Edgar Davids enjoyed a sparkling career, turning out for some of Europe’s greatest clubs. The Dutch midfielder joined Ajax at 12 years old, where he went on to play 183 times for the first team, and win three Eredivisie trophies, and the Champions League, in teams which included football icons such as Dennis Bergkamp and Clarence Seedorf.
After five years in the Ajax side, Davids moved to AC Milan, and then rivals Juventus, where he shared the pitch with Zinedine Zidane, and a young Thierry Henry, in a star-studded era for Italian football. Moves to Barcelona, Inter Milan, Tottenham and a return to Ajax followed, before finishing his career with Crystal Palace and then fifth-tier Barnet, in one of the most unusual moves in football history.
Playing alongside Xavi, Wesley Sneijder, Patrick Kluivert, and many more during his glistening career, Edgar Davids has truly seen some of the best to ever do it.
Davids Praised Paolo Montero
“He got the best out of me in every game”
However, despite playing with such legends of the game, Davids singled out a lesser-known name when asked who his greatest-ever teammate was. When appearing on TalkSport, Jim White pressed the former Ajax midfielder for which player gave him a ‘tingle’ as his greatest teammate, and Davids replied:
“The list is long. But I think that sometimes, the tingle you also get sometimes from an opponent. If you know that you have a game and you have to play Roy Keane or [Patrick] Vieira or Xabi Alonso or [Claude] Makelele, you’d better step up.
“But from that point of view, I think for me the most important was Paolo Montero because he could really get the team going, get the tempo up and he really got me going. He got annoyed all the time during the play, but he got the best out of me in every game.”
Although less of a household name than some of Davids’ other teammates during his career, Montero was certainly a world-class player in his own right. The fierce, touch-tackling defender was considered to be one of the best defenders of his generation whilst at Juventus, as he won four Serie A titles with the club, three of which were alongside Edgar Davids.
The Uruguayan defender was known for his fiery temper, which may explain why he has the most red cards in Serie A history, 16. His hot head and aggressive style clearly worked for Davids, who was evidently a huge fan of Montero.
Now 53, he has gone on to have a relatively successful managerial career, where he is currently in charge of Juventus’ Next Gen side, in Serie C, although they are currently sitting bottom of the division.
Davids Also Blown Away By Ledley King
“This man could play”
Davids went on to discuss another player who impressed him during his stellar career, and it was once again a surprising name. After nine years in Italy, Davids joined the Premier League, specifically Tottenham, where he went on to share the pitch with defender Ledley King, who was highly rated during his career, which was unfortunately marred by injury.
Davids said: “Listen, I played with a lot of big players and this is the thing, because of his knees, he couldn’t have had longevity. He didn’t train a lot, but this man could play, there was a different level. It was levels, levels. But also, he didn’t need to tackle, he was there, and he was quick and [had good] positioning. And he could move, you know?”
King received praise throughout his career, and is still regarded as one of the Premier League’s best-ever defenders, even if he was limited by fitness issues. King played 323 games during his 13-year career, an average of just 25 games per season, only ever representing Tottenham.
He was likened to West Ham and England legend Bobby Moore in his youth days, such was the talent he possessed. When discussing the former Spurs man, Thierry Henry said: “he is the only guy who doesn’t hold players, he will get the ball off you without you even noticing. For me, that is a good defender.”
A remarkable career, in which he played for a selection of the world’s greatest teams, whilst winning a number of trophies, including the Champions League, three Serie A titles, and three Eredivisie titles, Davids was fortunate to share the pitch with some of football’s best. Yet the individuals he singled out as being his best teammates were a surprise, which indicates that players value different attributes to supporters. Although players like Bergkamp, Zidane, and Xavi were beautiful on the eye, and could produce moments of magic, it was the defenders who could inspire the whole team who Davids loved most.
All statistics via Transfermarkt – correct as of 25.10.2024.
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