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 football player. He was not even a goalkeeper then, he studied diligently and thought of becoming a salesman in a store, like his uncle - former player"Volendama". 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 in the mid-90s, Van der Cap is not a pupil of the famous football school club. 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 shot in the film about the career of the eccentric Ajax goalkeeper 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 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 did not have 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. Yes, and performers international class was not observed.
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.

In the opinion of 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 afar. 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 club's general manager, Luciano Moggi, assured both Van der Sar personally and the fans that the reshuffle in coaching staff will not affect post number one: “Edwin will remain, because only a very high-class goalkeeper can replace him, and there are only one or two of them in the world. 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. "Summer residents", which was headed by the famous Frenchman Jean Tigana, occupied debut season in the Premier League tenth place, 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 down in front of the TV, where Peter Schmeichel, on one of the football programs, 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 on his four-year contract, the club's owners, 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 was not only not going 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. Became better in everything: faster, sharper at the exits, tightened up the reaction to long shots and a penalty. 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 played well at Fulham and before that at Juventus, but joining us gave him an extra boost, which often happens with goalkeepers at this age. He's ready to play, hasn't excess weight, craves victories and can 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. Group stage passed with a bang, Van der Sar missed in three matches just two balls. 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 semi-finals - a meeting with the Italian national team Dino Zoffa, which not only played almost the entire match with ten men, but also brought two penalties to its 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. Never forgets to greet and thank the fans, as well as right moment"start" the stands. 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 with their feet.
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.

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Edwin van der Sar

"Edwin van der Sar"

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 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 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 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.

"Edwin van der Sar"

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 qualifying match European Championship against the team of Belarus - not 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 Voorhout, got to Ajax in a different way.

"Edwin van der Sar"

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 the place at the gates of van der Sar. 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 group tournament he left his gate intact - the Dutch drew with Scotland - 0:0, and defeated Switzerland - 2:0. However last match with the hosts of the tournament, the England team became the football Waterloo for the Dutch - 1:4.

"Edwin van der Sar"

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 balls 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.

"Edwin van der Sar"

The Brazilians won 4-2 on penalties.

This fatal misfortune with penalties reached its climax at the 2000 European Championships held in Holland and Belgium. The stadium in Rotterdam was chosen as the place 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-finals against Italy, led by the then-legendary goalkeeper-turned-coach of another generation, 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 him club career, then 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 just 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.

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2011

2005 1995 and with Manchester United 2008 year. AT 1995 and 2009

1992 of the year and the Champions League 1995 of the year. AT 1995 1996 1997/98 ).

AT 1999

2001

2005

5 May 2007 2006/07

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Edwin van der Sar is a Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Finished career in 2011 year. For more than thirteen years, Van der Sar was the main goalkeeper and captain of the Netherlands national team, for which he played 130 matches, which is a national team record.

Van der Sar began his career at Ajax, where he spent nine years. Then he played for Juventus and Fulham, and in 2005 moved to Manchester United. Van der Sar is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs: with Ajax in 1995 and with Manchester United 2008 year. AT 1995 and 2009 years van der Sar was recognized as the best European goalkeeper.

Edwin van der Sar began his career in the clubs of his hometown, where he was noticed by Louis van Gaal. As a result, van der Sar moved to Ajax, becoming one of the key players in the second "golden generation" of the club. He won four league titles, three Dutch Cups and a UEFA Cup with Ajax. 1992 of the year and the Champions League 1995 of the year. AT 1995 year he was recognized as the best goalkeeper in Europe. Van der Sar also played in the Champions League final 1996 of the year, however, in that match, Ajax lost to Juventus in the penalty shoot-out. In total, van der Sar played 226 matches for Ajax and scored one goal from the penalty spot (against De Grafschap in the season 1997/98 ).

AT 1999 In the year van der Sar moved to the Italian club Juventus, for which he played 66 matches in Serie A, after which he lost his place at the gate. He became the first non-Italian goalkeeper in the history of Juventus.

Dissatisfied with his role as substitute goalkeeper at Juventus, van der Sar moved to Premier League club Fulham in 2001 year for an amount of about £ 7.1 million. In total, he played 154 matches for the summer residents.

Van der Sar joined Manchester United on 10 June 2005 year, the amount of the transfer was not disclosed (according to some reports, it amounted to £ 2 million). Main coach United Sir Alex called van der Sar the team's best goalkeeper since Peter Schmeichel.

5 May 2007 Van der Sar took a penalty against Manchester City to secure a 1-0 victory for United in the Manchester derby. The following day, Chelsea failed to beat Arsenal at the Emirates, guaranteeing United's ninth Premier League win and Van der Sar's first English league medal. Edwin was named to the PFA Team of the Year at the end of the season. 2006/07 . Three months later, van der Sar became the hero of the FA Super Cup match, parrying three Chelsea kicks from the penalty mark in a penalty shoot-out, after which United became the winners of the Super Cup.

Season 2007/08 became very successful for van der Sar: he helped the club win the Premier League title, as well as the Champions League. In the Champions League final, it was van der Sar's save from Nicolas Anelka's penalty shootout that ensured Manchester United's victory over Chelsea.

12 December 2008 2009/10 .

January 27 2009 of the year, after beating West Bromwich Albion 5-0, van der Sar helped Manchester United set a new club record and a Premier League record with 11 clean sheets ( 1032 minutes) in a row. Previous record set by Peter in season 2004/05 , was 10 matches ( 1025 minutes). The series of clean sheets did not end there, and four days later van der Sar broke the English Championship record held by Reading's Steve Deth ( 1103 minutes) and set to 1979 year. On February 8, van der Sar held another "dry match" with West Ham, and his streak lasted until 1212 minutes, beating the British record set by Aberdeen goalkeeper Bobby Clarke ( 1155 minutes) in 1971 year.

18th of Febuary 2009 van der Sar's "dry streak" lasted until 1302 minutes, surpassing the single-season world record set by José Maria Bulhubasic ( 1289 minutes) in the Chilean Championship 2005 year. The record streak came to an end against Newcastle on 4 March when van der Sar conceded a goal in the 9th minute of the match. In total, van der Sar spent 1311 minutes without conceded goals in the championship. This "clean sheet" was a key factor in winning Manchester United's 11th Premier League title. Van der Sar has won the Golden Glove award this season with 21 clean sheets in the Premier League.

Van der Sar injured his finger in the Audi Cup pre-season match and missed 12 of United's old games of the season. 2009/10 . October 6 2009 van der Sar made his first appearance since injury in United's reserves game against Everton. On 17 October, he returned to the main squad, playing in a match against Bolton, which ended in a 2-1 victory for United. On November 21, van der Sar was injured again and was out for 12 matches, including due to family circumstances (his wife suffered a cerebral hemorrhage before Christmas). January 16 2010 he returned to the team when United beat Burnley 3-0.

February 26 2010 van der Sar extended his contract with United for one year, until the end of the season 2010/11 . In the end of January 2011 Edwin announced his decision to retire at the end of the season 2010/11 .

Van der Sar's last game was the Champions League final. 2010/11 against Barcelona, ​​in which the Catalan club won with a score of 3: 1.

Although his debut in the national team was, to put it mildly, not very successful. After a series of superb performances for Ajax in the Champions League, then-Orange manager Guus Hiddink selected Van der Sar in June 1995 for a European Championship qualifier against Belarus. However, there was a huge confusion. The Dutch lost in Minsk, and Sergei Gerasimets scored the only goal after Van der Sar's mistake. Five years later, all this - the loss of the Dutch to the Belarusians and Van der Sar's mistake - seems even more unrealistic.

Unlike most Ajax players in the mid-90s, Van der Cap is not a graduate of the club's famous football school. He started playing in the amateur team "Noordwijk", and got to Amsterdam in 1989 thanks to the friendship of the coach of "Noordwijk" Ruud Bring with Louis van Gaal. Four years after Stanley Menzo's several blunders in the UEFA Cup quarter-final against Auxerre, Van der Sar had a chance to win a place in the starting line-up, which he used brilliantly. Largely thanks to Van der Sar, Ajax won the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in the mid-90s, and also had no equal in the Dutch championship for three years in a row. However, after the decisions of the European Court in the Bosman case great team broke up. Van der Cap, by the way, stayed in Amsterdam the longest. It wasn't until a year ago that he finally decided to change the scene.

Many leading European clubs claimed the Dutch goalkeeper, including Manchester United, who were looking for a replacement for Peter Schmeichel. Van der Cap chose Juventus. "I decided to go to Italy because I really enjoy learning about other cultures and there isn't 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...More important everything for me was to be in a great club... Juventus is without a doubt one of the greatest clubs in Europe."

In Turin, Van der Cap got used to it very quickly. Juventus have conceded just 20 goals in 34 league games, far fewer than any other team, and it's not the goalkeeper's fault that the Turints missed the Scudetto. Nevertheless, Van der Cap admits 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 the coach of "lOventyca" Carlo Ancelotti with his ability to make accurate passes with his feet to the partners that the goalkeeper was allowed "liberties" when putting the ball into play, and one can even say that over the past season, Juventus' style of action when moving from defense to attack has undergone significant changes. "At first, I was required to immediately 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."

For now, the problem for Van der Sar is that he doesn't know Serie A strikers well.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, in order to achieve perfection, Van der Sar needs to improve his game on exits, especially at high innings. The Dutchman is also not a specialist in repelling penalty kicks. Both in Ajax in the 1996 Champions League final against his current club, and in the national team in the 1996 European Championship quarter-final against France, and in the 1998 World Cup semi-final against Brazil, he failed to save a single blow in the post-match series. However, Van der Cap believes that there is no pattern here.

"As the European Championship approaches, the pressure increases," says Edwin. "But I'm calm about it. I only have trouble sleeping when I miss a ball that, in my opinion, could be reflected."

Best of the day

“In general, I think that the grandiose expectations of our fans cannot affect the performance of the national team for the worse. After all, we have long been accustomed to this, and then almost all of us play for big clubs. The main thing is to approach the European Championship in optimal physical condition.”

By the way, the fact that the gates of the Dutch are protected by a Juventus player is good sign. In the post-war years, the Italians won two major tournaments, the 1968 European Championship and the 1982 World Cup, and both times the goalkeeper of the national team was the representative of the "old lady". namely Dino Zoff.

Edwin van der Sar can, without any exaggeration, be called a unique footballer - the peak of his career fell between 35 and 40 years old, the age when most players retire from football.

Edwin van der Sar

• Country: Holland.
• Position: goalkeeper.
• Born: October 29, 1970.
• Height: 197 cm.

Biography and career of a football player

Edwin was born in small town Voorhout, located in the province of South Holland, where he also began to play football in local clubs. Since childhood, he was much taller than his peers, so somehow it turned out by itself that he stood at the gate.

“I played in an amateur children's team for two years, and one time the coach said:“ You know, you are the tallest, get in the goal. Then I thought: “This is the last time I play football,” Edwin later recalled.

It is not known how the fate of van der Sar would have developed if the then Noordwijk coach had not been on a short footing with Louis van Gaal and advised him to pay attention to the young goalkeeper.

Ajax

1990-1999

So van der Sar ended up at Ajax, and a little later, Louis van Gaal became the head coach of the team. Despite this, Edwin had to sit behind Stanley Menzo for two and a half years, the second at that time, after van Breukelen, the goalkeeper of the Dutch national team.

Only in the middle of the 1992-1993 season, van der Sar took a place at the gates of Ajax, but he took it firmly, remaining the permanent gatekeeper of the Amsterdam club for seven years.

Despite being tall even for a goalkeeper, van der Sar had good jumping ability and excellent reaction. "Van der Seive" was the nickname given to him by his teammates. And for such a component as playing with his feet, Edwin still remains one of the best goalkeepers in the history of world football.

The best season for both the club and the goalkeeper was the 1994-1995 season, when, to victory in the national championship, as well as in the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, Edwin van der Sar was recognized as the best goalkeeper in Europe.

By the way, speaking for Ajax, van der Sar scored a goal against De Grafshap, converting a penalty. it is impossible to name him, of course, but one scored ball eat in track record not every goalkeeper.

Juventus

1999-2001

The transition to the strongest championship at that time was undoubtedly a step forward, especially considering that Ajax players began to actively buy up richer clubs, especially since, thanks to the decision on the Bosman case, the existing limit on foreign players was canceled.

At Juventus, van der Sar spent two seasons and spent them on high level. I repeat, Serie A was the strongest European league at that time, and Juventus twice became second in the championship during these years, the first time losing a point to Lazio, the second - two points to Roma.

By the way, it is interesting that Carlo Ancelotti, who coached the club at the time, even changed the tactics of the team's game when moving from defense to attack because of van der Sar. The fact is that in the Dutch championship, goalkeepers traditionally took part in the beginning of the attack, and van der Sar, accustomed to such a game from childhood, played great with his feet.

“At first, I was required to immediately kick the ball away from the goal. But now the coach knows that I can start a sharp attack, and uses this quality of mine,” the goalkeeper himself explained this.

In general, foreign goalkeepers, given the level of the Italian goalkeeper school, have a very hard time in the Apennines. Van der Sar, for example, became the first goalkeeper - a legionary of Juventus.

Before the start of the 2001-2002 season, Juventus acquired Gianluigi Buffon, and the club's management made it clear that it was he who would be the main bet. Therefore, van der Sar left Turin.

Fulham

2001-2005

At the time of the transfer to Fulham, van der Sar was already 30 years old - the age for the goalkeeper is far from critical, but many people perceived this transfer as the beginning of the sunset of the Dutch goalkeeper's career.

Yes, he plays elite championship, but big clubs is no longer needed, ”fans and experts reasoned something like this.

So it was at first - Edwin van der Sar spent four seasons in the summer residents, while remaining the main goalkeeper of the Dutch national team, and Fulham's highest achievement over the years was 9th place in the championship.

But everything changed overnight.

"Manchester United"

2005-2011

In the summer of 2005, van der Sar found himself at Manchester United, which for several years, after leaving, experienced problems at the post of number 1.

It was not clear that this problem was solved with the help of a 35-year-old goalkeeper, who in recent years has been far from being the best strong club. And many openly laughed at this transfer.

But Sir Alex knew what he was doing, otherwise he would not have been a great coach. In the person of van der Sar, Manchester United acquired a reliable rear, and the fans forgot about the goalkeeper problem for six years. Four league titles were won by the Red Devils in van der Sarom in goal.

And the Dutchman himself updated several "eternal" records for the number of "dry" minutes. First, the Premier League record set by Peter Cech fell (van der Sar did not miss 1032 minutes in a row). Edwin went on to set the English Championship record since 1979 (1,103 clean minutes), then surpassed the British record (1,212 minutes), and finally the world record by playing 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal in the national championship.

It was in 2009, and it is not surprising that in that season Edwin van der Sar was named the best goalkeeper in Europe for the second time in his career and achieved this at the age of 38. And a year earlier, van der Sar's save in the post-match penalty shootout with London's Chelsea brought Manchester his third ever European Cup.

Van der Sar's farewell to Manchester United could have been not just beautiful, but outstanding, or something (I don't even know which epithet is more appropriate). Last time he entered the pitch with the Red Devils on 28 May 2011 in the Champions League final against Barcelona. Alas, United lost that match, and we must admit that we lost on the case.

Holland national team

1995-2008

In 1994, Edwin van der Sar, as part of the Dutch national team, went to the World Cup in the USA, but only as a substitute goalkeeper. And his first match for national team he held June 7, 1995.

The debut was not the most successful - the Dutch lost the match qualifying tournament Belarus national team. But the worst of trouble is the beginning: later van der Sar became the first number of the "orange" team for a long 13 years, taking part in four European Championships and two World Championships ( world championship The Dutch missed 2002), where he was invariably the main goalkeeper.

Three of these six tournaments the Dutch left after defeats in the penalty shoot-out. Particularly offensive were the defeats in the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup from the Brazilian national team and from Italy.

According to many fans, the Dutch team was the best team in those tournaments, and deserved to win at least one of them. And here I’ve heard reproaches against van der Sar: if only he knew how to reflect a penalty…

Yes, come on! No goalkeeper has ever lost a penalty shootout. The goalkeeper can win it, but field players always lose, because the chances of a kicker from 11 meters are incommensurably higher than the chances of standing in the frame.

After the 2008 European Championship, Edwin van der Sar announced his retirement from the national team, but made two more qualifying matches for it.

Farewell match by Edwin van der Sar

And with big football legendary goalkeeper said goodbye on August 3, 2011. At the Amsterdam Arena stadium, Ajax and the Dream Team met, for which Van der Sar's former partner in Manchester United and the Dutch national team played.

Edwin himself also played for Dream, which won with a score of 2:1.

Titles by Edwin van der Sar

Command

1. Four-time Dutch champion.
2. Three-time winner of the Dutch Cup.
3. Three-time winner of the Dutch Super Cup.
4. Four-time English champion.
5. Two-time FA Cup winner.
6. Three-time English Super Cup winner.
7. Two-time Champions League winner.
8. UEFA Cup Winner.
9. European Super Cup Winner.
10. Winner of the Intercontinental Cup.
11. Bronze medalist of the European Championships in 2000 and 2004.
12. Semi-finalist of the 1998 World Cup.

Individual

1. The best goalkeeper in Europe in 1995 and 2009.
2. Holland's best goalkeeper 1994-1997.
3. The best player in the Netherlands in 1998.

• Van der Sar is the only goalkeeper in the world to win the Champions League with two different clubs.
• In 2016, van der Sar resumed his playing career. True, only for one match - his first club Noordwijk, which played in the fourth division, was left without goalkeepers, and Edwin had to enter the field. The game ended 1-1 and Van der Sar saved a penalty!

• Van der Sar is the record holder for the number of clean sheets in the matches of the final stage of the European Championships - 594. He didn’t miss van der Sar at all (in the match group stage against the French team, he did not take part, and in the quarterfinals with Yugoslavia he was replaced with a score of 4:0 in favor of the Netherlands).
• Van der Sar was 40 years and 212 days old on May 28, 2011, the day Manchester United played in the Champions League final against Barcelona. He is the oldest player to have played in the Champions League final.
• In the list of the best goalkeepers of the twentieth century, compiled by a survey of experts and journalists in 2000, Edwin van der Sar took 29th place. But let's not forget that it best years fell on the current century

Family and personal life of Edwin van der Sar

Edwin is a model of an exemplary family man, his name has never appeared on the pages of the yellow press and no scandals have ever been associated with him. His wife is Annemarie van Kesteren. The couple have been married since 2006 and have a son and a daughter.

Having finished playing, van der Sar did not remain out of football - now he is CEO his native Ajax.