Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar (Voorhout, October 29, 1970) is a Dutch former footballer. He has played for clubs such as Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Fulham, Manchester United and VV Noordwijk. He is the second player who has played the most matches for the Dutch national team, completing 130 appearances. Furthermore, he has been chosen on several occasions as the best goalkeeper in Europe, which is why he was considered one of the best in his position internationally.
In July 2023 he suffered a brain hemorrhage, from which he is out of danger.
Career
Ajax Amsterdam
Edwin van der Sar began his sporting career with Foreholte (a team from the Dutch city of Voorhout). He subsequently played for VV Noordwijk, until he was discovered by Ajax Amsterdam.
After coming through all the branches of the lower divisions of AFC Ajax, Van der Sar reached the first team in 1990. He was initially a substitute for Stanley Menzo in the first two seasons, but in the first he played nine league games. The following campaigns, with Louis van Gaal on the bench, he established himself until he became the owner of the Amsterdam club's goal, winning several titles, especially the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 1995.
Until 1999 he played 312 games in all competitions, and scored a goal, in a match against De Graafschap, valid for the local championship.
Juventus
After his successful time in the local league, he signed for Juventus in Italy, becoming the club's first non-Italian goalkeeper. He was a starter for two seasons, with great performance, but the Vecchia Signora signed Gianluigi Buffon and Edwin decided to try his luck in England and not be relegated to the role of substitute. He made 66 appearances for the Turin club, where he managed to win the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1999.
Fulham FC
Subsequently, the Dutchman signed a four-year contract with Fulham, in a deal worth around £7,700,000. He debuted with the team at Old Trafford on August 19, 2001 against Manchester United. He made 127 appearances for the team, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2002.
Manchester United
On July 1, 2005, he signed for Manchester United for three years, in a deal worth approximately £2,000,000. His professional debut was on August 9, 2005 in the third qualifying round of the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League against Debrecen, winning Manchester 3-0. He renewed his contract in December 2006, extending his relationship with the club until 2008; Later, in December 2008, he renewed his contract again, in this case until 2010.
With Manchester United, he has won the Premier League four times (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11) and the Champions League on May 21, 2008, being a fundamental piece for their victory, and ended up being chosen as the best goalkeeper of the 06-07 season and appearing in the ideal eleven (along with 6 other Manchester United players) being the second goalkeeper with the fewest goals scored along with José Manuel Reina from Liverpool and behind Petr Čech from Chelsea.
In 2007 Manchester United played the Community Shield against Chelsea. After regulation time ended in a 1-1 draw, Manchester United won on Penalties thanks to Van der Sar, who saved all three Penalties thrown at him.
On May 21, 2008, he saved the decisive penalty against Nicolas Anelka, in a penalty shootout that was reached due to the one-on-one result with which regulation time and extra time ended, granting him the League of Champions to Manchester United, being chosen best player of the final.
On January 1, 2009, in the confrontation between Manchester United and Everton, he surpassed the unbeaten mark of Reading goalkeeper Steve Death, between the 1978 and 1979 seasons, with a new historical record of 1,104 minutes. On February 21, 2010 he renewed for 1 more year with Manchester United.
His last official match was played on May 28, 2011 in the Champions League final at Wembley against FC Barcelona. The Spanish team won 3 to 1, preventing the Dutch goalkeeper from lifting his third Champions League title. At the age of 45 Van der Sar decided to return to defend the goal of his first team, VV Noordwijk.
National team
Van der Sar made his international debut for the Dutch national team on June 7, 1995, against Belarus. Although he was called up by Dick Advocaat for the 1994 Soccer World Cup. The starting goalkeeper was Ed De Goej. From this tournament onwards, Van der Sar became the team's starting goalkeeper, relegating Ed De Goej to the bench. He was appointed captain of the orange team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and continued to hold the position until his retirement from the national team.
Edwin Van der Sar has represented the Dutch national team on 130 occasions, currently being the player who has played with the national team the most times. Van der Sar surpassed Frank de Boer's previous record (112 appearances) on June 25, 2006, in a match played at the FIFA World Cup Stadium in Nuremberg against Portugal. In a press conference for a Dutch radio station, on the same day he turned 37, he announced that he would leave the national team after Euro 2008. On June 21 against Russia, after a great game and Euro Cup, and 128 games since debuted in 1995, he also announced that he will play only one more season for Manchester United.
After announcing his retirement, he was recalled to play two qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup due to the injury of the two goalkeepers of the Dutch team Maarten Stekelenburg and Henk Timmer, playing those matches without conceding no goal.
Participations in World Cups
| World | Headquarters | Outcome | Parties | Goles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 Football World Cup |  United States
| Final rooms | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Football World Cup | .svg){kind=small} France
| Fourth place | 7 | -7 |
| 2006 Football World Cup |  Germany
| Final Octavos | 4 | -2 |
Participations in Euro Cups
| Euro | Headquarters | Outcome | Parties | Goles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro Cup 1996 |  England
| Final rooms | 4 | -4 |
| Euro 2000 |  Belgium and  Netherlands
| Semifinals | 5 | -3 |
| Euro 2004 |  Portugal
| Semifinals | 5 | -6 |
| Euro 2008 |  Austria and  Switzerland
| Final rooms | 4 | -4 |
Clubs
| Club | Season | League | Cups Nationals | Cups International | Other tournaments *** | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part. | Goles | Part. | Goles | Part. | Goles | Part. | Goles | Part. | Goles | ||
| Ajax de AmsterdamNetherlands | 1990-91 | 9 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -1 |
| 1991-92 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992-93 | 19 | -19 | 3 | -5 | 3 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | -25 | |
| 1993-94 | 32 | -22 | 4 | -7 | 6 | -4 | 1 | 0 | 43 | -33 | |
| 1994-95 | 33 | - 28 | 3 | -3 | 11 | -4 | 1 | 0 | 48 | - 35 | |
| 1995-96 | 33 | -24 | 2 | -2 | 11 | -7 | 4 | -5 | 50 | -38 | |
| 1996-97 | 33 | -31 | 1 | -1 | 10 | -13 | 1 | -3 | 45 | - 48 | |
| 1997-98 | 33 | -22 | 5 | -1 | 8 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 46 | - 35 | |
| 1998-99 | 34 | -41 | 5 | -2 | 6 | -6 | 1 | -2 | 46 | - 51 | |
| Total | 226 | -188 | 23 | -21 | 55 | - 47 | 8 | -10 | 312 | -266 | |
Juventus F. C. Italy | 1999-00 | 32 | -19 | 3 | -4 | 11 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 46 | - 35 |
| 2000-01 | 34 | -27 | 2 | -2 | 6 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 42 | - 39 | |
| Total | 66 | - 46 | 5 | -6 | 17 | -22 | 0 | 0 | 88 | - 74. | |
| Fulham F. C.England | 2001-02 | 37 | -42. | 4 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | - 44 |
| 2002-03 | 19 | -24 | 0 | 0 | 11 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 30 | -33 | |
| 2003-04 | 37 | - 44 | 6 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | - 49 | |
| 2004-05 | 34 | - 54 | 6 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | - 61 | |
| Total | 127 | -164 | 16 | -16 | 11 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 154 | -189 | |
| Manchester United F. C.England | 2005-06 | 38 | -33 | 5 | -4 | 8 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 52 | -37 |
| 2006-07 | 32 | -25 | 3 | -4 | 12 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 47 | -42. | |
| 2007-08 | 29 | -18 | 4 | -2 | 10 | -4 | 1 | -1 | 44 | -25 | |
| 2008-09 | 33 | -21 | 2 | 0 | 10 | -5 | 4 | -6 | 49 | -32 | |
| 2009-10 | 21 | -13 | 2 | -3 | 6 | -8 | 0 | 0 | 29 | -24 | |
| 2010-11 | 33 | -32 | 2 | -1 | 10 | -6 | 1 | -1 | 46 | - 40 | |
| Total | 186 | - 142 | 18 | -14 | 56 | - 40 | 6 | -8 | 266 | -204 | |
| V. V NoordwijkNetherlands | 2016 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Total | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | |
| Total in your career | 606 | -541 | 62 | -57 | 139 | -118 | 14 | -18 | 821 | -734 | |
- (*) Netherlands Cup, Italian Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup.
- (**) UEFA European League, European Recouple, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Intertote Cup.
- (***) Netherlands Super Cup, European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Community Shield and Club World Cup.
Palmarés
National Championships
| Title | Club | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cup of the Netherlands | Ajax Amsterdam | Netherlands
| 1993 |
| Super Cup of the Netherlands | 1993 | ||
| Eredivisie | 1994 | ||
| Super Cup of the Netherlands | 1994 | ||
| Eredivisie | 1995 | ||
| Super Cup of the Netherlands | 1995 | ||
| Eredivisie | 1996 | ||
| Eredivisie | 1998 | ||
| Cup of the Netherlands | 1998 | ||
| Cup of the Netherlands | 1999 | ||
| Carling Cup | Manchester United F.C. | England
| 2006 |
| Premier League | 2007 | ||
| Community Shield | 2007 | ||
| Premier League | 2008 | ||
| Community Shield | 2008 | ||
| Football League Cup | 2009 | ||
| Premier League | 2009 | ||
| Football League Cup | 2010 | ||
| Community Shield | 2010 | ||
| Premier League | 2011 |
International championships
| Title | Club | Headquarters | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup | Ajax Amsterdam | Netherlands
| 1992 |
| UEFA Champions League |  Vienna
| 1995 | |
| European Super Cup |  Monaco
| 1995 | |
| Intercontinental Cup |  Japan
| 1995 | |
| UEFA Intertote Cup | Juventus F.C. | Italy
| 1999 |
| UEFA Intertote Cup | Fulham F.C. | England
| 2002 |
| UEFA Champions League | Manchester United F.C. |  Moscow
| 2008 |
| Club World Cup | Japan
| 2008 |
Individual distinctions
| Distinction | Year |
|---|---|
| Best goalkeeper in Europe | 1993, 1995 and 2009 |
| Third Best World Porter by IFFHS | 1998, 2008 |
| Fourth Best goalkeeper for IFFHS | 1999,2007 and 2009 |
| Fifth Best goalkeeper for IFFHS | 2006 |
| PFA Team of the Year | 2007,2009 and 2011 |
| Dutch Book of the Year | 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 |
| Dutch Gold Boot | 1998 |
| Premier League Golden Glove | 2009 |
| Third Best goalkeeper for the last 25 years by IFFHS | 2011 |
| 5.° best goalkeeper of the CenturyXXI according to IFFHS | 2012 |
Personal Life
Van der Sar and his wife Annemarie van Kesteren have two children. The couple's wedding ceremony took place at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam on May 20, 2006. Van der Sar's son, Joe, was on the field celebrating when his father saved a penalty in the Netherlands' 5-4 shootout victory over Sweden. in the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2004. In December 2009, Van Kesteren was admitted to hospital just two days before Christmas, reports said he had suffered a suspicious brain haemorrhage and was in a " very bad.' Van der Sar was granted indefinite leave following his wife's collapse, and is understood to have recovered well, with no long-term effects.
In July 2023, while on vacation with his family in Croatia, Van der Sar was admitted to intensive care at the hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage.