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Edgar Davids: an example

March 30th, 2007 | By: Jan | 19 Comments »

I couldn’t help it… Davids is no longer part of Oranje, but he was so inspiring and remarkable, I just had to publish this article

Ajax can still dream of this year’s championship. And not so much due to their win against PSV, but also through Edgar David’s presence.
Since his return home, Ajax didn’t lose anymore. The pitbull may have aged a bit, he still barks and bites.

Against PSV, he didn’t even had to look fierce or tackle razorsharp, just his presence was enough to tame the PSV midfield, having them flee on the lookout for a hiding place.

And he is remarkably invisible. No explosive runs, no peppered tackles but concentrated guarding the midfield balance. Ten years ago, Davids said he really could play controlling and thrifty but he just didn’t like it. The passion needed to explode out of his young and able body. Today, Davids is more mature and aged well. Wiser. The passion is still there, but the anger is deployed with wisdom. The result of years of experience at the top and the self-knowledge of his physical limits. Full time powerplay is not longer an option for a 34 year old, who has been throwing his power around for years. No matter how well he took care of his body, explosivity has it’s limits.

Right after training sessions, the football player stays in his own world. Mostly with the ball as his best mate. Intimate moments for the football aficianado. In the first weeks of his come back in Amsterdam the command over the ball was lacking a bit due to loss of rhythm. But he is fit. He was and is still the most fit player of the team, whether you look at this Juve days, at Milan or with the Spurs.

He still spends hours in the fitness center, every day, with fellow warrior Jaap Stam. The working ethics of Davids and Stam is supposed to motivate and stimulate the Ajax youngsters. He who wants to succeed has to put the effort in.

Davids is not so much a leader, but an exanple. Stam is the undisputed leader, the captain. His few words are enough to trigger the team. David’s just does it. After matches and training, he is the story-teller. A passionate lover of the game. His young team mates are enchanted when he tells them about this days at Ajax in the 90s. AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur. A blinding list of clubs.

But, as articulate Davids can be within the confines of the club, as closed he is outside.
The press is allowed to talk to him, but only shortly. And only about the game. Or a specific moment of the game. Or about the opponent. But never about the person Edgar Davids. Davids wants to be untouchable. As if he wants keep the mystery alive.

Does the coach expect him to take the youngster by the hand? “He never asked me that outright. The coach wants me to play good football. But obviously, the expect more from me now, than that I was younger. That’s normal”

With his team mates he talks about details. How to use your body in duels. How to improve your command over the ball. Davids hands out tips and tricks like Santa on acid.

After training, you can spot him pass the ball ad nauseam with Babel. And not relaxed or easy, no real hard passing. Babel wants to improve his first touch and Davids supports him in it. “I do this with more lads, anyone who wants it.”

In games, Davids is the coach within the lines. Ronaldinho allowed Davids to coach him, so why wouldn’t Babel, Sneijder or Huntelaar? And if the warrior plays, the Ajax team feels more secure. Ajax doesn’t get lost when Davids in the team… He keeps on talking to them. Step to the left, to the right. Pressure forward. Watch that man…

“I always talked on the pitch. When I was 18 years old, I did it too, but no one listened maybe. Today they listen, I guess.”

Tags: Edgar Davids, Jaap Stam, Ryan Babel, The Netherlands

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Comments

By ferenc | March 30th, 2007 at 4:16 am

great article,Jan!!!

i’m very happy that you wrote about edgar.

in the history of dutch football i have 4 favourite players and not only because of their football skills but the personality is as important as the talent.

they are: johan cruyff, johan neeskens (but at this time i was kid),frank rijkaard and in the last 10-12 years edgar davids. for me they summarize the durch football.

Posted from Hungary

By Jan | March 30th, 2007 at 5:49 am

Good one Ferenc! I can really sympathise with that… Except, to me Willem van Hanegem belongs in that list too. He was the real genius in 74, to me. Thanks to his excellence pace-making, Cruyff could excel individually. The only other player with that football intelligence I’ve ever seen since is Zinedine Zidane.

Posted from Australia

By goose | March 30th, 2007 at 6:03 am

@Jan; sorry mate, think youre (very) wrong on Zidane…he was a good player but not that special…he played well for about 5 years and always played in great teams..id say hes as good as people like Kevin Keagan, Dennis Bergkamp, Karl-Heinz Rumminige etc. say european top but please dont ever compare him with Cruijff, Zidane doenst even come close…not im a million years

grzt

Posted from Netherlands

By ferenc | March 30th, 2007 at 9:09 am

for me this is more complicated. first,there are players who has an impact on the evolution of the game, etc,who are the best of their time. only a few ones like pele,cruyff,beckenbauer,platini,maradona.
there are other players who are world class footballers,brilliant,etc,but don’t belong to the other category like keagan,rummenigge,ronaldo,gullit,bergkamp,roberto baggio,etc
zidane (and van basten) are between the two. at the moment i don’t know where’s ronaldinho’s place… let’s see for me he’s as brilliant as zidane was but not yet enough good to put to the same level as cruyff and co.

Posted from Hungary

By goose | March 30th, 2007 at 2:05 pm

nah, tought Jan talked about football intelligence…there will never be a greater thinker of the game than Johan…hes the one person who lives and breathes football and sees everything..has a total idea of how thing should be in football…Zidane is just a good football player
i event wouldnt pick Platini in the top group:
I would say there are the big 3:
Pele; Cruijff; Maradonna..

On the technical side there will never be a better player than El Diego,

as an athlete and first real proffessional, someone who was born 30 years before his time; Pele

as a visionar and as one who could also show this vision on the pitch; Jopie (Cruijff)

then there this big group of players in wich we all have our personal favourites; for me Bergkamp (singing a song, walking along…walking in a Bergkamp wonderland!!

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | March 30th, 2007 at 6:41 pm

Yo Goose-meiseter, you misread my post .

I didn’t compare JC with Zidane. I compared Zidane with Van Hanegem. I think Zidane is in De Kromme’s realm. They even look alike. But my football intelligence remark was also on Van Hanegem . I agree, JC was a visionairy on the pitch. One of the greatest for sure. But players like Willem, Wim Jansen, Jan Wouters, Danny Blind, Jari Litmanen to name a few have an incredible insight in the game. That, you can’t learn. And in 74 it was Van Hanegem controlling the games, so JC could excel. Like Ardiles and Maradona. Giresse and Platini. Viera and Bergkamp. Deco and Ronaldinho.

Posted from Australia

By goose | March 31st, 2007 at 1:49 am

MEA CULPA Jan, always get a bit uptight when its about Zidane, dont even really know why but dont like the man, sorry i didnt read your comment the way it should have been read…

Posted from Netherlands

By Daniel | March 31st, 2007 at 9:37 am

The Dutch have become mediocore. Its too bad that the coach doesnt know how to utilize his best available players. I love Arjen Robben but his diving is becoming unwatchable. I guess Drogba is teaching him too much at Chelsea haha!

Posted from United States

By JVB21 | March 31st, 2007 at 2:15 pm

Jan, wanted to thank you for all the translations and keeping us “english only” fans up to date on Oranje. So little makes its way onto the English sites. Good work on the Davids article as well. I’ve always found Davids an inspiration for the way he plays with such fire in his belly, something that often lacks in the oranje midfield.

I’m tempted to offer a top five list, but instead consider this. While I’m sure we would all love to have the skills and game vision of Pele, JC or El Diego. These men single handedly shaped the modern game. But this Sunday when I lace up my boots I’m dreaming of, aspiring to one of those sublime Bergkamp moments. For me Bergkamp was/is the artist that conjured jaw dropping moments of impossibility. Rewind that again, because I still don’t believe my eyes.

Posted from Canada

By goose | March 31st, 2007 at 5:48 pm

@JVB21, i totally agree, Dennis was poetry in motion…still miss him (Oranje does too..), here some clips: 1. Best of 2. Best goal ever scored (Newcastle)
3. The goal against Arg. in 98 with the crazy commentator Jack van Gelder who really loses it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCEXkik6Iuk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42zBHtD2XYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGv7ltJGPA

Singing a song
walking along
walking in a Bergkamp wonderland

there’s only one Dennis Bergkamp!!

gtrz

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | March 31st, 2007 at 6:54 pm

So true! i really support that. As you said, Pele, JC, Diego…they were greats. But Bergkamp is in a category of his own. Stylist. Artist. For the love of the game, and nothing else. He is such a non-football player. No tattoos, drinkng, gambling, womanising… Always polite. Shy. Very well-groomed and on the pitch he was a ballet-dancer… Picasso, Nuyerev, Einstein, Da Vinci…those are the ones you want to compare Bergkamp with, right? Where is Dennis, by the way?

Posted from Australia

By goose | April 1st, 2007 at 2:16 am

Where is my little post Jan?? Had some nice clips of Dennis…
grzt

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | April 1st, 2007 at 4:01 am

Goose, no idea. I see the posts just like you guys. It’s not like i am in the war room or engine room of this blog. You post it in the right way and it shows up . That’s all I know…

Posted from Australia

By JVB21 | April 1st, 2007 at 10:42 am

@goose, thanks for the Bergkamp clips, gotta love Youtube. A while back I bought the Arsenal Centurions Double DVD for the joy of 100 Berkamp goals. While I’m cetainly not going to knock Henry and his skills it was a pretty boring 100 when compared to Dennis’.

Yes Jan those certainly are the comparisons, his understanding of motion and space were unique, genuis (not the cliche version of genius either.)

Where is he now? Probably spending time with his family, he seems to be that kinda guy.

Posted from Canada

By goose | April 1st, 2007 at 12:55 pm

yes, Dennis is just taking it nice and slow…im sure we wont see him on the pitch as a manager or something…his character was always a part that i really liked…Jan said it really well…you can tell a players character also on the way they celebrate when they score…i hate it when they take of their shirts (thanks Fifa for stopping that) or even worse..doing a dance with teammates!! (anybody remember Bebeto in 94 when he scored against us…disgusting!!)

the goal me made against Newcaste is the best move ever,,i even have a photo-collage (?) of the goal hanging in my livingroom (bought at Highbury), still not really sure what he did there and ive seen it a 1000 times, haha!!

gtrz

Posted from Netherlands

By Misha | April 2nd, 2007 at 12:49 pm

Would it seem so outrageous to have Stam and Davids on the international team? Or does it make more sense to have inexperienced and unproven players going in and out of the line-up, the team changing like the weather, but remaining bad. There is just no sunshine with Marco.

By Bruce | April 2nd, 2007 at 12:55 pm

Stam retired, did he not? I believe van Basten actually begged Stam to consider playing before WC but he didn’t want to…

But Davids never retired, and would make a great fit on the team.

Posted from Canada

By goose | April 2nd, 2007 at 1:25 pm

@Bruce: well like with vanBommel and vanNistelrooy vanbasten shut the door for Davids…in a pressconfrence (i think prior to the WC) vanBasten was asked about selecting Davids and he replayed: “well, im not gonna give Jan Wouters a call either”! yet another fine example of Marco the King People Manager….(though im not sure if we need Davids, he can only play on the highest level for a limited time per game…great character and a real proffessional

gtrz

Posted from Netherlands

By Misha | April 2nd, 2007 at 1:26 pm

Can’t picture MVB begging any player for anything, does not fit his character? You sure about that? Maybe he asked Stam? But he should beg him, and assure him that all he has to do is show up and play, no earning your spot in practice sh*t! Maybe if that offer was made Stam would consider even being as tired as he is from the Ajax shedule? But Marco would never offer that and Stam would have to be crazy to run around trying to impress MVB just to get sat on the bench in place of Jaliens or some other ridiculous MVB choice starter.

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