We’ve talked about strikers, midfielders, and even defensive players before. This time, we are going to talk about one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football: Edwin van der Sar. Currently playing for Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar is recognized as a capable goalkeeper with proven track records both on local and international competitions.
Edwin van der Sar started his career as a professional football player when Louis van Gaal encouraged him to join Ajax in 1990. At that time, Ajax was one of the leading football teams and the perfect training (and proofing) ground for Edwin van der Sar. Edwin van der Sar quickly showed his goalkeeping talents, bringing Ajax to winning the 1991-92 UEFA Cup and of course the famous 1994-95 UEFA Champions League.
In 1999, Manchester United was more than willing to recruit Edwin van der Sar to replace the retiring Peter Schmeichel. However, Edwin van der Sar decided to join Juventus instead and became the first non-Italian to keep goal for the club; it was not long before Van der Sar was recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in the Italian football league.
Van der Sar spent the period between 2001 and 2005 with Fulham, appearing 127 times for the team in the local competition. It was in 2005 and Sir Alex Ferguson finally convinced this amazing goalkeeper to join Manchester United.
Supporting Manchester United’s final defense line, Van der Sar helped the team win the Premier League trophy three times in a row (2007, 2008, 2009) along with the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008.