Edgar Davids played alongside some of the finest players of his generation, but none could motivate better than one player.

The former Netherlands midfielder enjoyed a colourful career which took him from European giants Ajax and Juventus to England’s Premier League and fifth-tier with Tottenham and Barnet.

GettyDavids first made a name for himself with Ajax, where he began his career[/caption]

At first club Ajax, between 1991 and 1996, he lined up alongside Dutch heroes Frank Rijkaard and Clarence Seedorf, as well as Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp.

Following this, his eight-year spell in Serie A during a golden era for Italian football in the late 1990s was just as star-studded.

Davids joined rivals Juventus in 1997, where he spent four years as a teammate of France icon Zinedine Zidane, as well as having a brief introduction to a young Thierry Henry.

Despite his time in close proximity to so many world-class players however, the Dutchman has singled out a lesser-known name for praise.

Appearing on The Line-Up on talkSPORT, the 1995 Champions League winner named former Uruguay international Paolo Montero as the teammate who helped get the best out of him.

Davids was pressed by Jim White on the best player he had played alongside, as he was asked which of them gave him a ‘tingle’.

“The list is long. But I think that sometimes, the tingle you also get sometimes from an opponent.

“If you know that you have a game and you have to play Roy Keane or [Patrick] Vieira or Xabi Alonso or [Claude] Makelele, you’d better step up.”

Discussing his old teammates, Davids said: “But from that point of view, I think for me the most important was Paolo Montero.

Davids spoke to talkSPORT about his career where he has played against some of the best players and also called some his teammates

Davids linked up with Zidane, considered one of the best of his generation, at JuventusGetty

Montero played with Davids more than 100 times at Juve and knew how to get him fired upRex

As well as stars at club level he played alongside Clarence Seedorf and Dennis Berkgamp for the NetherlandsAFP

“Because he could really get the team going, get the tempo up and he really got me going.

“He got annoyed all the time during the play, but he got the best out of me in every in every game.”

Though not quite in the same category as Zidane or Bergkamp, Montero was widely considered one of the best defenders in his generation.

The tough-tackling Uruguayan won four Serie A titles in nine years at Juventus, three of which came alongside Davids, and now currently serves as head coach of his old club’s reserve team.

And it isn’t hard to believe that he was able to keep Davids on task, with Montero’s fiery temper seeing him receive more red cards than any other player in Serie A history (16).

The 74-cap former Netherlands international also reserved special praise for another defender he once counted as a teammate.

Following spells at Barcelona and Inter Milan, Davids joined Tottenham in 2005, and revealed he was particularly impressed by Ledley King during his two years in north London.

Despite being plagued by persistent knee issues, King was regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League when fit, and made more than 300 appearances for Spurs.

Davids said of him: “Listen, I played with a lot of big players and this is the thing, because of his knees he couldn’t have had longevity.

King spent his entire 13-year career at Tottenham after rising through the club’s youth ranksGetty

“He didn’t train a lot, but this man could play, there was a different level. It was levels, levels.”

The Dutchman added: “But also, he didn’t need to tackle, he was there, and he was quick and [had good] positioning. And he could move, you know?”

That ability to read the game so well saw him live rent free in the heads of the best attackers around. “He is the only guy who doesn’t hold players,” Thierry Henry said. “He will get the ball off you without you even noticing. For me, that is a good defender.”

King was forced to retire in 2012 at the age of 31, but his name is still sung at White Hart Lane.

As for Davids, he also told talkSPORT he could have formed a midfield partnership with Roy Keane…

Watch the full interview on YouTube