Active scrambling and fierce shoveling provide him with enough capital to walk the rivers and lakes; his fiery temper and fierce personality have made him a veritable BAD BOY in world football; his distinctive sports glasses and perennial braided hairstyle have made him the most recognizable star on the pitch. This issue of football brings you the Dutch midfielder Edgar Davis, who has successively traveled to the top clubs of the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Britain.
Basic information
Name: Edgar Steven Davids
Age: 46 (born 13 March 1973)
Nationality: Suriname, Dutch dual citizenship
Place of Birth: Paramaribo (capital of Suriname)
Youth team: Ajax Club
Position: front waist, back waist, left front guard
Height: 169cm
Weight: 68kg
Dominant foot: Left foot
Nicknames: Wild Boar, Pit Bull
Main teams: Ajax, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur
Technical characteristics: not tall but strong, on-field style tenacious and tough, active fighting, comprehensive technology, balanced attack and defense, the peak of the ball holder's ability to fight can be called the world's top.
Screenshot of Edgar Davis FM2007
The Golden Age of the Surinamese Boys
Edgar Davis was born in March 1973 in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. As a former colony of the Netherlands, this humble small South American country has bred the world's top stars such as Rijkaard, Gullit, Seedorf and Kluivert for Dutch football. Like them, although Davis, who has dual citizenship, came to live in Amsterdam with his family at a very young age, his parents were the kind of manual laborers who lived at the bottom of society. Davis had great respect for his mother, because in her hard work, he learned the most important lesson in life - if you want to be respected, you must never tire of hard work. This spirit has always supported Davis's career, and since he joined the Ajax youth team at the age of 13, Davis has been running with no spare energy to complete the offensive and defensive conversions.
Ajax's wonderful goal
On 8 September 1991, at the age of 18, Davis made his professional debut in the Dutch League A game at home to Waalwijk. Although he gradually grew into the world's top back, he just debuted, and his position is closer to the goal. On the pitch, Davis calmly combed the team's attack with a wide field of vision and excellent passing ability. But when the team is in defensive form, Davis, who runs actively and shovels accurately, can still bring great help to the team, and his ability to fight the ball carrier is no less than that of any defensive back. This aggressive kicking style has also earned him the nicknames of "wild boar" and "pit bull".
In the 91/92 season, Davis made 16 appearances for Ajax in all competitions, scoring two goals, and in his first professional season he lifted the UEFA Cup with the team. In the 92/93 season, the more mature the style of play, he has developed a strong long-range shooting ability, further enriching his offensive means. On 31 March 1993, in the Dutch Cup semi-final match between Ajax and Feyenoord, Davis scored his first hat-trick of his career to help the team win 5–0 against their rivals. In the ensuing final, Davis opened the scoring for the team in the 7th minute of the match, helping Ajax win the championship with a 6-2 victory over Heerenveen. In the 93/94 season, although Davis was absent for nearly four months due to a knee injury, he quickly recovered his form after his comeback, scoring 5 goals in 21 games and helping the team to lift the trophy of the Eredivisie title again in three years.
At that time, the Ajax team was full of young talents, and the midfield combination of Davis, Seedorf and Litmanin became the absolute hub of the team's offensive and defensive conversion, which could provide reliable support for the defensive line led by Frank De Boer, and continuously send exquisite assists to Ovimus, Kluivert and other forward killers on the offensive end. In the subsequent 94/95 and 95/96 seasons, Ajax not only achieved the great feat of winning the league three times in the domestic arena, but also blew up a youth storm in the Champions League. In the early summer of 1995, under the leadership of Louis van Gaal, Ajax became the most fierce team in European football with an all-attack and all-defensive tactical play, almost sweeping all the giants with a destructive trend and finally lifting the Champions League trophy.
At his peak, Davis had a great sense of defense
In the summer of 1996, Davis, who performed well, naturally entered the Dutch national team and accompanied the team to the European Championship in England. In that cup, Davis had 1 start and 1 substitute appearance in the first two games, but he did not have too bright performance. In the third game of the group stage, after being told that he would still not be able to enter the starting lineup, the hot-tempered Davis actually scolded the dutch national team's then coach Hiddink, and his move made him directly removed from the national team.
In fact, Davis has a great personality from childhood to poop, and his favorite star is Dennis Rodman of the Chicago Bulls, and he can even memorize the latter's autobiography "Bad Boys". When he walked out of the Dutch training camp, he was left with only a confused Lookink sentence - "Don't let me live under the backs of other players", and this sentence is quoted from Rodman.
Despite the controversy, no one can deny that those dream-like days when Ajax swept through Europe were undoubtedly the golden age of Edgar Davis' career – in the five years since he first entered professional football, his honour book has written a European Super Cup, a European Champions Cup, a UEFA Cup, three Dutch First Division titles and a Dutch Cup winner, when he was only 23 years old.
The Beast's Waist Road of the Apennine Peninsula
After returning from the tournament, Davis decided to leave the Netherlands and, among the invitations of many teams, finally chose to join serie A giants AC Milan. Along with him were his Ajax teammates Kluivert and Retzig, all three of whom had high hopes from the team and were hailed by fans and the media as the "Three Musketeers of New Holland". However, Davis, who had just entered the Apennines, was never able to integrate into the team's tactical system, and although he was able to enter the rotation lineup, he could only play for the team as a substitute most of the time. In March 1997, Davis accidentally suffered a leg fracture, ending the 96/97 season early, which undoubtedly cast a thick shadow over his time in Milan. When Davis returned from injury at the beginning of the 97/98 season, he was painfully aware that there was no longer a place for him in the team. That season, he made just four substitute appearances in Serie A before being sold to Juventus for £8 million for a cabbage after the winter transfer window opened. In the year and a half of AC Milan, Davis only played 19 games in Serie A, which must have been a reason for the slow integration of the team, but in fact, the team's midfield at that time had long been firmly occupied by Capello's confidants such as Boban and Eraño, and the opportunities for Davis, who had just arrived and were not skilled, were naturally few.
Brilliant assists during the Juventus period
Just when people think that Davis's career is at the end of the road, the "wild boar" who came to the new team has embarked on his real professional peak with excellent performance without warning. At that time, Juventus, because of zidane's command and dispatch in the front waist position, Davis had to be transformed into a back by then coach Carlo Ancelotti. In his new position, Davis suddenly opened his mind, and the ferocious shoveling and suffocating tightness always allowed him to snatch the ball away from the feet of the opposing player, firmly controlling the initiative of the midfield in the hands of the team. On this basis, Davis still has the ability to send in-depth seconds passes for players in the frontcourt, coupled with the earth-shattering long-range shooting kung fu, Davis quickly grew into one of the most powerful backs in Europe.
In the second half of the 97/98 season, Davis played for Juventus and scored a goal, and he and Zidane complemented each other in midfield to help the team successfully defend the Serie A title. It has been pointed out that although Davis, who appeared at the back, was the most capable player in the whole of Italy, his rough style of play destroyed the beauty of Juventus offensive football. But Davis believes that he just terminated an unsuccessful attack and started a new counterattack, "I actually prefer attacking, but as a defender you have to focus on defense, I just show more positively than others." 」 ”
The 1/8 final of the 1/8 World Cup in 1998 was a stoppage time strike
The 1998 World Cup semi-final frantically chased back to destroy Ronaldo's single knife ball
Davis's outstanding performance amazed everyone, even the Dutch coach Hiddink, who had a rift with him during the Euro 96 Championship, did not even care about the previous suspicions, on the eve of the start of the World Cup in France, he recalled him from the national team who had not participated in the World Cup qualifiers. In the summer of 1998, Davis did not live up to the trust of the manager, starting and playing all six games of the Netherlands team, helping the Netherlands reach the final four of the World Cup, and he himself was selected for the best team of that cup with his impeccable performance. Among them, the two scenes of the injury time long-range shooting against Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals and the semi-final match against Brazil to chase back the half and destroy Ronaldo's single knife goal are the highest moments of his career.
A topic star on and off the field
After returning from the World Cup, Davis continued on the road, from the 98/99 season to the 02/03 season, Davis maintained 20+ league appearances in each season, and always showed a very consistent high level of play, he helped Juventus win the Serie A title twice. In June 2000, Davis also accompanied the Dutch national team to participate in the European Championship held on home (jointly organized by the Netherlands and Belgium), and throughout the tournament, Davis played all five games, helping the team reach the semi-finals and was selected as the best team in the European Championship.
Davis scored brilliantly
At that time, Davis had gradually grown into the top back of world football, but at the same time, the unruly news of him on and off the field became more and more numerous.
As we all know, Davis suffered from glaucoma at a very young age, and although he went to the United States for special surgery, the discomfort of eye diseases has not diminished in the slightest. With the development of modern science, a pair of glasses for glaucoma patients who need to engage in strenuous exercise was launched on the market in 1999, which excited Davis in his current year. On September 4 of the same year, davis wore glasses for the first time in a friendly match against Belgium for the Netherlands. Since then, this pair of glasses has been like sneakers, and it has begun to accompany the "wild boar" to run around on the field.
Excellent defensive positioning skills
Of course, glasses can not cure the disease, it only plays a role in correction and protection, and it also needs to use eye drops to control it. On May 17, 2001, Davis was banned for eight months by the Italian Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Commissioner for positive SFC and fined $95,000. In response, Davis appealed twice, insisting that the prohibited ingredients in the urine test came from the eye drops he had been using. Finally, despite the arguments of the Italian Football Association and Juventus, Davis' suspension was reduced to four months. And because these 4 months span the offseason of the season, the penalty did not have much substantive impact on Davis. On September 17, Davis returned to the team after the end of his ban, but five days later, juventus drew 0-0 with Lecce in the fourth round of Serie A, Davis clashed violently with the opposing players, and was later suspended by the Italian Football Disciplinary Committee for two games.
Davis brilliantly shoveled
Wave after wave, wave after wave. In February 2002, Davis was exposed to the domestic violence scandal. At the time, "Wild Boar" was dating a girl named Sarah Hagens, and the two had a son in 2000, but since then, Sarah Hagens has been punched and kicked by Davis several times. Although Davis' injury charges were eventually dismissed for lack of evidence, the incident still had an impact on his career.
Because of the constant troubles off the field, the team has begun to worry about whether Davis will be able to focus 100% of his attention on the court. In the 03/04 season, Davis and Juventus then head coach Marcello Lippi deteriorated, coupled with constant injuries, the first half of the season, Davis only represented Juventus in Serie A 4 times, which directly led to Juventus to stop the renewal negotiations with the Dutchman. After the winter window opened, Davis's departure was inevitable.
Barcelona's final pinnacle
In January 2004, Davis was loaned to FC Barcelona by Juventus in the winter transfer window.
Barcelona was in the midst of a rebuilding period, with a lack of midfield and a dull game, having been suppressed by Real Madrid and Valencia for years in La Liga. Davis's arrival added enough hardness to the team's midfield, and the 31-year-old "Wild Boar" is still running all over the field, and defensive awareness and enthusiasm have not declined due to age. That season, Davis made 18 appearances in La Liga for Barcelona, scoring 1 goal and assisting 1 time, helping Barcelona from the middle of the table in the first half of the season to the runner-up in La Liga that season, which is also Barcelona's best league record since the new century. More importantly, Davis's steady play allowed the team's then-manager Rijkaard to rest assured that the "wild boar" was placed in a single back position, which made Xavi greatly liberated and could participate more in the team's attack with Ronaldinho. At the end of the season, Rijkaard boldly changed the team formation to 4-3-3, which also became the basic prototype of Barcelona's "Dream II Dynasty" in the future.
Although at the end of the season, Davis left the team after the expiration of his loan period due to his failure to negotiate salary with the team, but in the tactical play of Barcelona, which swept European football in the following years, you can still see the deep imprint of the "wild boar" in the team.
Since then, Davis's career has gradually taken a downward spiral due to his age. In July 2004, Davis joined Inter Milan as a free agent at the time, known as the "black hole of stars". But in the following season, Because his playing style was not appreciated by then-coach Mancini, Davis was not reused, and the two immediately had a conflict. Although representing Inter Milan in 23 appearances in all competitions, he helped the team win the Coppa Italia. But at the end of the season, Davis was still included in inter Milan's purge list.
In July 2005, Davis joined Tottenham Hotspur again as a free agent, scoring 1 goal in 40 Premier League appearances in the following season and a half. In January 2007, Davis returned to his home team Ajax at the winter transfer window, but after helping the team win the 06/07 Dutch Cup, he suffered a leg fracture and has since been away from the team's squad. In August 2010, Davis joined Crystal Palace, which was still in the Championship at the time, and the two sides signed a pay-as-you-play (paid based on the number of appearances) contract, and finally because of their poor form and grumpy personality, they were saved by the club after playing only 7 games for the team.
Lower league elbow opponents
In October 2012, the 39-year-old Davis unexpectedly joined Barnet Club, England's fourth-tier team, as a player and coach, but failed to help the team escape the bad luck of relegation. In December 2013, Davis received three red cards in eight games before angrily announcing his retirement, thus ending his legendary career.
（SHY）