Edwin van der Sar (born October 29, 1970 in Voorhout, Netherlands) is a Dutch football player who plays as a goalkeeper. He currently plays for Manchester United in the English Premier League.
Career
Van der Sar began his career at FC Foreholte (Voorhout’s local football team), then moving to VV Noordwijk, where he was spotted for Ajax. For Ajax he was part of the team who won the UEFA Champions League in 1995. He went on to play for Juventus, and then in 2001 he moved to the English Premiership with Fulham. On June 5, 2005 he moved Premiership club Manchester United in a transfer for an estimated sum in the region of £2 million, signing a two year deal. The exact transfer amount involved was undisclosed.
Van der Sar made his international debut in June 1995 against Belarus. He has been in goal for all three recent eliminations from major competitions due to penalties: Euro 96, 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
During the penalty shootout, at the end of the Euro 2004 quarter-final against Sweden, van der Sar saved a penalty from Olof Mellberg. That save gave Arjen Robben the chance to win the game for the Netherlands and hand them their first victorious shootout ever.
Van der Sar has a similar style to the Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel, specialising in “goalkeeper as sweeper” roles, making him the ideal keeper for attack-minded sides. Like Taffarel, he can spot an unmarked team mate deep in his opponent’s half, and deliver an unexpected accurate drop kick to him, which can lead to a dangerous counter attack.
Edwin van der Sar has represented the Dutch national team 110 times and following Holland’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup is on track to break Frank de Boer’s Dutch record of 112 caps.
Honours
Dutch League: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
Dutch Cup: 1993, 1998, 1999
League Cup: 2006
Champions League: 1995
European Super Cup: 1995
Intercontintental Cup: 1995