Edgar Davids facts for kids
Davids in 2007
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 March 1973 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Paramaribo, Suriname | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1991 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1996 | Ajax | 106 | (20) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | AC Milan | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 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 | (32) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Netherlands U-21 | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 1994–2005 | Netherlands | 74 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Barnet | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Olhanense | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Edgar Steven Davids (born 13 March 1973) is a famous Dutch former professional footballer. He was known for his unique look, including his dreadlocked hair and the special protective goggles he wore because of an eye condition called glaucoma.
Davids was a powerful and energetic midfielder. He was nicknamed "The Pitbull" because of his strong tackling and aggressive style of play. In 2004, the legendary footballer Pelé chose Davids as one of the world's greatest living footballers in his FIFA 100 list.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Edgar Davids was born in Suriname. His family moved to the Netherlands when he was a baby. His cousin, Lorenzo Davids, is also a footballer.
Davids started his football journey at the age of 12 with Ajax, a famous Dutch club.
Club Career Highlights
Rising to Stardom at Ajax
Davids made his first team debut for Ajax in 1991. He quickly became a key player, helping the Amsterdam club win many titles. These included three Dutch Eredivisie championships.
He also achieved international success with Ajax, winning the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 1995. In the 1996 Champions League final, Ajax lost to Juventus in a penalty shootout.
Moving to Italy: AC Milan and Juventus
In 1996, Davids moved to Italy to play for AC Milan. After a short time there, he joined league rivals Juventus in 1997.
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At Juventus, Davids quickly became a regular player in the midfield. He often played as a defensive midfielder, working well with French star Zinedine Zidane. Juventus manager Marcello Lippi called him "my one-man engine room" because of his incredible energy.
Davids helped Juventus win the Serie A title three times (1998, 2002, and 2003). He also played a big part in their European matches, helping the club reach the Champions League final in 2003.
Loan to Barcelona
In January 2004, Davids joined Barcelona on loan. At the time, Barcelona was struggling, but Davids' arrival changed everything. He helped the team improve greatly, leading them to finish second in the league. Many people say his arrival was the start of Barcelona's successful period in the mid-2000s.
Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur
After his loan at Barcelona, Davids moved to another Italian club, Inter Milan, in 2004. In 2005, he moved to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur. He quickly became a fan favorite at Tottenham and played for them for two seasons.
Return to Ajax and Crystal Palace
Davids signed for Ajax again in 2007. He helped them win the KNVB Cup by scoring the winning penalty in the final. After struggling with injuries, he left Ajax in 2008.
In 2010, Davids had a brief spell with English Championship club Crystal Palace before retiring from playing at the age of 37.
International Career
Davids made his debut for the Netherlands national team in 1994. He became a very important player for his country for over a decade.
One of his most memorable moments was at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He scored the winning goal in the last minute against FR Yugoslavia, helping the Dutch team reach the next round. Davids was even named to the official FIFA "Team of the Tournament" for his excellent performance.
He also played in the Euro 2000 tournament, where the Netherlands reached the semi-finals. Davids was again chosen for the "Team of the Tournament." He also played in Euro 2004.
Style of Play
Edgar Davids was known for his unique and exciting style of play. He was a quick, hard-working, and tough player with great strength and energy, even though he wasn't very tall. He was excellent at winning the ball back from opponents as a defensive midfielder.
Beyond his strong defensive skills, Davids was also very talented and creative. He had amazing technique, vision, and control of the ball. His skills in street soccer and freestyle football earned him the nickname "The Mayor of the Street" when he was younger. He could also shoot powerfully and pass accurately with his left foot. His ability to read the game, combined with his speed and tackling, allowed him to start quick attacks for his team.
Because of his aggressive and tough playing style, he earned several nicknames like "The Piranha," "Tubarão" (The Shark), and most famously, "The Pitbull."
Media Appearances
Davids has appeared in commercials for the sportswear company Nike. In 1996, he was in a famous Nike commercial called "Good vs Evil," where he played football in a Roman arena alongside other football stars. He also starred in another Nike commercial called "Secret Tournament" for the 2002 World Cup.
He is also featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series. He was even on the cover of FIFA Football 2003 with Ryan Giggs and Roberto Carlos. Davids also won a lawsuit against the game company Riot Games because they used his likeness for a character skin in their game League of Legends without his permission.
Coaching Career
Barnet
In 2012, Davids became a player-manager at the English club Barnet. He played for the team while also managing them. He even decided to wear the number 1 shirt for the 2013–14 season, which is usually worn by goalkeepers, saying he wanted to "set a trend." He resigned from his role as manager in January 2014.
Other Coaching Roles
In 2020, Davids was appointed as an assistant coach for the Dutch club Telstar. In 2021, he became the head coach of the Portuguese team Olhanense.
Personal Life
Edgar Davids was engaged to fashion designer Olcay Gulsen. In 1999, he started his own Street Soccer brand called Monta Street.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 1991–92 | Eredivisie | 13 | 2 | – | – | 3 | 0 | – | 16 | 2 | |||
| 1992–93 | Eredivisie | 28 | 4 | 5 | 5 | – | 8 | 3 | – | 41 | 12 | |||
| 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 2 | – | 21 | 4 | |||
| 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 22 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | – | 31 | 5 | |||
| 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 28 | 7 | 6 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | 3 | 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 | 1 | 1 | 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 | 0 | – | 28 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 9 | 0 | – | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 5 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | ||
International
| 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 | |
- Scores and results list the Netherlands goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Davids goal.
| 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 |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Barnet |  |
11 October 2012 | 18 January 2014 | 68 | 25 | 18 | 25 | 36.8 |
| Olhanense |  |
4 January 2021 | 19 July 2021 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 44.4 |
| Total | 86 | 33 | 23 | 30 | 38.37 | |||
Honours and Awards
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
- KNVB Cup: 1992–93, 2006–07
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 1995
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95
- UEFA Cup: 1991–92
- UEFA Super Cup: 1995
- Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Juventus
- Serie A: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2003
Inter Milan
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05
Netherlands National Team
- FIFA World Cup, fourth place: 1998
- UEFA European Championship, third place: 2000, 2004
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2000
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998
- FIFA 100 (chosen by Pelé as one of the greatest living footballers)
Images for kids
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Davids embraces Ajax team manager David Endt during his second period at Ajax, with Thomas Vermaelen and Gregory van der Wiel behind.
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Davids playing for Barnet in 2013.
See Also
- List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players
