Danny Blind

Personal information
Full name	Dirk Franciscus Blind
Date of birth	1 August 1961 (1961-08-01) (age 48)
Place of birth	Oost-Souburg, Netherlands
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	AFC Ajax (Director of football)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1979–1986	Sparta Rotterdam	165	(18)
1986–1999	AFC Ajax	372	(27)
Total		537	(45)
National team
1986–1996	Netherlands	42	(1)
Teams managed
2005–2006	AFC Ajax
2007–2008	Sparta Rotterdam (Director of Football)
2008–	AFC Ajax (Director of Football)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born 1 August 1961 in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands) is a football coach and former Dutch international player. He played as a defender for Sparta Rotterdam, AFC Ajax and the Dutch national team. He is the only Dutch player to have won all international club competitions recognised by UEFA and FIFA .^[2]

His son, Daley, has followed in his footsteps and also plays as a defender for Ajax.^[3]

[edit] Playing career

Blind made his professional football debut on 29 August 1979 with Sparta. He would stay under contract with Sparta for seven seasons. In July 1986 he transferred to Ajax. Blind had been attracted there by the then manager Johan Cruijff. With Ajax he amassed an amazing trophy list. Winning all three European trophies (UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1987, the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 1995). He secured the Intercontinental Cup, in 1995 against Brazil's Grêmio, by scoring the winning penalty in the penalty shoot-out. He would again be a penalty hero when he converted twice against Real Zaragoza in the European Super Cup Final of 1995, which Ajax won 4 - 1 over the two legs. The two penalties that Blind converted where in the 65th and 69th minutes of the second leg effectively putting the title out of reach for Real Zaragoza. Domestically, with Ajax, he won five Dutch Eredivisie Championships and four national cups. He retired on 16 May 1999.

[edit] Management career

Blind was head coach at Ajax from 14 March 2005 (appointed as successor to Ronald Koeman) until 10 May 2006, after only 422 days in charge. He led Ajax to victory in the Gatorade Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield.

In December 2006 Blind crashed his car into a parked vehicle, injuring a 48-year old woman. A two-year-old child in her car remained uninjured. Blind had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. ^[4]

In 2007-08, he became football director at his old club, Sparta. In the summer of 2008 he's returning to Ajax, to become the new football director in Amsterdam.

[edit] Career statistics

^{[5] [6]}

[edit] Playing honours

AFC Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
• KNVB Cup: 1987, 1993, 1998, 1999
• UEFA Champions League: 1995
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1987
• UEFA Cup: 1992
• UEFA Super Cup: 1995
• Intercontinental Cup: 1995

[edit] Managerial honours

AFC Ajax

• KNVB Cup: 2006
• Johan Cruijff Schaal: 2005

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Danny Blind

[edit] See also

• List of players to have won all international club competitions
• List of players to have won the three main European club competitions

[edit] External links

• Danny Blind profile and stats at Wereld van Oranje (Dutch)

Awards
Preceded by Ed de Goey	Dutch Golden Shoe Winner 1995 – 1996	Succeeded by Jaap Stam
Sporting positions
Preceded by Ronald Koeman	AFC Ajax managers 2005 – 2006	Succeeded by Henk ten Cate

v • d • e Netherlands squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Van Breukelen • 2 Van Aerle • 3 Rijkaard • 4 R. Koeman • 5 Van Tiggelen • 6 Wouters • 7 E. Koeman • 8 Vanenburg • 9 Van Basten • 10 Gullit • 11 Richard Witschge • 12 Kieft • 13 Rutjes • 14 Van 't Schip • 15 Roy • 16 Hiele • 17 Gillhaus • 18 Fräser • 19 Van Loen • 20 Winter • 21 Blind • 22 Menzo • Coach: Beenhakker

v • d • e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 1992 semi-finalists 1 Van Breukelen • 2 Van Aerle • 3 Van Tiggelen • 4 Koeman • 5 Blind • 6 Wouters • 7 Bergkamp • 8 Rijkaard • 9 Van Basten • 10 Gullit • 11 Van 't Schip • 12 Kieft • 13 Menzo • 14 Rob Witschge • 15 Winter • 16 Bosz • 17 F. De Boer • 18 Jonk • 19 Viscaal • 20 Roy • Coach: Michels

v • d • e Netherlands squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 De Goey • 2 F. de Boer • 3 Rijkaard • 4 Koeman • 5 Rob Witschge • 6 Wouters • 7 Overmars • 8 Jonk • 9 R. de Boer • 10 Bergkamp • 11 Roy • 12 Bosman • 13 Van der Sar • 14 Van Gobbel • 15 Blind • 16 Numan • 17 Taument • 18 Valckx • 19 Van Vossen • 20 Winter • 21 De Wolf • 22 Snelders • Coach: Advocaat

v • d • e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 1996 1 Van der Sar • 2 Reiziger • 3 Blind • 4 Seedorf • 5 Stam • 6 R. de Boer • 7 Taument • 8 Davids • 9 Kluivert • 10 Bergkamp • 11 Hoekstra • 12 Winter • 13 Numan • 14 Richard Witschge • 15 Bogarde • 16 De Goey • 17 Cruyff • 18 De Kock • 19 Mulder • 20 Cocu • 21 Hesp • 22 Veldman • Coach: Hiddink