Edwin Van Der Sar

Edwin van der Sar OON (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛtʋɪn vɑn dɛr ˈsɑr]) (born 29 October 1970) is a former Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history. He currently works as an analysist and has stated an interest in coaching in the near future.

He started his senior career at Ajax and is considered to be a member of a golden generation of players at the club. He remained there for nine years before moving to Italian club Juventus and then to England, first to Fulham and then to Manchester United. He is one of the few footballers to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different teams – with Ajax in 1995 and Manchester United in 2008; in the latter, he was also named UEFA Man of the Match. Van der Sar also won the UEFA Cup with Ajax in 1992.

Throughout a long and successful career, Van der Sar achieved and set numerous records. In the 2008–09 season he set the world league clean sheet record by not conceding a single goal for 1,311 minutes. Along with being the most capped player for the Netherlands national team, with 130 caps, he is also the oldest player to win the Premier League, at 40 years and 205 days old. Individually Van Der Sar has won several honours, including Best European Goalkeeper in 1995, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year in 1995 and 2009.

On 1 August 2001, van der Sar signed a four-year contract with Fulham for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £7 million. The following day, Van der Sar was officially unveiled by Fulham, and upon his arrival, he described the move as a "nice friendly atmosphere" and that he felt "appreciated". He made his league debut on 18 August 2001 in a 2–3 away defeat against Manchester United.In total, he notched up 127 league appearances while at Fulham. His performances for the Cottagers caught the eye of Manchester United and the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Van der Sar signed for Manchester United on 10 June 2005 for a reported fee of £2 million, although the exact transfer fee was undisclosed. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson considers him the best goalkeeper to have played for the club since Peter Schmeichel.

Van der Sar in action for Manchester United

On 5 May 2007, his penalty save helped assure a 1–0 triumph over Manchester City in the Manchester derby. The following day, Chelsea's failure to beat Arsenal at the Emirates ensured Manchester United's ninth Premier League trophy and Van der Sar's first. He was also named to the 2006–07 PFA Team of the Year.Three months later, he was a catalyst in Manchester United's 16th FA Community Shield victory, as he saved three consecutive penalties in a shootout after Manchester United and Chelsea played to a 1–1 draw at the end of regular time.

On 22 May 2011, he played his final game at Old Trafford in a 4–2 victory over Blackpool resulting in Blackpool's relegation from the Premier League. He captained United as a farewell treat. His last game for the United was against Barcelona in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, which United lost 3–1.

Former Manchester United's Dutch goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, say goodbye to the public on Wednesday (08/04/2011) in front of 53,000 fans of Ajax. This was done after the game in the Ajax Arena farewell.

Edwin Van Der Sar Wallpaper