Retired Dutch footballer Edgar Davids Thursday arrived in Ho Chi Minh City to attend the Tiger Street Football tournament where he is the international ambassador.

Davids, who started his career at Ajax Amsterdam, was warmly welcomed by local fans when his flight landed at the city’s Tan Son Nhat Airport.

“I have quite many friends in Vietnam. I hope this will be a successful trip, and I’ll try to eat Vietnamese food,” he said, while delivering signatures and taking photos with the fans.

The Tiger Street Football tournament runs from September 27 to 28, at the 23-9 Park in District 1.

Davids has 74 caps for the Netherlands, scoring six goals, and represented his country once at the FIFA World Cup, and three times at the Euro.

“I came from street football in Amsterdam. The techniques of street football helped me to catch attention from the Ajax’s manhunter recruiters,” he told reporters. “Hence, street football always has a significant meaning to me.”

Street football is a good school to learn football techniques, and it has nourished many of the world’s top players, including Pele, he added.

Davids said he expects to be surprised by Vietnamese players.

“What’s important is you should prove your skills with the ball,” he said.

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