Edwin van der Sar is one of the most popular football players, a legend of European football and the Dutch national team. He was born on October 29, 1970, and this player is truly one of the most outstanding goalkeepers in the world. In 2011, at the age of 41, he completed his club career. This football player has a very rich and exciting biography, and you should definitely tell about it.

Carier start

Van der Sar began playing in clubs in his hometown. In these teams, he was noticed by Louis van Gaal, as a result of which he was invited to Ajax. Naturally, the goalkeeper, young at that time, agreed to this advantageous offer. So he became one of the most valuable players in the second squad. Together with the Dutch team, he won three national cups and four championships, as well as the UEFA Cup in 1992. And also the most important club tournament. That is, the Champions League (in 1995). Then he was recognized as the best goalkeeper in all of Europe. And van der Sar broke the “dry” Champions League record. As part of the Dutch Ajax, the footballer played 226 matches and scored even one goal from the penalty spot. In general, these nine years have been quite fruitful. But this, as it turned out, was only the beginning.

Career at Juventus and Fulham

In 1999, van der Sar accepted another lucrative offer, this time from Turin's Juventus. As part of this club, he entered the field 66 times. But then, as you might guess, the great Gianluigi Buffon took his place, who to this day defends the honor of the “old lady”. Interestingly, the goalkeeper van der Sar became the first non-Italian goalkeeper in the history of the Turin team.

Then he was invited to Fulham. The Dutchman did not agree with the role of a substitute goalkeeper in Juventus, so he decided to move to England. For him, they paid an amount of approximately 7,100,000 euros. For his new team, the Dutchman played 154 matches. Altogether four years. After that, another important career stage came in his life.

"Manchester United"

The Red Devils bought the goalkeeper for an undisclosed amount. But the British were satisfied with the acquisition. Sar, whose biography is really impressive, was named the team's best goalkeeper. So said Sir Alex Ferguson himself - the head coach. And Edwin lived up to expectations. So, for example, one of the most striking and memorable matches was the game against Manchester City. Then Edwin managed to keep the gate absolutely “dry”. That game ended in favor of United, only with a minimum score of 1:0. At the end of that season, van der Sar was named to the PFA Team of the Year. A couple of months later he was recognized as the hero of the match. It was an FA Super Cup game and Manchester United won it, with the help of the goalkeeper. Edwin saved three direct shots from the Londoners, all from penalties.

There is one factor that helped a goalkeeper like van der Sar make great seedings. Growth is what it's all about. It does not reach only 3 centimeters to two meters. Tall, agile, instantly responsive, attentive - these qualities helped Edwin become a truly outstanding goalkeeper.

Team career

This goalkeeper was included in the Dutch national team at the 1994 World Cup as a substitute (Ed de Gouy was then the main one), but for the first time in this line-up he entered the field only a year later. And from that moment on, Edwin was the first team number in all subsequent championships, both European and world.

At the European Championships, held in 2000, he did not miss a single goal. Only when he was replaced by Sander Westerfeld did the team receive an own goal from rivals. In general, in total, the “dry” series, designed by the great Dutchman, is 594 minutes. And this is a record of all European championships. In 2006, he beat another indicator. At that World Cup, he left behind Frank de Boer's record for the number of games for the national team.

True, in 2008 he said that after the European Championship he would immediately hang up his gloves on a nail. And so it happened. True, when the main goalkeeper of the national team was injured in the 2010 World Cup qualifying, he was called up to the team. Edwin could not refuse and entered the field twice without conceding a single goal.

It is worth noting that Edwin played in a modern manner. Often went outside the gate (I immediately remember the best goalkeeper of our time - Manuel Neuer) and liked to play in the position of the last defender. It's hard not to admit that he played superbly with his feet.

Van der Sar has a wife, Annemarie van Kesteren, whom he married in 2006, and two children, daughter Lynn and son Joey.

And he also has an incredibly huge number of achievements that are impossible to list everything. 14 trophies with Ajax, the Intertoto Cup with Juventus and the second with Fulham, 11 titles with Manchester United, fourth place at the 1998 World Cup and bronze medals at the 2000 and 2004 European Championships. And these are just team achievements. Golden Glove, a special PFA award for services to football, a seven-time winner of the title of the best goalkeeper and, finally, the oldest player in the Champions League final in history. Van der Sar is a truly great footballer. And it's been proven.

(Born in 1970)

He played in the clubs "Noordwijk" and "Ajax" (Holland), "Juventus" (Italy). In 2001 he moved to the Fulham club (England). Since 1995, the goalkeeper of the Dutch national team.

For more than ten years now, the main goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has taken his usual place at the gates of the Dutch national team. Outwardly, he is, perhaps, the exact opposite of Oliver Kahn - the figure is not powerful, but long and thin, while his face surprisingly retained boyish-simple features, and besides, Edwin van der Sar's ears are somehow quite childishly a little protruding. The German and the Dutchman also differ in their goalkeeping style - van der Sar does not play hard, but rather elegantly, but at the same time very rationally. Van der Sar also has one more “zest” that distinguishes him from other goalkeepers: he owns the most accurate pass at any distance, and often a sharp Dutch attack starts right from his gate.

But, of course, his main duty is to protect his own goal, with which he copes with dignity. Both the Dutch footballers and numerous fans of the Orange Team are confident in the reliability of their goalkeeper.

And the first "pancake" in the national team came out with him, I must say, "lump" - exactly the same as many other wonderful goalkeepers. In June 1995, Guus Hiddink, then coach of the Dutch national team, entrusted the 25-year-old goalkeeper with a goalkeeper for the first time in a European Championship qualifying match against Belarus, far from the strongest opponent. The game was held in Minsk. The Dutch did not succeed in attack that day, and van de Sar made a gross mistake, and Sergei Gerasimets scored the only goal.

Nevertheless, Hiddink believed in the young goalkeeper, considering his oversight an unfortunate misunderstanding or a manifestation of excessive excitement. The coach could not help but be impressed by the game van der Sar in his club Ajax. Just in 1995, Ajax reached all possible heights: became the winner of the European Champions League, beating Milan 1-0 in the final, then won the European Super Cup, defeating Real Zaragoza, and, finally, became the owner Intercontinental Cup, having won against the Brazilian club Gremio.

In addition, in the mid-1990s, Ajax became the Dutch champion three times. To a large extent, the club owed all these successes to the performance of their goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar. However, the whole team was then magnificent and almost entirely consisting of pupils of the famous Ajax football school, among which were, for example, Patrick Kluivert and Edgar Davids.

But van der Sar himself, who was born in the city of Voorhout, got to Ajax in a different way. He began playing for the amateur team Noordwijk, whose coach Ruud Bring was a friend of Ajax coach Louis van Gaal. Bring and recommended the young goalkeeper to his friend. So in 1989, Edwin van der Sar ended up in a professional club, but for four long years he sat on the bench. Only in 1993, when the main goalkeeper of "Amsterdam" Stanley Menzo "failed" in the quarter-final match with the French Auxerre, van Gaal decided to entrust van der Sar with a place in the gate. Since then, he never left this place, having reached the highest heights with the team.

However, it so happened that in the following year many leading players left Ajax for various reasons. True, the club again managed to reach the Champions League final, but lost to Juventus. Regular time ended in a draw 1:1. The Italians won 4-2 on penalties. Nevertheless, there was nothing to reproach the goalkeeper, he played brilliantly.

In the same 1996, van der Sar, together with the Dutch national team, came to England for the European Championship as the main goalkeeper. In the first two matches of the group stage, he left his net untouchable - the Dutch drew with Scotland - 0:0, and defeated Switzerland - 2:0. However, the last match with the hosts of the tournament, the England national team, became the football Waterloo for the Dutch - 1:4. Nevertheless, the "orange" reached the quarterfinals, where they met with the French team. The main time ended in a draw. But the French won in the penalty shootout - 5:4.

Despite the failure of the Dutch national team, van der Sar was already then called one of the best goalkeepers in the world, noting his elegant and original game. True, some considered his weak point to be his inability to repel penalty kicks. Of the five penalties, the French, in fact, scored him all five. But, on the other hand, claims should also be made against the field players of the Dutch, who scored fewer goals than the French ...

Strikingly unlucky for the Dutch in the post-match penalties and in all other big tournaments. Sometimes they didn't score penalty kicks during playing time either. And this is despite the fact that the Dutch national team has always had an excellent selection of players, and much more could be expected from it.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, van der Sar again conceded only two goals in three group stage matches. In the match of the one-eighth final, the Dutch defeated the national team of Yugoslavia - 2:1, and in the quarterfinals the national team of Argentina - 2:1. In the semi-final match, the Dutch played on equal terms with the Brazilian national team. The main time ended 1:1. The Brazilians won 4-2 on penalties.

This fatal misfortune with penalty kicks reached its zenith at the 2000 European Championships held in Holland and Belgium. The stadium in Rotterdam was chosen as the venue for the final match, and, of course, the whole of Holland was waiting for the native “orange” team to win. The Dutch team came out as the winner in the group, having won three victories, including over the then world champion team of France - 3:2. In the quarterfinal match, the Yugoslav national team was defeated - 6:1. But then came the day of the semi-final with the Italian national team, led by the then legendary goalkeeper of another generation turned coach, Dino Zoff ...

Zoff chose his usual purely defensive option. Pretty soon one of the Italians was removed from the field. It seemed that a powerful Dutch attack was about to break the Italian defense. But the score to the end remained zero, although the Dutch hit penalty kicks twice. One shot was parried by Italian goalkeeper Toldo, the other hit the post. The Dutch failed to score in extra time. And again, in the penalty shoot-out, the Dutch team lost - 1:3.

Another failure of the national team did not shake the reputation of Edwin van der Sar - he remained and remains to this day one of the strongest goalkeepers in the world. As for his club career, shortly after the 1998 World Cup, he moved from Ajax to the Italian Juventus. In his first season for the Turin club, van der Sar conceded only 20 goals in 34 matches - significantly less than any other Serie A goalkeeper. True, the goalkeeper himself noted that the task of goalkeepers in Holland and Italy is noticeably different. “In Holland, entertainment is as important as the result, and therefore creative functions are assigned to everyone, including goalkeepers. In Italy, the result is the only criterion, and for goalkeepers, the most important thing is reliability.” And in 2001, Edwin van der Sar signed a four-year contract with the English club Fulham.

Now the famous Dutchman has come to the best time for the goalkeeper football maturity and wisdom, and he is going to play for a long time. As an example for himself, he considers the experience of Dino Zoff, who became the world champion at the age of forty.

Do you remember those footballers who made history? Who do we admire? Together with the end of the career of the greats, an entire era seemed to be leaving. Where are they now?

Probably everyone remembers the 2008 European Championship and the match when our players defeated the Dutch. But now it's not about our team. Most of all then went to the goalkeeper, who, indeed, went down in history as one of the best.

He has 14 trophies with Ajax, the Intertoto Cup with Juventus and the second with Fulham, 11 titles with Manchester United, fourth place at the 1998 World Cup and bronze at the 2000 and 2004 European Championships. And these are just team achievements. Golden Glove, a special PFA award for services to football, a seven-time winner of the title of the best goalkeeper and, finally, the oldest player in the Champions League final in history. Edwin van der Sar is a truly great football player.

The Dutchman was born on October 29, 1970, and ended his career at the age of 41. But now a little biography, he really has a very rich and exciting one. From childhood, Edwin was much taller than his peers, so somehow it turned out by itself that he stood at the gate. As he himself says, the coach of the team for which he played as a child told him: “You know, you are the tallest, get in the goal.” And then Edwin decided that he would never play football again. But things turned out differently. Edwin's then Noordwijk manager was on good terms with Louis van Gaal, who advised him to look into young goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. That's how he ended up at Ajax. But despite this, he had to be in reserve for two whole years. But already in 1992, his finest hour came. Van der Sar has been defending the Ajax goal from the first minutes. And he does it incomparably, which allowed him to continue to stand in them for about 7 years. In the same club, he was even given the nickname "Edwin van der Seive" for his excellent reaction, jumping ability and other qualities that only the best goalkeeper could absorb.

A little later, fate decreed that Edwin began to defend the colors of Juventus. As he himself later admitted, here he made a mistake, because at that time Alex Ferguson himself called him to himself. But the game of the Juve goalkeeper did not work out there, and they gave him to Fulham. And two years later, an important stage came in his life. Manchester United still got their way and bought Edwin. It was from this moment that the peak of his career began. Van der Sar, whose biography is really impressive, was named the team's best goalkeeper. So said Sir Alex Ferguson himself - the head coach. Already here he felt at ease and justified the hopes of all who believed in him.

The game in the national team began in 1994, however, then he was still a reserve goalkeeper. But this did not frighten Van der Sar, he knew that this was only the beginning, as it was at Ajax. Here he waited not two years, but one. And from the first moment of the game at the start, he firmly took his place at the gates of the Dutch national team.

He completed his career at the age of 41. Just imagine! Having risen to the top of fame at such a late age, he changed the traditional idea of ​​​​a career as a goalkeeper. The ideal of a football player is an elderly, experienced head on young legs. He probably could have continued his career further, but it was affected by family problems.

What is the ex-footballer doing now?

He did not stop there, and after the completion of his football career, Van der Sar's "boring retirement" began.

The Dutchman has his own website called "Edwinvandersarfoundation.com", where he talks about the implementation of his projects aimed at supporting people with traumatic brain injuries in the field of rehabilitation, participation and prevention. It all started with the fact that in 2011 a similar disease affected his wife. In 2017, the foundation turns 5 years old, in honor of this Edwin made a special anniversary tour of Holland. Van der Sar also loves animals and regularly donates money to various foundations to protect them.

In 2016, the footballer even had to resume his playing career. True, only for one match. His first club, Noordwijk, was left without goalkeepers at that time, and Edwin had to enter the field. The match ended with the score 1:1. But even without playing practice, he managed to save a penalty!

In November of the same year, the ex-goalkeeper of the Dutch national team and Manchester United officially became the director of FC Ajax, where he spent 9 years as a player, and since 2012 he has been the marketing director. But the football field does not want to let go of its hero. Edwin sometimes puts on his gloves again and takes up his already native position, sharing his experience with young football players. It's not every day that you get the chance to train with a great athlete. So the younger generation of Holland is in the safe hands of a great player.

NATURAL TALENT

The football world has seen a lot of great goalkeepers and each of them was unique in his own way. Each goalkeeper was a mirror of his era, a kind of long-playing symbol of past victories. One such legend of modern football, who began playing in the mid-90s, is Edwin Van der Sar.
Edwin was born on October 29, 1970 in the small but lovely town of Voorhout, in the province of South Holland. Very soon, football came to the fore from other interests of childhood, which was facilitated by Edwin's father. He does not remember the first match he saw with his own eyes, but most likely it was a TV broadcast of one of the matches of Ajax or the Dutch national team. “My parents sent me to bed very early - even before seven in the evening. But if there was football, my father would wake me up and let me watch the game with him.”

The local Foreholte team, as well as the same obscure VV Noordwijk, became just the first step in evolution for the novice footballer. He was not even a goalkeeper then, he studied diligently and thought of becoming a salesman in a store, like his uncle, a former Volendam player. Louis van Gaal, then a novice Ajax manager, noticed Van der Sar as a tall and quite mobile center forward. In the famous De Tukomst Academy, Edwin grew in technical terms and ... got into the goal.

He was good on the field, but anyone who came close to Van der Sar knew that he was the perfect goalkeeper. Huge, with long and muscular arms, even then, thanks to these qualities, he could close most of the gates from the opponent's players. Thanks to the growth, Edwin felt confident during the exits. The reaction and technique of catching the ball were polished during long training sessions. Like any Dutchman, Van der Sar is not afraid of work and is able to work on some component indefinitely. He continues to work on this even now, because the goalkeeper studies all his life - he learned this axiom once and for all.

CLUB CAREER: A LONG ROAD TO OLD TRAFFORD

AJAX is the best attacking player

Unlike a significant part of the Ajax players of the mid-90s, Van der Cap is not a graduate of the club's famous football school. There is an interesting rumor that the long and skinny goalkeeper got to Amsterdam not because of his bright and memorable game, but because of the pull. Noordwijk coach Ruud Bling is said to have been close friends with Ajax coach Louis van Gaal. And, of course, Louis listened to the advice of a friend and sometimes took a couple of promising players from his team. For a long four years, Edwin “warmed up the shop”, only from time to time coming on as a substitute. Ajax's number one was Stanley Menzo. He stood out not only for the color of his skin, but also for his bright manner of playing. Menzo loved spectacular throws and was not afraid to make bold decisions, relying on a phenomenal reaction and innate jumping ability.

When the plan succeeded, the stands fought in ecstasy from the breathtaking beauty with which Stanley saved the gate. However, often the next unpredictable trick of Menzo turned into a stupid missed ball, or even an injury to the goalkeeper himself. It was thanks to the damage to the first number in the duel against Sparta Rotterdam that a lanky and unknown debutant entered the field. Then-coach Leo Beenhacker patted the young goalkeeper on the back and said warmly, "It's time." Van der Sar was terribly nervous, but he did not do anything stupid, and in front of his name, every witness of that debut mentally ticked - let's see what happens next.

“April 20, 1989 Ajax vs Sparta. I remember this match well, I then started on the bench. But our main goalkeeper broke down and I had to step into the game. I was very worried, because then no one knew me and everyone asked one question: “who is this?”. But the coach said: "your time has come." I was excited. But everything went well, I played 10 more games in a row after that. So the debut wasn't so bad," Van der Sar recalls about his first match.
While Menzo was recovering, Edwin played nine matches in a row. Of course, there were mistakes, but even then his calmness and self-confidence spoke in favor of Van der Sar. He did only what was necessary and nothing more. The Menzo at the gate was like ball lightning, which had to explode sooner or later, and Edwin could only wait.

When in the early 90s, goalkeepers were banned from taking the ball from their own defenders, Edwin's experience in the field came in handy. He adapted to new requirements easily and calmly. Johan Cruyff very soon named him among the best goalkeepers in the history of Dutch football. “He is unique. Usually goalkeepers kick the ball somewhere in the stands, but Edwin remains part of the game of the whole team and takes part in the attacks thanks to an accurate and accurate pass. Opponent forwards quickly realized that trying to take the ball away from him was useless, and defenders began to trust him, knowing that in any situation they could get a convenient pass from him.

The time of the “flying Surinamese” was irreversibly blown into the past, and the last frame in the film about the career of the eccentric goalkeeper of Ajax was the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup with Auxerre. The Amsterdam club in the 91/92 season won this trophy, wanted to defend the title, but on March 3, 1993 suffered a fatal defeat in France - 2:4. 10 minutes before the final whistle. The score was tied when Menzo sent the ball into his own net with his fist after a cross from the corner of the field, and then brought another goal. Louis van Gaal was already the head coach and after that match he made the decision once and for all to give the goalkeeper position to Van der Sar.
At the beginning of the return match, Edwin was decently nervous. He almost helped his opponent score, but soon regained his famous composure, for which Van der Sar was nicknamed "The Ice Rabbit" in Holland. It was after this match that Edwin's five-year streak began at Ajax.

Van Der Sar won his first international trophy almost immediately. That team was very good. An excellent attack, a balanced defense, the few mistakes of which were corrected by the hero of this story. Titles rained down on Ajax in a hail: the European Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, not to mention the national championship, where Ajax simply had no worthy rivals. But, the collapse of the "gnomes" happened suddenly. It's all the fault of the Bosman case. Gradually, all the leaders of the team dispersed: Seedorf, Davids, Overmars, the de Boers brothers, Litmanen, Kluivert. Van der Sar was the longest-serving member of the "old guard" at Ajax. But it was time for him to leave. The team no longer had such great ambitions. The verdict in the Bosman case shattered Ajax's morale. And there were no international class performers.
The Dutch goalkeeper was claimed by many leading European clubs, including the English "Manchester United", who had just won the Champions League and were looking for a replacement for Peter Schmeichel, who had gone to the Lisbon "Sporting". Van der Cap chose Juventus in Turin. “I decided to go to Italy because I really like to study other cultures, and there is not much difference between Holland and England. But that doesn't mean I don't like the Premier League. Maybe I'll have time to play in England... The most important thing for me was to be in a great club... Juventus is without a doubt one of the greatest clubs in Europe."

Juventus - "Unrestrained" goalkeeper

In Turin, Van der Cap got used to it very quickly. Juventus have conceded just 20 league goals in 34 league matches, far fewer than any other team, and it's not the goalkeeper's fault, but the attack's (46 goals) that the Turints missed the Scudetto. Nevertheless, Van der Cap admitted that the first season in Italy was not as easy for him as it might seem at first glance. "Goalkeeping tasks in Italy and Holland differ significantly. In Holland, entertainment is as important as the result, and therefore creative functions are assigned to everyone, including goalkeepers. In Italy, the result is the only criterion, and for goalkeepers the most important thing is - reliability".

Naturally, Van der Sar had to rebuild. However, the Dutchman so impressed Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti with his ability to make accurate passes with his feet to partners that the goalkeeper was allowed "liberties" when putting the ball into play, and one can even say that during the 1999/2000 season, Juventus' style of action when moving from defense to attack has undergone significant changes. "At first they demanded that I kick the ball away from the goal in a critical situation. But now they know that I can start a sharp attack, and they use this quality of mine."
The problem for Van der Sar was that he didn't know Serie A strikers well.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, in order to achieve perfection, Van der Sar needed to tighten up the game on the outputs, especially at high pitches.
Catching the ball is perhaps the most important part of goalkeeping. It is to catch, not to repulse. The goalkeeper who catches the ball takes full responsibility for the episode. Beating the ball, he divides it between himself and the defenders. One gets the impression that now goalkeepers are no longer required to catch balls. Maybe that's more reliable. When the episode does not depend on one person, the risk is reduced.
On May 6, 2001, Edwin Van der Sar acutely felt the validity of this assumption. In a key match for the Scudetto, Juventus beat Roma 2-0. At the end of the match, the Japanese midfielder of the Romans, Hidetoshi Nakata, won back one ball with an excellent long-range shot. Van der Sar rushed for the ball, but did not get it. No one was going to blame him - the blow was perfect: powerful, on an outgoing trajectory. As the fourth official raised the sign, signaling the start of five minutes of injury time, Nakata fired another shot from a distance. This time the ball flew almost to the center of the gate and was supposed to be the prey of the Dutchman. Edwin tried to catch the round, but failed to secure the ball in his hands. The defenders did not have time to react to the rebound, and Vincenzo Montella finished off the ball into the net. Van der Sar lying down tried to parry the kick, but it was useless.
So "Roma" equalized the score and subsequently bypassed "Juventus" at the finish turn.

Two seasons in Turin failed neither Edwin nor his team. There were enough complaints about Van der Sar's game, and he does not deny that he played below his capabilities. In addition to the decisive mistake in the match with Roma, the Dutchman had other mistakes on his conscience - as in the match with Milan, when Edwin made a mistake at the exit. “When you find yourself in a team like Juventus, you want to play for more than two years and win trophies. For some reason I didn't get one or the other. And yet, I don't think I deserve to be treated like this."

Juventus said goodbye to Carlo Ancelotti, returning Marcello Lippi to the coaching bridge. The general director of the club, Luciano Moggi, assured both Van der Sar personally and the fans that the reshuffle in the coaching staff would not affect the number one position: “Edwin will remain, because only a very high-class goalkeeper can replace him, and there are only one or two such in the world and screwed up. We believe in Van der Sar's character."

It's only been two and a half weeks since the announcement and Juventus have shelled out £32m for Gigi Buffon. If there were better goalkeepers in the world than Van der Sar, then Buffon was definitely number one. It made no sense for Edwin to stay in Turin, and he immediately began to look for a new job. Germany, Holland, England - there were enough offers for the goalkeeper, even if he was not going through the best period in his career. Manchester United were no longer among the applicants - Sir Alex believed that in the person of Fabien Barthez he found a solution to the problem. Louis van Gaal recommended a trip to England, and Van der Sar ended up choosing Premier League debutant Fulham. He later recalled: “My wife and I fell in love with Italy immediately, and the fans reciprocated. When I was leaving, they drove a whole truck full of gifts to my house, full of gifts - for me, my wife, and children. Juventus already had Buffon and I didn't want to be second."

FULHAM - Edwin's Four Year Series

Edwin very quickly became the idol of the Fulham fans. The Summer Residents, led by the famous Frenchman Jean Tigana, took tenth place in their debut season in the Premier League, won a ticket to the Intertoto Cup and won this tournament with brilliance, but Van der Sar soon realized that he would not see the Champions League here. "I was overcome with mortal anguish when I heard the anthem of this great tournament."

Edwin's second season at Fulham was marred by an injury that saw him miss six months. But, in general, he remained the unconditional first number and was constantly in sight. It's hard to lose focus in a team like Fulham, there's always a lot of work, but Van der Sar has never been afraid of work. Do not count the points that the game of their goalkeeper brought to the Cottagers! He once stood alone against Arsenal, parrying two dozen shots on target, and at Old Trafford he helped his team win a sensational 3-1 victory.
One evening, Van der Sar and his wife sat in front of the television, where Peter Schmeichel, on a football program, said: "I would advise my former boss Sir Alex Ferguson to pay attention to Van der Sar." “I was damn pleased, because I really missed the Champions League,” the Dutchman later admitted. “But I didn’t get a call from Sir Alex until a year after Schmeichel’s tip.”
“When I was 24 years old, I thought that I would play for another ten years, after which I would retire. However, as it turned out, the older you get, the more fun you get from the game! It was clear to any Londoner that it was not for themselves that the “summer residents” brought such a treasure to the island. “Today he is the best in the world. I don't just say it because he's Dutch. Van der Sar proved that while playing for Juventus, Arsenal player Giovanni Van Bronkhorst said. And Dennis Bergkamp, ​​who played with Van der Sar at Ajax, put it in plain text: “He is more than a great goalkeeper. He is the team's lifesaver and I will do my best to get him to Arsenal." Nevertheless, still honoring corporate ethics and team spirit, Edwin defended three seasons (154 matches) for Fulham. With a year left before the expiration of the four-year contract, the owners of the club, despite Coleman's hopeless protests, put their capital investment on the transfer. Fortunately, at that time all the Big Four clubs, except for Manchester United, solved their goalkeeping problems both at the base and in the reserve.
In the summer of 2005, Van der Sar not only did not intend to put an end to his career, he decided to write a truly glorious page in it. Sir Alex has finally found his goalkeeper and Edwin his team. And since then, in the life of a middle-aged goalkeeper, a new gaming era has begun - the era of Manchester United.

MANCHESTER UNITED - Devilish goalkeeper

At the time, Ferguson's decision to give up £2m for the elderly goalkeeper's three-year deal was met with mixed reactions. Sir Alex so painfully searched for a goalkeeper equal to Peter Schmeichel that there were enough doubts about the need for this particular step. And because Van der Sar was already well aged, and because the coach had already made so many mistakes. For six years of searching, Mark Bosnich and Massimo Taibi, Raymond van der Gove and Fabien Barthez, Roy Carroll and Tim Howard, as well as the Spaniard Ricardo, the ancient Scot Andy Goram, the young Paul Rachubka and Nick Culkin visited the gates of Manchester United ... And when Fergie now says that the arrival of Van der Sar was the most important change in his team, he can be understood.

In the camp of the Red Devils, Ed found his second youth. He became better in everything: faster, sharper at exits, pulled up in reaction to long-range shots and penalties. Yes, branded blunders were already much smaller. Alex Ferguson was delighted: “He brought with him strength of character. Ed always takes care of himself and trains well.”
And the trophies have not rusted: Community Shield (2007 and 2008), Carling Cup 2006, championship (2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009), Champions League 2007/08 (the same magnificent final in which Ed realized his dream and beat off the decisive 11-meter kick) and, newfangled, the club World Championship.

"Edwin is the best goalkeeper we've had since Schmeichel," the Mancunian mentor is convinced. - There are many players who, having reached the top, calm down. But he's not one of those. He is quite capable of playing at the same level until the age of 40.

After the clowning that Barthez arranged at the gate, and the "foam" that Tim Howard regularly let out, they could not stop looking at Van der Sar's calmness and reliability at Manchester. Edwin became a star again when he was already 35 years old. Van der Star ("star" in English - "star") - that's what they call him in Foggy Albion.

Sir Alex Ferguson on Van Der Sar: He probably got a second wind when he came to United. He had great success at Fulham and before that at Juventus, but joining us gave him a boost, which often happens with goalkeepers at this age. He's ready to play, he's not overweight, he's hungry for wins and could easily play two more years. He also enjoys prestige in the locker room. He may not be as expressive as, for example, Schmeichel, but what he says during the game matters to the players because he has a lot of experience and a special charisma.

This year, Van der Sar extended his contract for another year, and it looks like next season will be his last in big football.
At the end of his career, he plans to move to his native Voorhout and ... try his hand at attacking in a local amateur team. “You know, scoring goals is still the most enjoyable part of football,” he says. However, the veteran believes he still hasn't made his most impressive save yet.

CAREER IN THE TEAM - "orange" years

In June 1995, 10 days after winning the Champions League, Van der Sar tried on the national team jersey. Guus Hiddink entrusted Edwin with a place in the squad in the away qualifying match for Euro 1996 against Belarus. The debut turned out to be a failure - in Minsk, the "orange" lost, and the only goal was scored by Sergei Gerasimets after a gross mistake by the goalkeeper.

This is how the goalkeeper himself recalls: “It was in 1995, ten days later, when I won the Champions League with Ajax. We (the Dutch team) were to meet with Belarusians in Minsk, at that time Belarus was a very wild country! The hotel where we stayed had no proper sanitation, no mirrors, no curtains. These living conditions shocked us. We lost that match, this is how my first match turned out.
Be that as it may, but after this failure, Edwin remained in the national team. What Hiddink, for sure, did not regret, because until the very end of the selection, the team's gates remained locked. At the 1996 European Championship, Edwin went as the main goalkeeper.

If anyone thinks that the England team is traditionally unlucky in terms of penalties, then this one has never rooted for the Dutch team. In the first two matches of the Orange campaign in Europe, Van der Sar did not concede a single goal (0:0 with Scotland and a victory over Switzerland - 2:0), but in the match with England he broke his fast for four cans (1:4). However, the Dutch made it to the quarter-finals, where they lost to France on penalties 4-5. Van der Sar didn't take a single hit. 1998, World Championship in France. The Dutch national team brings a very good squad and traditionally grazes in the favorites. The group stage was passed with a bang, Van der Sar conceded only two goals in three matches. In one eighth and in the quarterfinals, the difficult teams of Yugoslavia and Argentina, respectively, were beaten with the same score 2:1. In the semi-finals, the “orange” caught the Brazilians. Regular time - 1:1, Brazilians win on penalties - 4:2. Edwin again did not reflect a single blow.

European Championship 2000. The Dutch triumphantly go through the group, scoring maximum points and simultaneously beating the world champions and the future champions of the continent, the French team. Beating the baby in the face of Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals - 6:1. In the semifinals - a meeting with the Italian national team Dino Zoffa, who not only played almost the entire match with ten men, but also brought two penalties to their own net, none of which was realized. A series of penalty kicks ends with a score of 1:3. Of course, in favor of the Italians. Interestingly, at the same time, Van der Sar was literally adored both in the national team and in the country, and they never even tried to lynch him. He is very good as a captain. He never forgets to greet and thank the fans, as well as to “turn on” the stands at the right time. Always finds the right idiomatic expressions to give weight to the phrase: "Gentlemen, go and kill!". Enjoys unconditional authority on the field and the respect of coaches. In short, the embodied ideal of a leader without fear or reproach.

In 2002, the Netherlands team did not qualify for the final tournament of the World Championship in Japan and Korea. At the 2004 European Championship in Portugal, the Dutch barely crawled out of a difficult group only thanks to the ambitious Czechs, who, in a match that meant nothing to themselves, carried the German national team forward feet first with the second squad.
On June 26, 2004, in the quarterfinals of the European Championship, the Dutch fought with the Swedes. Score 5:4 (on penalties) on this day, God turned his back on Sweden.

Dutchman Edwin van der Sar is one of the most titled goalkeepers of the 21st century. The athlete has eight championships at the club level and two bronze medals of the European Championships with the national team. Van der Sar is the only goalkeeper to win the Champions League twice: with Ajax in 1995 and with Manchester United in the Moscow final in 2008. I talked to the goalkeeper about the World Cup in Russia, Euro 2008 and the best goalkeepers on the planet.

“Leaving for a European club could be a new challenge for Akinfeev”

Lenta.ru: 10 years ago you were already in Moscow. How do you like the city today?

Edwin van der Sar: Moscow will forever remain in my memory, because here I won one of the main titles in my career - the Champions League. I like the city, especially now, when so many fans from all over the world have come to Moscow. Definitely, Russia opened up from a very pleasant side.

Have your impressions of Moscow changed over these 10 years?

When I was a player, I didn't get to see much. Our route passed between the hotel and the stadium, and in our free time we just wanted to relax. Of course, now the image of your country has changed due to politics. But the 2018 World Cup has improved the attitude of foreigners towards Russia.

The tournament turned out to be intense for the fans and broke the record for the number of penalties awarded. Already implemented 21 penalty kicks. (The previous record was 18, dated from the 1990/1998/2002 World Cup). How does a goalkeeper prepare for a penalty kick?

Now different sources of training are open for goalkeepers: you can find which corner a particular player hits more often. If he hit 17 times to the right and only three to the left, you will be ready to hit. However, new difficulties arose: the forwards began to punch right in the center. Therefore, the goalkeeper needs to train more carefully.

Is the new Telstar Dream ball designed for the World Cup helping the goalkeeper to stop shots?

Yes. Adidas has gone to great lengths to make the ball comfortable for the goalkeeper. But football is made for scoring goals. If it becomes very easy for the goalkeeper to cope with the blows, then the fans will not be happy.

Photo: Alexei Filippov / RIA Novosti

It is technically possible to prepare for a penalty, but how do you set yourself up emotionally? Is it important for a team to have a leader who will energize the rest?

Still would! Emotional recharging is important for any team. The person who will say: it will be difficult, but we will manage. Most often, this role is assigned to the captain. In the case of the Russian team -. He is an experienced goalkeeper who has been playing for Russia for a long time and knows what's what.

Does Akinfeev have the opportunity to move to a top club? Or is it missing for him?

Akinfeev had to leave Russia much earlier. Although I moved from Fulham to "" only at 34 years old. Therefore, the transition to a European club could be a new challenge for Akinfeev and an opportunity to play against great players. I advise him to leave CSKA and try to gain a foothold in Europe.

I wouldn't say so. He scored a first-class save in the last group stage match against South Korea. And this despite missing the season due to injury. Before the injury, Neuer was the leader of both the German national team and Bayern Munich. I hope he returns to his previous level soon.

“I did not expect such a result from the Russian team”

Germany failed to qualify from the group, most of the favorites also went home, not living up to expectations. Who was your favourite?

Before the semi-finals, I thought that, most likely, England would win. Although in the first match of the 1/2 finals I supported Belgium with all my heart. They are our neighbours, we speak the same language and many Belgian players play on our teams.

How surprising was the performance of the Croats for you?

I thought it would be difficult for them. They spent a lot of energy on two penalty shootouts, the match against the Russian team turned out to be especially difficult. But the emotional charge helped them. A small country with about four million people beat the huge Russia and surpassed the British.

Russian football players are unknown abroad, because the Premier League is practically not broadcast on television. Therefore, I watch your athletes only during international competitions. When I watched the friendly matches, I did not expect such a result from the Russian team at all. Apparently, the home world championship gave the players an additional impetus for a good game.

The Dutch team did not manage to get to this World Cup. What was missing from the team?

Do you really think that our team has problems? Yes, we didn't make it to the World Cup. But we had a difficult group in the qualifying round: France, Sweden, which left the Italians without the World Cup. We have a lot of good young players who will be full of energy for Euro 2020 and we will break into the elite again.

What was missing from this World Cup?

Dutch fans. You go to Red Square and meet fans from Colombia, Spain, Brazil, but there are no guys in orange uniforms. I hope that at the next international tournament I will still see my native colors.

"2008 became the year of Russian football"

For the Russian team, the victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2008 was one of the most significant in the country's football history. What do you think about when you remember that match?

It seems to me that that victory happened largely thanks to the coach, who worked in Holland for a long time and knew our players well. Maybe Russia was in a little better shape. It was a shame to lose to Russia then, because for me that match was the last in the Dutch national team.

Were you surprised by the outcome of that meeting?

He didn't surprise me. If the team got to the European Championship, then it knows how to play football. Moreover, we have heard a lot about football players from Moscow and St. Petersburg clubs, which by that time had already won the Cup. Probably, 2008 was the year of Russian football.

Before the match, did you know at least one of the Russian football players?

Not really. Your football league is hardly covered in Europe. And if we watch Russian clubs in the Champions League, we see a huge number of foreigners. The star of the team is more likely to be a Brazilian than a Russian.

Do you think it is possible to see the teams of Russia and the Netherlands in the final of the European Championship 2020?

Everything is possible in football. But if this happens, then Holland will definitely win.