Blind's signing, however, was much to the chagrin of Ajax superstar Marco van Basten, who was upset that his manager had brought in a relatively unknown, defensive player from a fairly small club like Sparta, instead of splashing out on a big-money, big-name transfer.

Blind was again a penalty hero when he converted twice against Real Zaragoza in the European Super Cup final of 1995, which Ajax won 5–1 over the two legs.

Blind gained 42 caps for the Netherlands over a ten-year period, scoring once against Greece in a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier.

He made his debut in 1986 against Scotland but was not capped at all in 1987 or 1988,[4] an absence which meant he missed being a part of the triumphant UEFA Euro 1988 side.

On 15 May 2008, he returned to Ajax to become the new director of football in Amsterdam but switched roles when Martin Jol joined the club to assistant coach.

He was sacked by the Dutch FA on 26 March 2017, the day after losing 2–0 away at Bulgaria, which left their chances of qualification in serious doubt.