopped playing professional football on May 16, 1999.
Danny 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 full-back before becoming a famous centre-back.
Playing for the Netherlands National Team
Danny Blind played 42 games for the Dutch national team over ten years. He scored one goal against Greece in a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 1992.
He played his first international game in 1986 against Scotland. He didn't play for the national team in 1987 or 1988, so he missed out on being part of the team that won UEFA Euro 1988. However, he did play in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. He also played in the 1992 and 1996 European Championships, retiring from international football after the 1996 tournament.
Danny Blind's Coaching and Management Career
Danny Blind became the head coach of Ajax on March 14, 2005. He took over from Ronald Koeman. He was in charge for 422 days, until May 10, 2006. During his time as coach, he led Ajax to win the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield.
In 2007–08, Danny became the director of football at his old club, Sparta Rotterdam. On May 15, 2008, he returned to Ajax as the new director of football. Later, he changed roles to become an assistant coach when Martin Jol joined the club. He then became the technical director for Ajax at the start of the 2011–12 season. On February 9, 2012, it was announced that Danny would leave his role as technical director at Ajax after some disagreements within the club's management.
On July 1, 2015, Danny Blind was chosen to be the head coach of the Dutch national team, taking over from Guus Hiddink. Unfortunately, he couldn't lead the team to qualify for UEFA Euro 2016. The team also struggled in the qualifying games for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Because of these results, the Dutch FA (Football Association) decided to let him go on March 26, 2017. This happened the day after the team lost 2–0 away to Bulgaria, which made their chances of qualifying for the World Cup very difficult.
On August 4, 2021, Danny Blind returned to the Netherlands national team. This time, he became an assistant coach to Louis van Gaal.
Danny Blind's Family Life
Danny Blind is the father of another professional football player, Daley Blind. Daley has played for big clubs like Ajax and Manchester United. Just like his father, Daley is also a Dutch international player. He is one of the top ten players with the most games played for the Dutch national team, having played over 100 times!
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
- Ajax
- Eredivisie: 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
- KNVB Cup: 1987, 1993, 1998, 1999
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 1993, 1994
- UEFA Champions League: 1995
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1987
- UEFA Cup: 1992
- UEFA Super Cup: 1995
- Intercontinental Cup: 1995
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
- KNVB Cup: 2006
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2005
See also
In Spanish: Danny Blind para niños
- List of European association football families
- List of players to have won all international club competitions
- List of players to have won the three main European club competitions
