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Daley Blind

Blind with Ajax in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Daley Blind[1]
Date of birth	(1990-03-09) 9 March 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder / Left back
Team information
Current team	Ajax
Number	17
Youth career
	AFC Amsterdam
1998–2008	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–	Ajax	102	(3)
2010	→ Groningen (loan)	17	(0)
2013	→ Jong Ajax	1	(0)
International career‡
2004	Netherlands U15	1	(0)
2006	Netherlands U16	4	(0)
2006–2007	Netherlands U17	13	(3)
2007–2009	Netherlands U19	16	(0)
2009–2013	Netherlands U21	23	(0)
2013–	Netherlands	19	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:20, 30 August 2014 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 July 2014

Daley Blind (born 9 March 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left back and defensive midfielder for AFC Ajax and the Dutch national team. He is the son of former Ajax defender Danny Blind.^[2]

Blind began his career in the youth academy of his hometown club, AFC Ajax; the same club where his father Danny made his name as a professional.^[3] Blind is a product of the Ajax youth system and, while officially still a B-junior, he became a mainstay in the A-juniors during the 2007–08 season.^[2] before earning promotion to the Ajax first team for the 2008–09 season.^[4] He signed his first professional contract at age seventeen tying him to the club until 1 July 2010.^[2]

On 7 December 2008, Blind made his debut in the Ajax first team in the away match against FC Volendam. Blind made an immediate impact when he forced a cornerkick through a Volendam defender, from which Jan Vertonghen scored the winning goal for Ajax.^[4] On 19 December 2008, he signed a contract extension keeping him with Ajax until 30 June 2013.^[5][6]

On 5 January 2010 he joined Groningen on loan for the remainder of the 2009–10 season, during the winter transfer window.^[7] During his time at Groningen, Blind was mainly deployed as a right-back.^[8]

The following two seasons saw Blind contribute to two Eredivisie national championships with Ajax, for the 2010–11 season, and the 2011–12 season, the first of which would be Ajax's 30th championship title. Under newly appointed manager Frank de Boer, Blind would be given more and more trust and playing time, earning him the place as the first choice left back with a permanent starting position during the 2012–13 season.^[9]

On 23 April 2013, it was announced by Marc Overmars, that Ajax and Blind had reached an agreement to extend his contract for three years, binding him to the club until the summer of 2016.^[10] On 5 May, Blind contributed to Ajax's third Dutch Eredivisie title in a row, marking the clubs 32nd national title, helping to defeat Willem II 5–0 at home, and securing the top position on the table just one match day from season's end. Later that day it was announced that Blind had been declared AFC Ajax Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season, after playing an outstanding fifth year for Ajax, from the starting left back position.

During the 2013–14 season, Blind was played as a holding central midfielder and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year as Ajax won a fourth consecutive league title.^[11]

On 30 August 2014, a £13.8 million fee was agreed for Blind to transfer to Manchester United.^[12]

Blind was called up to the Netherlands under-17 squad for 2007 European Championships. After missing out the opening match through suspension, he scored a brace against Iceland in the second match^[13] but picked up an ankle injury in that match that ended his participation in the remainder of the tournament.^[14] He was called up to the U-21 team for several 2011 European Championship qualifiers but did not leave the bench. On 13 October, he made his first appearance in the campaign, coming on as a substitute for Ajax teammate Siem de Jong in a 4–0 win away at Poland.

Having had previous call-ups, Blind made his debut for the Netherlands senior team on 6 February 2013, in the starting left back position, against Italy in a friendly encounter at the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Blind playing the full 90 minutes.^[15]

In June 2014, he was selected in the Netherlands' squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was a starter at left wingback for the team's opening match against Spain, assisting goals for Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, as Oranje won 5–1.^[16] He scored his first goal for the Netherlands in a 3–0 defeat of Brazil in the third-place play-off much to the delight of his father, Danny Blind, and manager, Louis van Gaal.^[17]

As of match played 10 August 2014^[18][19]

Statistics accurate as of 12 July 2014.^[20]

Scores and results list the Netherlands goals first:

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	12 July 2014	Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil	Brazil	2–0	3–0	2014 FIFA World Cup

Ajax^[21]

• Eredivisie: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
• Johan Cruijff Shield: 2013

Netherlands

• FIFA World Cup Third place: 2014^[22]

• AFC Ajax Talent of the Future: 2007–08^[23]
• AFC Ajax Player of the Year: 2012–13^[24]
• Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2014^[25]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daley Blind.

• Voetbal International profile Template:Nl icon
• Official Ajax profile – Blind
• Netherlands U15 stats at OnsOranje
• Netherlands U16 stats at OnsOranje
• Netherlands U17 stats at OnsOranje
• Netherlands U19 stats at OnsOranje
• Netherlands U21 stats at OnsOranje

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