Edgar Davids

Ajax

After being rejected on two previous occasions by the club, Davids started his career at the age of 12 with Ajax. He made his first team debut on 6 September 1991 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, Davids was nicknamed "The Pitbull" by Ajax manager Louis van Gaal due to his fierce style of play in the team's midfield.

AC Milan and Juventus

Moving onto the start of the 1996–97 season, Davids moved to Italy to play for AC Milan on a free transfer alongside team-mate Michael Reiziger, both early beneficiaries of the "Bosman ruling". In an unsuccessful 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 at Perugia on 23 February 1997. After failing to recover his place in the team he was allowed to join league rivals Juventus in December 1997 for a reduced 9 billion Italian lire (£3 million) transfer fee. At Milan, Davids had been one of the biggest disappointments of the first half of the Serie A season, his teammate Alessandro Costacurta was critical of his character, calling him the "rotten apple" of the dressing room. At Juventus, he soon became a permanent first team…

Davids made his debut for the Netherlands national team on 20 April 1994 in Tilburg, in a 1–0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland. He quickly became an integral part of the squad for the next decade, though he failed to win any major tournaments for the Oranje. During 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 second round match 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 Netherlands eventually finished fourth overall and Davids was named to the official FIFA "Team of the Tournament". In 1999, Davids began wearing protective glasses following surgery in his right eye caused by glaucoma, which developed in 1995 following eye injuries. Davids first wore them on 4 September 1999 in a friendly match against Belgium. On 17 May 2001, Davids was suspended by FIFA when he tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, nandrolone. Davids played in Euro 2000, where the Netherlands reached the semi-finals before losing to Italy via penalty shootout. Davids was again named as part of the "Team of the Tournament". During the Netherlands' Euro 2004 qualifying…

Davids was a quick, hard-working team player, with power and pace, as well as physical strength and stamina in spite of his diminutive stature. He was known for his dynamic and combative style of play, tight marking of opponents, and ability to break down opposition plays as a defensive midfielder. A well-rounded midfielder, Davids combined ball-winning ability with physical and athletic qualities. He was regarded as a technically skilled and creative player, noted for his technique, vision, acceleration, close control, quick footwork, and ball-juggling skills; his technical ability and prowess at street soccer and as a freestyle footballer earned him the nickname "The Mayor of the Street" in his youth. 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. His tactical intelligence, awareness, positioning, and ability to read the game, combined with his speed, energy, tackling, vision, and dribbling 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…

Edgar Steven Davids was born on 13 March 1973, in Paramaribo, Suriname and is of Afro-Surinamese descent, with Jewish heritage from his mother. The family moved to the Netherlands when Davids was an infant. His cousin Lorenzo is also a footballer.