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August 08 Edgar Davids - August 8th 2006Six friendly matches in a row, all won. That ain’t too bad for preseason starters now is it? Of course the last match against Inter Milan was extra special. Now with two more games before the new Premiership season is about to begin, I’m as ready as can be.
We have three new players already full on in our squad: Dimitar Berbatov, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Didier Zokora. In the meantime Michael Carrick has finalized his transfer to Man U. That’s already like 4 major changes. However, even though because of this our team is not yet 100% in balance we all can feel that there’s plenty of potential to do even better than last season and you know what that means….
Borussia Dortmund away and Real Sociedad home at White Hart Lane will make up for the final test before we dive head first into one of the most exciting leagues in the world: The Premiership. Can you already feel the heat? Edgar Davids - August 8th 2006Wow!!! Just woke up from a beautiful dream, all set and ready for the new season. I feel great. I’m healthy and 100% in shape. Don’t you just love it when something new is about to begin? For us pro’s the preseason is a very important part of the entire professional football entourage. You get to know new team mates, study new opponents and tactics and above all: set new goals, never a dull moment.
By now you know my standards: always better than the last accomplishment,
no matter what... Last year we missed out on Champions League Football by one point. Best believe that the entire squad is well aware of the fact that such shouldn’t happen again, ever.
One thing luckily remained be the same. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to ever since our last Premiership game: The Tottenham Hotspurs fan base. It’s been a warm reunion, I can assure you. Just like I’ve experienced throughout the previous season: as loyal as they are, it hardly gets any better. August 03 Edgar Davids - August 3rd 2006As I explained earlier. the names and personalities of the players representing Surinam basically represent the whole world in one single national team.
Seemingly out of nowhere the Surinamese National anthem is being played, causing grown men to weep from pride and joy without shame. All the while coach Aboikoni’s (literally meaning: this boy is smart) heart beats like drum.
In the seats as well as in the stands the Surinamese fans attending the game make sure that so many different tunes from all over the world are heard in and around the Stadium. A whole spectrum of instruments, rituals, garments and sweet and spicy treats stemming from no less then 4 different continents, will fill up the Maracanã with sound, movement, odor and ..eeeh tupperware?
Can you imagine a more beautiful sight? A sweeter smell? A more thrilling experience? And the best part is: The Game has yet to begin.
Finally, the referee is about to blow his whistle for the kick off.
A mind boggling amount of people is holding their breath because Surinam is playing against Brazil in the Maracanã at the 2022 World Cup final.
Back home the streets are deserted. Houses have been abandoned by those who were lucky enough to get hold of a ticket.
A little more than two hours from now the world will have witnessed a miracle. Edgar Davids - August 3rd 2006So how does the Surinamese national squad looks like? A first glance when walking around in the streets, what you’ll see is a stunning mix of mostly Indian (as in originally from India as well as the original Amazon Indians), African, Afro-American, Indonesian, Chinese, Jewish, Lebanese, Dutch Anglo-Saxon people and a even more stunning mix of all these races together, called Moksi (mixed) or sometimes Dogla.
So now lets get back to where we were. Surinam facing Brazil in the 2022 World Cup Final. The Surinamese national squad reflects this racial and religious mix in great detail. The starting eleven is now being introduced to the world by the stadium speaker at the Maracanã. I bet it’s the greatest of all time –Pele himself- that is gracing the mic.
Simultaneously names like Djojodikromo (originally from the Indonesian region), Ragoebiersing (with ancestors from India), Wijntuin (from Afro-American background), Hewitt (Moksi), Meerzorg (Dogla), Chang Pan Ho (5th generation Chinese descent), De Vries (Dutch colonial roots), Moussi Issa (Lebanese background), Sabajo (straight off one of the Amazon Indian tribes), Polak (Jewish family line), and Misiedjan (descendents of 19th century runaway slaves) light up high up on the scoreboard for billions of spectators to see.
Finally, a huge, huge dream from a small and beautiful country has come true. August 02 Edgar Davids - August 2nd 2006Whoever thinks Maracanã, thinks, Brazil, Rio, Flamengo, Fluminense, the spectacular Fla-Flu match up, Botafogo, loads and loads of football crazy fans
As well as one hell of a clean-up job after each game. As far as exceptional talents, names come to mind like Pele who scored his 1000th goal in the Maracanã, Didi the first one to score there and Zico, the legendary Flamengo topscorer with a breathtaking record breaking 333 goals in 435 matches, a cool 75+ % ratio.
So if, Surinam would ever make it to the World Cup (hey, didn’t Jamaica also made it to the Olympic Winter Games?), how would the team look like?
To answer this question you need to know a couple of things about the population. Maybe its easiest to have a in mind a picture of a Benetton ad. OK, now take away the ad and there you have it: a cross example of the Surinamese population.
How all these different people all got there is a story in itself. For now let’s stick to the fact that they all love The Game passionately. Edgar Davids - August 2nd 2006When I told you about a collective dream in Surinam about participating in the World Cup I didn’t quite gave you the full story.
Maybe you remember me telling you about a quarter of the Surinamese population fitting in the legendary Maracanã Stadium. If you find this hard to believe –and I can’t blame you for this- listen close.
When the Maracanã Stadium first opened its doors in 1950 for the 4th World Cup Football, the entire Surinamese population fitted in there nicely. To be more precise there still would have been enough leg room for cool boxes, barbecue sets and ice vendor machines of the smaller type. Actually, there also might have been room for a dressed up moped parking lot, ‘cause with an unprecedented 200.000 capacity the Maracanã rocked the World of Football like nothing before.
At that time so close after World War II, making it to the World Cup was already a dream of many –if not all- Surinamese people. The combination of Brazil, Football and Global recognition; I mean who could resist?
This dream is still alive and with so many great Surinamese football players in the Worlds major competitions it simply wont go away. July 28 Edgar Davids - July 28th 2006Somewhere along the way to the world Cup Finals, I couldn’t help but wondering why a country that has brought about so much sports talent can’t make it to the World Cup. If Trinidad & Tobago can do it, then surely Surinam must be able to do it.
Be assured that such a feat would cause a major mental uplift for the entire country. Ten thousands will sell their cars, homes, cattle and boat to join the national squad in the host country. This is not a joke. They will, believe me.
To give you an idea. A quarter of the Surinamese population fits nicely in the Maracana Stadium. Wouldn’t that be something? Surinam I the semi-finals against Brasil. Oh what the heck, Argentina or Italy (two other favorites amongst Surinamese football lovers) will do just as fine.
Can you imagine? A quarter of the total population in the seats of a football stadium.
Remember what I told you a while ago about the atmosphere in a Surinamese Football stadium? Now multiply and let that sweet smile come across your face. Edgar Davids - July 28th 2006People that know me well, know that the streets are my background in many ways. That’s where I learned The Game, the hustle, the determination and above all the technique of survival. Many times I had to play against opponents many times older, bigger and heavier than me. Even though it was sometimes a really intimidating experience I never backed down. Ever. That’s the basic rule of the streets. Show fear and you’re toast.
Since I was determined to become a professional football player I realized at an early age that no matter what the circumstances, intense heat, bitter cold and or mean opponents, I had to give it all I had to make a difference, to make a name. And so I did.
The streets and playgrounds of Amsterdam is where I learned how to play. Especially in Amsterdam Oost, I spent many, many afternoons, evenings, nights you name it, to develop my skills and my mentality. It has brought me to where I am today and from this point I’d like to pay homage to those playgrounds of my youth. July 24 Edgar Davids - July 20th 2006What has this World Cup taught us? A selection, please feel free to (dis)agree.
Edgar Davids - July 20th 2006Let’s talk about Zizou. He took a lot of heat after head butting Materazzi. Some were very, very quick to condemn a man of his stature. Within two weeks after the incident, the mood seems to have changed. Now it’s more like: If a man like Zidane loses his temper like that at such a crucial moment in his career and in the history of Football, what the hell has happened to provoke such an act?
With everything said and done by all of us at the sidelines, teammates, coaches, lip readers and the media, one thing still stands as a fact: there are only two men in the whole world that know the truth about what happened in the moments preceding the incident. These two are Zidane and Materazzi.
Now let me ask you this: which one of these two do you reckon a man of honor? July 13 Edgar Davids - July 13th 2006In the past 6 months I tried to give you an insight on how I look at The Game. For one, there are many ways to look at it. Skills, competition, style, transfers, gusto and last but definitely not least, the media, are all part of The Game. The key is how to deal with all this at the same time.
Even though it’s unlikely that I will play an active role in the Dutch national team, from a distance I sincerely hope that Holland will reinvent it self. Therefore I would like to call upon Dutch nationals, players of all level. football afficionados and media alike, to make a combined effort to impress the world at the next major international competition with a brand new Dutch Total Football Concept. Edgar Davids - July 13th 2006Looks like this will be one of my last blogs for this very inspiring MSN Road To World Cup Project. A lot has happened in these past 6 months both in the premier League as well as far as the World Cup. It started boring with Brasil and France but than Argentina, Spain and even the German squad started to spice things up. Hopefully the Dutch team will be back better, stronger and wiser next time around. It’s all part of The Game and we all can learn from this.
So, as far as the 2006 World Cup. Action, drama, deceptions all packed in one Dream Final. Hardly could’ve been any better don’t you agree? June 29 Edgar Davids - June 29th 2006Dutch Football has just lost it’s innocence. It’s ironic that under the leadership of one of the most refined football players of all time, the Dutch squad showed it’s capable of brutal assaults on the pitch.
Even though there were a lot of provocations from the Portugese side there’s simply no excuse for what happened. I guess we all can get a little carried away in the heat of the moment. I know it has occasionally happened to me. But this was something completely different.
I think –at least in part- we witnessed anger and frustration about not being the World Class squad that you were not too long ago. At the same time I’m convinced that something positive and powerful will come out of this match. New Dutch talents like Emanuelson, Huntelaar and Castelen will look at this debacle and say: this is not the way we want to do it, but we sure as hell are gonna fight with the same intensity to regain worldwide respect for Dutch Football.
It’s all about using the brain ‘cause at the end of the day, Power is nothing without Control Edgar Davids - June 29th 2006They did it again, didn’t they. Germany gave their opponents hope and then crushed. How long will it take Poland to recover from that last second crush. Decades? Sweden despite their world class players as their next opponent, obviously didn’t stand a chance.
A hungry German squad is capable of anything against anyone. We all now that, we just try to forget.
There are enough teams still in the tournament, that will try and break the magic of legendary football countries. Mexico almost succeeded against Argentina, but after 90 minutes I guess it was all over. A stunning volley by Maxi Rodrigues in extra time set the record straight. Nevertheless, Mexico can leave the tournament with their heads high up for the level of performance that they displayed during the World Cup. I’m sure they’ll be back next time.
There is a classic in the making. Holland versus Portugal The Portugese have a squad as good as any. They have a fanatic fan base and a critical but sometimes over exited press. ‘We’re gonna peel oranges’, one of the Portugese newspapers informed us, referring to the Dutch national color. Let’s just wait and see what happens… Edgar Davids - June 29th 2006Now that the first round is dealt with, it’s time for the real men in the World Cup to show their face. The first battle of the giants has yet to be played. I’m looking forward on how the Dutch squad will prove that they really are serious contenders for the World Cup. Critics seem to think that they don’t stand a chance. We’ll see about about that.
I feel sorry for some of the teams that were out of the tournament after the first round. Togo for example played with heart and soul as well as Japan, South Korea, Ghana and Trinidad & Tobago. Their performance only shows that the traditional small countries versus big countries gap, is becoming something from the past more and more.
Even though it seems early to predict the outcome of this development, I strongly feel that at the next World Cup one of the ‘smaller’ countries will fight its way to the semi- or maybe even the finals. Wouldn’t that be something? Not too long ago Greece showed us that it can be done as did South Korea 4 years ago. But for now let’s stick to whats still to come for the 2006 tournament. June 20 Edgar Davids - June 20th 2006Sport and education play a key role in the mental and physical development of children, but refugee camps aren’t exactly the places where you expect to see children learn and play. The Ninemillion.org project, a joint venture between the United Nations Refugee committee, the UNHCR and its business partners was initiated. It aims to enable refugee kids worldwide to play and learn despite the harsh conditions they live in.
For this cause a unique Ninemillion ball was designed and tested by refugee kids. It’s a high performance, super durable, size 4 junior ball especially built to last in rough terrain. Can you think of a more appropriate day to celebrate this unique project than November 20th, World Children’s day?
This day marks the anniversary of the day in 1959, when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. In 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed on the same date, guaranteeing basic needs for children such as the right to a safe environment, the right to be educated and the right to play. The Ninemillion project’s motto is: ‘Help them play, Let them learn’. I hope you’ll join us to make it really happen. Edgar Davids - June 20th 2006The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, is the main international body dedicated to the rights of every child. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, is the major convention countries sign up to. The Convention tries –amongst others- to fight the conscripting of children for war purpose. In a lot of countries around the world it’s not unusual to draft 15 years old. If you think this is a shocking figure, brace yourself: it gets even worse.
Sadly enough there are an estimated 120.000 child soldiers in Africa alone. Since were not counting soldiers from age 15 and up this means that were talking children, boys and girls alike, between age 8 to 14 years who have access to lethal weapons the same way children in the western world have access to toys. For a lot of these children it’s a choice between evil and worse: either join an armed militia or run for your life as millions have done before them. Child soldier or war refugee? Talking about options...
What I’m trying to say is that the child refugee problem and the abuse of children for war purposes are linked together. All of these children deserve a real life, with a real education, a real house and food on their plate. Best of all they deserve the Right To Play.
Check out righttoplay.com and marvel at their Kids Projects like I did. You wont regret. Edgar Davids - June 20th 2006Imagine a child running and a smile comes to your face. Same with a group of children and that’s the way its supposed to be. Nothing but positive thoughts go through your head ‘cause it represents fun, freedom and not a worry in the world.
Now imagine, a hundred, a thousands and then a couple of million children running for their life. Running from war, hunger and senseless violence. Makes for quite a different picture doesn’t it. Unfortunately its not a nightmare you can wake up from in the morning. In a lot of parts of the world it’s a day to day reality.
A single child that runs with no smile on his or her face means bad news. Multiply this by a million and your beginning to grasp the enormity of this child refugee problem that concerns us all. Actually it’s not even a problem anymore. It’s a disaster.
In the next weeks I’ll keep you posted on the Nike-Microsoft project that aims at bringing some relief to these vulnerable children all over the world. For now all I can say is that I’m proud to be part of an organization that makes an genuine effort to do the right thing. June 06 Edgar Davids - June 6th 2006Anyone who’ve checked in on the European Football Championships for players under 21 years must have noticed some very promising players. It’s a pleasure to see these youngsters going all out to represent their country. One thing in particular that stands out while watching them play, is that they haven’t forgotten how much an open and honest approach of the game is worth to billions of people worldwide. All you can hope for is that they won’t lose their head as they’ll enter -or proceed in- the big money professional Leagues.
The 4 best teams so far are Holland, France, Servië & Montenegro and Oekraïne. All of these teams have some exceptionally talented athletes amongst them.
Holland –who started the tournament slow- for instance, has Daniel de Ridder, Romeo Castelen and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The French on the other hand, have won all of their games so far, thanks to almost an entire squad of supertalents.
The match-up between France and Holland in the semi-finals will be an exiting one, I can assure you that as well as the other semi-final. One thing’s for sure: on June 4th well get to have a closer look at the future of wordlclass and World Cup worthy football. June 05 Edgar Davids - June 5th 2006Today I had a photo shoot in London. I was back home and it felt great. We had a strole in Portobello and there it happened: I saw this picture of uncle Bob. Who? Bob Marley the legend himself in a football outfit!!!!!!!!!!
I love black and white photos and now right in front of me was one of the Man himself!! When I was a young kid, we used to listen to his music a lot and I still feel that great vibe. Up till this day I regret not going to Africa when I was invited to join the festivities celebrating him and his music. He put all his heart and soul in his music and it’s so important even today to do that at work or at school, basically with anything you do.
There was even a picture of Curtis Mayfield mister Superfly; who again? Listen to the man and I’m sure you’ll recognise some tunes of Dre, Snoop Dogg and some other artists who’ve sought and found ''inspiration'' in his music.
But let’s get back to the Bob Marley story. It was the 12th copy of a limited series and I just had to purchase it. You know the feeling. To top it off, my friend -a photographers manager- brought me a gift which is a book of Mr. Marley playing soccer, signed for me by David Brooks (thanks a lot!). This extraordinary book portrays the last episodes of Bob Marleys’ life and how he spend it playing soccer and making music, simply enjoying himself.
Did I mention he had a jersey with number 12?
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