Edwin van der Sar - A trendsetter. A pioneer.

Edwin van der Sar - A trendsetter. A pioneer.

Edwin van der Sar - A trendsetter. A pioneer.

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Edwin Van der Sar’s heroic career has ended and we’re proud to have two of the best experts on Dutch football and Ajax, Mohamed Moallim and Babette van Haaren, each pay their respect to one of Holland’s greats. We start with the biography-esque piece from Mohamed (Twitter / Personal Blog), who is a British freelance journalist currently writing for publications such as World Football Columns and FourFourTwo amongst many others on the brilliant world of Dutch football.

One of the preeminent goalkeepers of his generation, Edwin van der Sar came to define a role that became more than just keeping the ball out, he in some ways was a pioneer and trendsetter, which, in turn, is his biggest legacy. He was more than a keeper; he was the reference, he changed the game and effectively became the eleventh man.

Known as ijskonijn (ice rabbit) in his native home – courtesy of his easy-going demeanour – with his strong and agile frame, he was perfect as the sweeper-keeper, an extra player on the pitch, which was an idea originating from Johan Cruyff.  Attacks would start from Van der Sar – one of the very first keepers of his kind.

His organisational skill was second to none, always in complete control of his defence (featuring the likes of Danny Blind, Frank de Boer and Michael Reiziger) making sure none of his teammates slacked – in part it also helped limit the amount of saves he would make throughout a game – this coupled with his intricate passing made the Ajax side of the Louis van Gaal era one of the early pioneers of the ‘circulation football’ you see of the current FC Barcelona side.

In essence he did what was required of him – the basics – in exemplary fashion, but he would truthfully excel in what he really did best and that was to play football like an outfield player.  

Educated in the Ajax school, it was a chance meeting with Coach Louis van Gaal that gave him his break as Van Gaal was looking for a keeper at the time, his debut game in April 1991 came after predecessor Stanley Menzo limped of in a league game. He would cememt his first team status after Menzo fell out of favour on a fateful night in France (Ajax losing 4-2 against Auxerre in the 1993 UEFA Cup quarter-final) the lanky keeper never looked back.

Menzo who in truth was the first of his kind and Van der Sar picked up the baton and continued as what became the quintessential Ajax keeper. Another turn of fate was his decision to become a keeper in the first place, the story goes that his youth team needed a keeper – a young Van der Sar at the time a forward decided to try his luck and low behold he turned out to be a natural, those neat footwork and clinical passing he picked up would serve him well in his later life.

At Ajax success came with multiple league titles and an historic European Cup victory in 1995 against defending champions AC Milan – a side Ajax faced no less than three times that season with Van der Sar keeping a clean sheet in all – his notable contribution was a brilliant save from Marco Simone. That same year he was voted best goalkeeper in Europe an accolade which he would win three further times.

He would stay at Ajax until 1999 – by then he had taken over the number one jersey at international level. During training sessions in Florida at the 1994 World Cup he would take part as an outfield player, Johan Cruyff would later quip that he was ‘Ajax’s best attacker’, once taking over the reins he faced heartbreak four years later in Marseille with the Netherlands crashing out in the semi-final stage on penalties, an experience which no doubt would have been reminiscent of Ajax losing in similar fashion in Rome in the 1996 European Cup final against Juventus.

Perhaps Johan was right, in 1998 Van der Sar scored his only career goal, a penalty against De Graafschap to complete an 8-1 victory. 

After that heartbreak Ajax he would move to Turin, not before contemplating pastures new in England. Manchester United were keen but chairman Martin Edwards rebuffed Alex Ferguson’s interest and Liverpool were close but he pulled out on learning of the clubs other transfer targets.

At Juventus, he had already seen former Ajax and the national team teammate Edgar Davids prosper and he naively thought his style of keeping could flourish. He was mistaken. One of his first games he caught the ire of then manager Carlo Ancelotti after he played – a natural – 20 yard pass, hit true, first time to defender Paolo Montero who panicked and launched the ball out of play and quickly berated him.

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The Italian side had wanted him to forget his Dutch ways. But it was something he couldn’t let go of, it was part of his psyche (who he was) and what made him. After a string of disappointing performances the Italian media turned on him, labeling him “the man with butter on his hands” and “Van der Gol”, this shattered his confidence and a move away looked imminent after the Turin side acquired Gianluigi Buffon.

Solace was found with Louis van Gaal, now national team manager, who alongside Van der Sar’s predecessor Hans van Breukelen attempted to lift him up. Van Gaal promising him that a solid World Cup would have the elite teams in Europe knocking on his door, in fact, Van Gaal even attempted to sign him when he was at Barcelona but an already large influx of Dutch players was starting to cause the strains that would lead to his exit.

Holland didn’t qualify for the 2002 World Cup and Van der Sar was back to square one, he was rescued by a Premier League club but not one of the calibre of the two he could have joined in 1999. It was Mohamed Al-Fayed’s Fulham. Like Gérard Houllier promised him in 1999, Al-Fayed was going to build Fulham around him. It was a different experience. None of the pressure he had at Ajax, Juventus, and even with Oranje was there anymore; he was free to express himself just like he wanted to do in Serie A.

As the years ticked by, Van der Sar could be forgiven for thinking the dizzy heights he experienced in Amsterdam would return. It did; the club that should have signed him in 1999 came for his services in 2005 after a string of disappointing successors to the Great Dane Peter Schmeichel, Sir Alex Ferguson had had enough, the man he wanted was his.

The first few years some adjusting was needed, but in his later years at Old Trafford the Van der Sar of old was creeping back. A solid back four made communicating and following his instructions as easy as A-B-C – the pinnacle being when he set a world record of 1,302 minutes without letting a goal in, but on a personal level he banished the demons of 1996 when he finally felt a hero like Van Breukelen – who’s heroics from the spot won PSV the European Cup in 1988 and in the summer European Championships saved from the spot in the final as Holland won their first international title - when his penalty heroics helped Manchester United to European glory in Moscow.

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The heartache in 1998 and Euro 2000 subsided when Holland eliminated Sweden on penalties in Euro 2004, but he would never taste glory with L’Oranje. But it was in Moscow in 2008 that Van der Sar felt satisfied at last; the dream of enduring such euphoria must have seemed impossible when he watched the tournament in the years he was at Craven Cottage. Two further finals saw him on the losing side, but in truth he’s a champion regardless.

 Whenever you hear of young keepers citing him as an inspiration and fellow peers at home and abroad hold him as an example, and keepers becoming more like sweepers, it’s only been possible thanks to Van der Sar. The trendsetter. The pioneer.