Controversy is never far away from Davids. At his best the Surinam-born star is almost the complete midfielder, possessing great tenacity, stamina and a surprisingly subtle touch. Juventus FC coach Marcello Lippi once famously described him as "my one-man engine room". When a company decided, during EURO 2000™, to emblazon the image of a Dutch footballer on to the face of one of Rotterdam’s tallest buildings, as if blasting through it, the explosive Davids was the automatic choice. Not afraid to speak his mind, he was sent home from EURO 96™ for publicly criticising the Dutch coach, Guus Hiddink. Starting his career at AFC Ajax, where he won the UEFA Champions League in 1995 and three Dutch league titles, he initially failed to settle in Italy with Milan AC. He joined Juventus in December 1997. Davids has needed operations on both eyes due to acute glaucoma and he was given permission to wear protective glasses during matches. He has also represented his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.