Edgar Davids
Encyclopedia
Edgar Steven Davids is a retired Dutch
footballer and current member of the supervisory board
of Ajax. After beginning his career with the Amsterdam
club, he subsequently played in Italy
for Milan
and Juventus
before a loan spell with Barcelona
. He went on to play for Internazionale
and Tottenham Hotspur
before returning to Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for two years, Davids returned to competitive football during a brief spell with Crystal Palace
before retiring at the age of 37.
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 UEFA European Football Championship
(three times). His dreadlocked
hair and protective goggles – which he wore due to glaucoma
– made Davids one of the most recognisable players of his generation. A combative and creative midfielder, Davids was nicknamed "the Pitbull" by Louis van Gaal
because of his marking
ability. He was one of the players chosen by Pelé
to feature in the FIFA 100
, a list of the world's greatest living footballers. He was born in Suriname
to an African father and Jewish
mother. His cousin Lorenzo
is also a footballer.
at AFC Ajax in 1991, making his debut on the 6th September in a 5–1 home win
over RKC Waalwijk
. He helped the Amsterdam
club to three domestic Eredivisie
titles, as well as continental success with the 1992 UEFA Cup and the 1995 UEFA Champions League. In the 1996 UEFA Champions League Final
, he missed Ajax's first penalty
in the shoot-out, which they ultimately lost to Juventus
. While at Ajax, he was nickname
d "The Pitbull
" by Ajax manager Louis van Gaal
due to his fierce style of play and bite in the midfield
.
to play for A.C. Milan
. After an unsuccessful spell where he failed to establish himself in the first team he moved on to league rivals Juventus F.C.
in December 1997 for a £5.3 million
transfer fee. Six successful years in Turin
followed, with Davids helping the side to the Serie A
title in 1998, 2002 and 2003. Juventus
manager Marcello Lippi
once described him as "my one-man engine room." On 17 May 2001, Davids was suspended by FIFA
when he tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid
, nandrolone
.
He was often inspirational in Europe, playing 15 times as the club made it all the way to the UEFA Champions League 2002-03
final before losing to Milan on penalties.
on loan in January 2004 from Juventus. Joining midway through a season where the club was struggling in midtable and recently appointed manager Frank Rijkaard
was under considerable pressure, Davids led Barça's successful resurgence of form which saw them finishing second to Valencia
in the league. Davids' arrival has been cited as the catalyst for the Catalan
club's dominance of Spanish
and European football
during the mid to late 00s, with Rijkaard winning La Liga
the following season (after five years without winning the league title) and a La Liga and Champions League double in 2005-06.
on a three-year contract. When Inter terminated the remaining years of his contract in August 2005, he moved to England
on a free transfer to play for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
. He had a successful stay at Tottenham and instantly became a fan's favourite. His first and only goal was in a 2–1 away win
against Wigan Athletic
. Davids played for Spurs in the 2005–06 and the 2006–07 seasons, both in which the club finished in 5th position.
s in the run for the Dutch championship that was lost on one single goal to PSV on the final day of the league. He also played a major role in Ajax's cup campaign. He secured the KNVB Cup for Ajax by scoring the final penalty
in a thrilling penalty shoot-out against AZ. Prior to the start of the 2007–08 season, Davids' leg was broken in a pre-season friendly against Go Ahead Eagles
, sidelining him for around three months. In May 2008, Davids said he would leave Ajax when his contract expired on 30 June.
He played against Los Angeles Galaxy
on 6 December 2008 in an exhibition match held at Mt Smart Stadium
in Auckland
, 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. Davids was in contract negotiations with English
Championship
club Leicester City from 22 October 2009. However, he failed to make a decision for over a week and the club withdrew their offer on October 30.
club Crystal Palace
. He made his debut on 24 August 2010 at left-back in the Second Round of the League Cup
against Portsmouth
. On 8 November 2010, he announced his departure of the club, stating it was "one of the greatest experiences of my life".
against Ireland
(0-1), though he has not won any major tournaments for the Oranje.
During the UEFA Euro 1996, he was sent home by then manager Guus Hiddink
for saying in a radio interview: "Hiddink should stop putting his head in some players' asses."
Nonetheless, Davids remained appreciated by Hiddink, who included him in the Dutch squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
in France
. Davids' most notable performance for the national team came in the 1998 FIFA World Cup second round game against FR 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 meet Argentina
. The Dutch national team eventually finished 4th overall and Davids was named to the official FIFA
"Team of the Tournament".
Davids played in the UEFA Euro 2000 when he was named for the UEFA
"Team of the Tournament". The Netherlands reached the semi-finals and played against Italy in a thrilling game that ended up being decided with a penalty shootout.
During the Netherlands' UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches, Davids scored the Netherlands' first qualifying goal in their opening 3-0 victory against Belarus
and subsequently bossed the midfield in five of the remaining seven Group 3 fixtures and both legs of the play-off victory against Scotland
.
After Euro 2004, new national team coach Marco van Basten appointed Edgar Davids as captain of the team. However, lack of first team football at his club Inter meant Davids also lost his place in the national team in October 2004, thus losing the captain's armband in the process, which was later handed to Edwin van der Sar. At the latter stages of the qualifying series for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
in October 2005, he was re-called back into 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 2006 World Cup.
Davids was selected to appear on the cover of the football game FIFA Football 2003
alongside Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs
and Brazilian international Roberto Carlos.
.
Juventus
Internazionale
|1991/92||rowspan="5"|Ajax||rowspan="5"|Eredivisie
||13||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||2
|-
|1992/93||28||4||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||28||4
|-
|1993/94||15||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||16||2
|-
|1994/95||22||5||2||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0||31||5
|-
|1995/96||28||7||6||0||colspan="2"|-||11||1||45||8
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|AC Milan||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||15||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||1||19||1
|-
|1997/98||4||0||6||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||1
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="7"|Juventus||rowspan="7"|Serie A
||20||1||9||1||colspan="2"|-||5||0||34||2
|-
|1998/99||27||2||6||1||colspan="2"|-||9||0||42||3
|-
|1999/00||27||1||11||2||colspan="2"|-||4||0||42||3
|-
|2000/01||26||1||4||0||colspan="2"|-||5||0||35||1
|-
|2001/02||28||2||2||0||colspan="2"|-||9||0||39||2
|-
|2002/03||26||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||1||41||2
|-
|2003/04||5||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||5||0||10||0
|-
|2003/04||Barcelona
||La Liga
||18||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||1
|-
|2004/05||Inter Milan||Serie A
||14||0||colspan="2"|4||colspan="2"|-||5||0||19||0
|-
|2005/06||rowspan="2"|Tottenham Hotspur||rowspan="2"|Premier League||31||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||31||1
|-
|2006/07||9||0||colspan="2"|-||3||0||1||0||13||0
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="2"|Ajax||rowspan="2"|Eredivisie
||12||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-|||15||1
|-
|2007/08||18||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||0
|-
|2010/11||Crystal Palace
||Championship
||6||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
136||21||12||0||colspan="2"|-||11||1||159||22
192||8||38||5||colspan="2"|-||56||2||286||15
18||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||1
46||1||colspan="2"|-||4||0||1||0||51||1
392||31||50||5||4||0||68||3||514||39
|}
|-
|1991||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1992||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1993||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1994||1||0
|-
|1995||4||0
|-
|1996||4||0
|-
|1997||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1998||11||1
|-
|1999||6||3
|-
|2000||12||0
|-
|2001||6||0
|-
|2002||6||2
|-
|2003||9||0
|-
|2004||14||0
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
|2006||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2007||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2008||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2009||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2010||colspan="2"|-
|-
!Total||74||6
|}
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer and current member of the supervisory board
Supervisory board
A supervisory board or supervisory committee, often called board of directors, is a group of individuals chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and supervise the executive directors and CEO.Corporate governance varies...
of Ajax. After beginning his career with the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
club, he subsequently played in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
before a loan spell with Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. He went on to play for Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
before returning to Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for two years, Davids returned to competitive football during a brief spell with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
before retiring at the age of 37.
He was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
74 times by the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
at international level, scoring six goals, and represented his country at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(once) and the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
(three times). His dreadlocked
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
hair and protective goggles – which he wore due to glaucoma
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...
– made Davids one of the most recognisable players of his generation. A combative and creative midfielder, Davids was nicknamed "the Pitbull" by Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
because of his marking
Marking (association football)
In association football, marking is an organized defensive strategy which aims to prevent a member of the opposing team from taking control of the ball...
ability. He was one of the players chosen by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
to feature in the FIFA 100
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
, a list of the world's greatest living footballers. He was born in Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
to an African father and Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
mother. His cousin Lorenzo
Lorenzo Davids
Lorenzo Davids is a Dutch footballer of Surinamese descent, who currently plays for German club FC Augsburg, coming from N.E.C. and Feyenoord, where he started his career....
is also a footballer.
Early years
Davids started his careerCareer
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
at AFC Ajax in 1991, making his debut on the 6th September in a 5–1 home win
Victory
Victory is successful conclusion of a fight or competition..Victory may refer to:**strategic victory**tactical victory** Pyrrhic victory, a victory at heavy cost to the victorious party**Victory columns**Victory Monuments**Victory personified...
over RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk is a football club currently playing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' and was a fusion club of HEC, WVB and Hercules.-History:...
. He helped the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
club to three domestic Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
titles, as well as continental success with the 1992 UEFA Cup and the 1995 UEFA Champions League. In the 1996 UEFA Champions League Final
1996 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 22 May 1996 between Juventus of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands. The match was deadlocked at 1–1 after extra time, forcing a penalty shootout which Juventus won 4–2. This was the Italian giants' second triumph in the...
, he missed Ajax's first penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the shoot-out, which they ultimately lost to Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. While at Ajax, he was nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "The Pitbull
Pit bull
A Pit bull is any of several breeds of dog in the molosser breed group.Many jurisdictions that restrict pit bulls, including Ontario, Canada,, Miami, Florida, U.S...
" by Ajax manager Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
due to his fierce style of play and bite in the midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
.
Milan & Juventus
At the start of the 1996-97 season Davids moved to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to play for A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. After an unsuccessful spell where he failed to establish himself in the first team he moved on to league rivals Juventus F.C.
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in December 1997 for a £5.3 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
transfer fee. Six successful years in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
followed, with Davids helping the side to the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
title in 1998, 2002 and 2003. Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
manager Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is a former Italian World Cup-winning football manager and former player. He served as Italian national team head coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008...
once described him as "my one-man engine room." On 17 May 2001, Davids was suspended by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
when he tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
, nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
.
He was often inspirational in Europe, playing 15 times as the club made it all the way to the UEFA Champions League 2002-03
UEFA Champions League 2002-03
The 2002–03 UEFA Champions League was the 11th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding in 1992, and the 48th European Cup tournament overall. The competition was won by Milan, who beat Juventus on penalties in the European Cup's...
final before losing to Milan on penalties.
Barcelona
Davids joined FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
on loan in January 2004 from Juventus. Joining midway through a season where the club was struggling in midtable and recently appointed manager Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch football manager of Dutch and Surinamese descent and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side,...
was under considerable pressure, Davids led Barça's successful resurgence of form which saw them finishing second to Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in the league. Davids' arrival has been cited as the catalyst for the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
club's dominance of Spanish
Football in Spain
Football is the most popular sport in Spain. The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the national governing body and it organizes La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spain national football team, current champion of the FIFA World Cup...
and European football
European football
European football is a colloquial term referring to any international football club competition that is organised by UEFA. Any club that wishes to participate in European football must qualify through their respective domestic league or domestic cup competitions...
during the mid to late 00s, with Rijkaard winning La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
the following season (after five years without winning the league title) and a La Liga and Champions League double in 2005-06.
Internazionale & Tottenham Hotspur
In the summer of 2004, he permanently moved on to Italian club F.C. Internazionale MilanoF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
on a three-year contract. When Inter terminated the remaining years of his contract in August 2005, he moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on a free transfer to play for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He had a successful stay at Tottenham and instantly became a fan's favourite. His first and only goal was in a 2–1 away win
Victory
Victory is successful conclusion of a fight or competition..Victory may refer to:**strategic victory**tactical victory** Pyrrhic victory, a victory at heavy cost to the victorious party**Victory columns**Victory Monuments**Victory personified...
against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
. Davids played for Spurs in the 2005–06 and the 2006–07 seasons, both in which the club finished in 5th position.
Return to Ajax
Davids signed once more for Ajax on 28 January 2007 and played his first match against Ajax's rivals Feyenoord on 4 February. After the mid-season switch, Davids proved his value for the Ajax team again. He was one of the key midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
s in the run for the Dutch championship that was lost on one single goal to PSV on the final day of the league. He also played a major role in Ajax's cup campaign. He secured the KNVB Cup for Ajax by scoring the final penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in a thrilling penalty shoot-out against AZ. Prior to the start of the 2007–08 season, Davids' leg was broken in a pre-season friendly against Go Ahead Eagles
Go Ahead Eagles
The Go Ahead Eagles are a football club from Deventer, Netherlands, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie. The club's home stadium is De Adelaarshorst. To date, the club has won the national championship four times...
, sidelining him for around three months. In May 2008, Davids said he would leave Ajax when his contract expired on 30 June.
He played against Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
on 6 December 2008 in an exhibition match held at Mt Smart Stadium
Mt Smart Stadium
Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the home ground of National Rugby League team, the New Zealand Warriors...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, 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. Davids was in contract negotiations with English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Leicester City from 22 October 2009. However, he failed to make a decision for over a week and the club withdrew their offer on October 30.
Crystal Palace
On 20 August 2010, Davids agreed a pay-as-you-play deal with English ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. He made his debut on 24 August 2010 at left-back in the Second Round of the League Cup
2010–11 Football League Cup
The 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. On 8 November 2010, he announced his departure of the club, stating it was "one of the greatest experiences of my life".
International career
Davids was an integral part of the Dutch national team since his debut on April 20, 1994 in TilburgTilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
against Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
(0-1), though he has not won any major tournaments for the Oranje.
During the UEFA Euro 1996, he was sent home by then manager Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
for saying in a radio interview: "Hiddink should stop putting his head in some players' asses."
Nonetheless, Davids remained appreciated by Hiddink, who included him in the Dutch squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Davids' most notable performance for the national team came in the 1998 FIFA World Cup second round game against FR 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 meet Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. The Dutch national team eventually finished 4th overall and Davids was named to the official FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
"Team of the Tournament".
Davids played in the UEFA Euro 2000 when he was named for the UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
"Team of the Tournament". The Netherlands reached the semi-finals and played against Italy in a thrilling game that ended up being decided with a penalty shootout.
During the Netherlands' UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches, Davids scored the Netherlands' first qualifying goal in their opening 3-0 victory against Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
and subsequently bossed the midfield in five of the remaining seven Group 3 fixtures and both legs of the play-off victory against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
.
After Euro 2004, new national team coach Marco van Basten appointed Edgar Davids as captain of the team. However, lack of first team football at his club Inter meant Davids also lost his place in the national team in October 2004, thus losing the captain's armband in the process, which was later handed to Edwin van der Sar. At the latter stages of the qualifying series for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in October 2005, he was re-called back into 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 2006 World Cup.
Davids was selected to appear on the cover of the football game FIFA Football 2003
FIFA Football 2003
FIFA Football 2003, known as FIFA Soccer 2003 in North America, is an association football video game produced by Electronic Arts and released by EA Sports. It was released in October 2002....
alongside Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
and Brazilian international Roberto Carlos.
Post-retirement
In June 2011, Davids was elected to the new supervisory board at Ajax alongside Johan CruyffJohan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
.
Club
Ajax- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
(3): 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 - KNVB CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
(2): 1992–93, 2006–07 - Johan Cruijff Schaal (4): 19931993 PTT Telecom CupThe 1993 Dutch Super Cup game was the fourth Super Cup match in Dutch football. The game was played on 8 August 1993 at Stadion Feijenoord in Rotterdam. The game was played between 1992-93 Eredivisie winners Feyenoord and 1992-93 KNVB Cup winners Ajax. The game ended with a 4-0 victory of...
, 19941994 Dutch SupercupThe match for the fifth Dutch Supercup was held on 21 August 1994 in the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam. The match featured the winners of the 1993-94 Eredivisie Ajax and the winners of the 1993-94 KNVB Cup Feyenoord...
, 19951995 Dutch SupercupThe match for the sixth Dutch Supercup was held on 16 August 1995 in the De Kuip in Rotterdam. The match featured the winners of the 1994–95 Dutch first division, and of course the UEFA Champions League 1995, Ajax, and, the winners of the 1994–95 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord. This was the third...
, 2007Johan Cruijff-schaal XIIThe match for the Johan Cruijff-schaal XII was held on 11 August 2007 between Eredivisie 2006-07 champions PSV and KNVB Cup 2006-07 winners AFC Ajax. Ajax won the match 1–0.-Match details:... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1): 1994–951995 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 1995 UEFA Champions League Final was the 40th edition and took place in Vienna between AFC Ajax and A.C. Milan. It was Milan's third European Cup final in three years and they were aiming to tie Real Madrid's record of having won the European Cup six times... - UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
(1): 1991–921992 UEFA Cup FinalThe 1992 UEFA Cup Final was played on April 29, 1992 and May 13, 1992 between Ajax of the Netherlands and Torino of Italy. Ajax won on away goals after the two legs were both drawn 2–2 and 0–0.-First leg:-Second leg:-References:*... - UEFA Super Cup (1): 19951995 UEFA Super CupThe 1995 UEFA Super Cup was contested between the UEFA Champions League holders AFC Ajax and the Cup Winners' Cup holders Real Zaragoza. The cup was played later than usual, the two legs taking place in February 1996. The first leg was draw 1–1 at the La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza. The...
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
(1): 19951995 Intercontinental CupThe 1995 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on November 28, 1995 between Ajax, winners of the 1994-95 European Cup, and Grêmio, winners of the 1995 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo...
Juventus
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(3): 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(2): 20022002 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2002 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 2001-02 winner, and Parma, the Coppa Italia 2001-02 winner.It was the fifth appearance for Juventus and the fourth for Parma...
, 20032003 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2003 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 2002-03 winner, and Milan, the Coppa Italia 2002-03 winner.It was the sixth appearance for Juventus and the seventh for Milan .The match was played in New York, U.S.A..-Match details:-References:... - UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
(1): 1999
Internazionale
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
(1): 2004–05
Individual
- UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament
- 1998 FIFA World Cup1998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
All-Star Team
Career statistics
|-|1991/92||rowspan="5"|Ajax||rowspan="5"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||13||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||2
|-
|1992/93||28||4||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||28||4
|-
|1993/94||15||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||16||2
|-
|1994/95||22||5||2||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0||31||5
|-
|1995/96||28||7||6||0||colspan="2"|-||11||1||45||8
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|AC Milan||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||15||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||1||19||1
|-
|1997/98||4||0||6||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||1
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="7"|Juventus||rowspan="7"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||20||1||9||1||colspan="2"|-||5||0||34||2
|-
|1998/99||27||2||6||1||colspan="2"|-||9||0||42||3
|-
|1999/00||27||1||11||2||colspan="2"|-||4||0||42||3
|-
|2000/01||26||1||4||0||colspan="2"|-||5||0||35||1
|-
|2001/02||28||2||2||0||colspan="2"|-||9||0||39||2
|-
|2002/03||26||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||1||41||2
|-
|2003/04||5||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||5||0||10||0
|-
|2003/04||Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||18||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||1
|-
|2004/05||Inter Milan||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||14||0||colspan="2"|4||colspan="2"|-||5||0||19||0
|-
|2005/06||rowspan="2"|Tottenham Hotspur||rowspan="2"|Premier League||31||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||31||1
|-
|2006/07||9||0||colspan="2"|-||3||0||1||0||13||0
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="2"|Ajax||rowspan="2"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||12||1||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-|||15||1
|-
|2007/08||18||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||0
|-
|2010/11||Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||6||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
136||21||12||0||colspan="2"|-||11||1||159||22
192||8||38||5||colspan="2"|-||56||2||286||15
18||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||1
46||1||colspan="2"|-||4||0||1||0||51||1
392||31||50||5||4||0||68||3||514||39
|}
|-
|1991||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1992||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1993||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1994||1||0
|-
|1995||4||0
|-
|1996||4||0
|-
|1997||colspan="2"|-
|-
|1998||11||1
|-
|1999||6||3
|-
|2000||12||0
|-
|2001||6||0
|-
|2002||6||2
|-
|2003||9||0
|-
|2004||14||0
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
|2006||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2007||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2008||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2009||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2010||colspan="2"|-
|-
!Total||74||6
|}