Dutch international football player and coach.
Blind was born in Oost-Souborg in Sealand. He followed the Havo in Vlissingen whilst playing for the amateur club RCS. At age 17 scouts of Sparta Rotterdam approached him. On 29 August 1979 Blind made his professional football debut with Sparta. He stayed with Sparta for seven years. July 1986 he was transferred to Ajax, attracted by manager Johan Cruijff. Superstar Marco van Basten was upset Cruijff’s choice for this unknown, defensive player from a small club. But Van Basten was wrong. With Ajax, the sober playing defender would win all three European trophies (UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987, the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 1995). Blind secured the Intercontinental Cup, in 1995 against Brazil’s Grêmio, by scoring the winning penalty in the penalty shoot-out and was again a penalty hero when he converted twice against Real Zaragoza in the European Super Cup Final of 1995, which Ajax won 5–1 over the two legs. The two penalties Blind converted were in the 65th and 69th minutes of the second leg.
With Ajax, Blind won five Dutch Eredivisie Championships and four national cups. He retired on 16 May 1999.
Blind was head coach at Ajax from 14 March 2005 until 10 May 2006. From 2007 to 2008, he was football director of Sparta. On 15 May 2008 he returned to Ajax, to become the new football director in Amsterdam but switched roles when Martin Jol joined the club to assistant-trainer. Moving to the position of technical director for Ajax at the beginning of the 2011–12 season, on 9 February 2012, it was announced that Blind would retire from his duties as Technical Director at Ajax, concluding a heated dispute surrounding the club’s board of directors.
On 1 August 2015, Blind succeeded Guus Hiddink as a coach of the Netherlands national team. On 3 September 2015 he debuted in the play against Iceland. That day Blind let his son Daley play. The Dutch lost with 1-0 in Amsterdam. Because the next games were also lost, The Dutch lost the European Championship qualification.
Personal
Blind is married to Yvonne and has two children: Zoal and Daley. Daley Blind (9 March 1990, Amsterdam) became a professional footballer, who played for Ajax, Groningen, Manchester United and the Dutch team.
Early December 2006 Blind was involved in a car accident. Under influence of alcohol, Blind hit a parked car of a woman with bad luck on the road. In May 2008 Blind was sentenced to 180 hours community service and lost his driving license for 6 months.
Link to Wikipedia