Edwin van der Sar

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Van der Sar began his senior playing career with Ajax in the early 1990s; he is considered to be a member of the club's golden generation and was part of the team that won the UEFA Champions League in 1995. In 1999, he left Ajax for Juventus where he spent two years before moving to England, first to Fulham and then to Manchester United in 2005. There he won a second Champions League title in 2008, making him one of just eight players at the time to have won the competition with more than one club. He retired as a professional in 2011, but briefly came out of retirement in 2016 to play a match for Dutch amateur team Noordwijk, for whom he had previously played as a youth. Van der Sar played 130 times for the Netherlands national team, and was the nation's most-capped player until 2017, when he was overtaken by Wesley Sneijder. He won Best European Goalkeeper in 1995 and 2009, and UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009.

In Their Own Story

The defining narrative of Van der Sar's Ajax career centers on the 1995 UEFA Champions League Final. As the starting goalkeeper, he guided the Dutch giants past Juventus to secure a second European title, cementing his place in the club's golden generation. His performance was so commanding that critics and peers alike recognized him as one of the best ever, awarding him Best European Goalkeeper for 1995. Yet, glory turned to heartbreak just a year later in the 1996 Final against the same Italian opponents. In that match, Van der Sar could only watch as his team fell to Juventus via a penalty shoot-out, denying him a second winner's medal. Despite this setback, his statistical dominance remained unchallenged; he became a three-time consecutive Dutch Football Goalkeeper of the Year and left Ajax in 1999 having won 26 major trophies across his career, with the bulk of his success forged in Amsterdam.

Reader's Guide

Van der Sar is considered by critics and fellow players as one of the best goalkeepers of all time. He is also one of the most successful footballers ever, having won 26 major trophies in his career, mainly at Ajax and Manchester United. During the 2008–09 season, he set a world record by not conceding a league goal for 1,311 minutes. He is also the oldest player to win the Premier League, having done so in 2011 at the age of 40 years and 205 days.

Did You Know?

• Van der Sar scored a penalty for Ajax to complete an 8–1 victory over De Graafschap in the 1997–98 season.
• He became the first non-Italian to keep goal for Juventus.
• He saved two penalties from Juan Pablo Ángel in a 1–1 draw for Fulham against Aston Villa.
• He saved three consecutive penalties in a shoot-out to win the 2007 FA Community Shield for Manchester United.