Daley Blind believes that Louis van Gaal and his own father Danny Blind are the best national coaches he has played under. That says the 33-year-old defender of Bayern Munich in an extensive interview The Telegraph. Blind can play his hundredth international match for the Dutch national team against France on Friday evening. National coach Ronald Koeman gives him that chance, but is therefore not one of Blind’s favorite national coaches.
Blind had to deal with various national coaches at the the Dutch: Van Gaal, Guus Hiddink, Blind senior, Fred Grim and Frans Hoek (interim), Dick Advocaat, Dwight Lodeweges (interim), Frank de Boer and Koeman. When asked about his best national coaches, the left leg mentions Van Gaal, who made his debut, and his own father. “You attack me with that. That is a question of conscience. I should perhaps say Louis van Gaal, but say Louis van Gaal and my father Danny, although in my father’s time we were not in a good phase with the the Dutch and we did not perform well.
The veteran then explains his choice in detail. A combination of the two is best. The group process with Van Gaal, while my dad is my best personal trainer. From childhood. His lessons helped me become the football player I have become. My best trainer ever.” The choice for his best international match is easier, Blind concludes. “My World Cup debut in 2014, the opening game against Spain, which we won 5-1 and where I assisted with a pass from the back to make it 1-1 with Robin van Persie’s legendary goal. That ball changed my life, because with this one ball I was immediately on the map all over the world.”
Blind still remembers his least international match. “Turkey away in Konya, on September 6, 2015. My father as national coach on the bench, substituted in the 74th minute and lost 3-0. I let my father down, that’s how it felt. I let the Dutch national team and myself down. Other low points in my the Dutch career are the missed European Championship 2016 in France and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. That still hurts.” Blind was active in a total of three final tournaments. It seems that he is in his last week as an international.