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IN 1999

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2005

5 May 2007 2006/07

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Edwin van der Sar is a Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Finished career in 2011 year. For more than thirteen years, Van der Sar was the main goalkeeper and captain of the Netherlands national team, for which he played 130 matches, which is a national team record.

Van der Sar began his career at Ajax, where he spent nine years. Then he played for Juventus and Fulham, and in 2005 moved to Manchester United. Van der Sar is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs: with Ajax in 1995 and with Manchester United 2008 year. IN 1995 And 2009 years van der Sar was recognized as the best European goalkeeper.

Edwin van der Sar began his career in the clubs of his hometown, where he was noticed by Louis van Gaal. As a result, van der Sar moved to Ajax, becoming one of the key players in the second "golden generation" of the club. He won four league titles, three Dutch Cups and a UEFA Cup with Ajax. 1992 of the year and the Champions League 1995 of the year. IN 1995 year he was recognized the best goalkeeper Europe. Van der Sar also played in the Champions League final 1996 of the year, however, in that match, Ajax lost to Juventus in the penalty shoot-out. In total, van der Sar played 226 matches for Ajax and scored one goal from the penalty spot (against De Grafschap in the season 1997/98 ).

IN 1999 In the year van der Sar moved to the Italian club Juventus, for which he played 66 matches in Serie A, after which he lost his place at the gate. He became the first non-Italian goalkeeper in the history of Juventus.

Dissatisfied with his role as substitute goalkeeper at Juventus, van der Sar moved to Premier League club Fulham in 2001 year for an amount of about £ 7.1 million. In total, he played 154 matches for the summer residents.

Van der Sar joined Manchester United on 10 June 2005 year, the amount of the transfer was not disclosed (according to some reports, it amounted to £ 2 million). Head coach United Sir Alex called van der Sar the team's best goalkeeper since Peter Schmeichel.

5 May 2007 Van der Sar took a penalty against Manchester City to secure a 1-0 victory for United in the Manchester derby. The following day, Chelsea failed to beat Arsenal at the Emirates, guaranteeing United's ninth Premier League win and Van der Sar's first English league medal. Edwin was named to the PFA Team of the Year at the end of the season. 2006/07 . Three months later, van der Sar became the hero of the FA Super Cup match, parrying three Chelsea kicks from the penalty mark in a penalty shoot-out, after which United became the winners of the Super Cup.

Season 2007/08 became very successful for van der Sar: he helped the club win the Premier League title, as well as the Champions League. In the Champions League final, it was van der Sar's save from Nicolas Anelka's penalty shootout that ensured Manchester United's victory over Chelsea.

12 December 2008 2009/10 .

January 27 2009 of the year, after beating West Bromwich Albion 5-0, van der Sar helped Manchester United set a new club record and a Premier League record with 11 clean sheets ( 1032 minutes) in a row. Previous record set by Peter in season 2004/05 , was 10 matches ( 1025 minutes). The series of clean sheets did not end there, and four days later van der Sar broke the English Championship record held by Reading's Steve Deth ( 1103 minutes) and set to 1979 year. On February 8, van der Sar held another "dry match" with West Ham, and his streak lasted until 1212 minutes, beating the British record set by Aberdeen goalkeeper Bobby Clarke ( 1155 minutes) in 1971 year.

18th of Febuary 2009 van der Sar's "dry streak" lasted until 1302 minutes, surpassing the single-season world record set by José Maria Bulhubasic ( 1289 minutes) in the Chilean Championship 2005 year. The record streak came to an end against Newcastle on 4 March when van der Sar conceded a goal in the 9th minute of the match. In total, van der Sar spent 1311 minutes without conceded goals in the championship. This "dry series" has become key factor in winning Manchester United's 11th Premier League title. Van der Sar has won the Golden Glove award this season with 21 clean sheets in the Premier League.

Van der Sar injured his finger in the Audi Cup pre-season match and missed 12 of United's old games of the season. 2009/10 . October 6 2009 van der Sar played for the first time since injury in a match reserve staff United with Everton. On 17 October, he returned to the main squad, playing in a match against Bolton, which ended in a 2-1 victory for United. On November 21, van der Sar was injured again and was out for 12 matches, including due to family circumstances (his wife suffered a cerebral hemorrhage before Christmas). January 16 2010 he returned to the team when United beat Burnley 3-0.

February 26 2010 van der Sar extended his contract with United for one year, until the end of the season 2010/11 . In the end of January 2011 Edwin announced his decision to retire at the end of the season 2010/11 .

Van der Sar's last game was the Champions League final. 2010/11 against Barcelona, ​​in which the Catalan club won with a score of 3: 1.

1. Football

The legendary player of the Moscow football club"Dynamo". Since 1954, the permanent goalkeeper of the USSR national team, the total number of games for the national team of the Soviet Union is 79 games. Lev Yashin is recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in world football. In the match for 3rd place in the World Cup in 1966 ...

2. (Born in 1960) Played in the Argentinean clubs "Argentinos Juniors", "Boca Juniors", "Newell's Old Boys", the Spanish clubs "Barcelona" and "Sevilla", the club "Napoli" (Italy). In 1977-1994 he played 91 matches for the Argentina national team. At the turn of the century, FIFA conducted a survey via the Internet...

3. (Born in 1977) Plays for Real Madrid. Since 1996, he has been playing for the Spanish national team. Great Madrid" royal club"- the international team of the world. The Brazilians Carlos Alberto and Ronaldo, the Frenchman Zidane, the Portuguese Figo, the Englishman Beckham play here. It even seems surprising that ...

4. (Born in 1973) Played in the Brazilian clubs "Unio San Juan" and "Palmeiras", the Italian club "Inter". Since 1996 in the club "Real" Madrid (Spain). Since 1995, he has been playing for the Brazilian national team. Fans of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team in every match expect from Roberto ...

5. Rivaldo brazilian soccer player through perseverance, he made himself from a mediocre football player into a football star. What sets him apart is his style of play: quick passes and unexpected acceleration.

Edwin van der Sar

"Edwin van der Sar"

He played in the clubs "Noordwijk" and "Ajax" (Holland), "Juventus" (Italy). In 2001 he moved to the Fulham club (England). Since 1995, the goalkeeper of the Dutch national team.

For more than ten years now, the main goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has taken his usual place at the gates of the Dutch national team. Outwardly, he is, perhaps, the exact opposite of Oliver Kahn - the figure is not powerful, but long and thin, while his face surprisingly retained boyish-simple features, and besides, Edwin van der Sar's ears are somehow quite childishly a little protruding. The German and the Dutchman differ in their goalkeeping style - van der Sar does not play hard, but rather elegantly, but at the same time very rationally. Van der Sar has one more “zest” that distinguishes him from other goalkeepers: he owns the most accurate pass at any distance, and often a sharp Dutch attack starts right from his gate.

But, of course, his main duty is to protect his own goal, with which he copes with dignity. Both Dutch footballers and numerous fans of the “orange team” are confident in the reliability of their goalkeeper.

And the first “pancake” in the national team came out with him, I must say, “lump” - exactly the same as many other wonderful goalkeepers.

"Edwin van der Sar"

In June 1995, Guus Hiddink, then coach of the Dutch national team, entrusted the 25-year-old goalkeeper with a goalkeeper for the first time in qualifying match European Championship against the team of Belarus - not the strongest opponent. The game was held in Minsk. The Dutch did not succeed in attack that day, and van de Sar made a gross mistake, and Sergei Gerasimets scored the only goal.

Nevertheless, Hiddink believed in the young goalkeeper, considering his oversight an unfortunate misunderstanding or a manifestation of excessive excitement. The coach could not help but be impressed by the game van der Sar in his club "Ajax". Just in 1995, Ajax reached all possible heights: became the winner of the European Champions League, beating Milan 1-0 in the final, then won the European Super Cup, defeating Real Zaragoza, and, finally, became the owner Intercontinental Cup, having won against the Brazilian club "Gremio".

In addition, in the mid-1990s, Ajax became the Dutch champion three times. To a large extent, the club owed all these successes to the performance of their goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar. However, the whole team was then magnificent and almost entirely consisting of pupils of the famous football school Ajax, among which were, for example, Patrick Kluivert and Edgar Davids.

But van der Sar himself, who was born in Voorhout, got to Ajax in a different way.

"Edwin van der Sar"

He began playing for the amateur team Noordwijk, whose coach Ruud Bring was a friend of Ajax coach Louis van Gaal. Bring and recommended the young goalkeeper to his friend. So in 1989, Edwin van der Sar found himself in professional club, but for four long years he sat on the bench. Only in 1993, when the main goalkeeper of "Amsterdam" Stanley Menzo "failed" in the quarter-final match with the French "Auxerre", van Gaal decided to entrust the place at the gates of van der Sar. Since then, he never left this place, having reached the highest heights with the team.

However, it happened that in next year many leading players have left Ajax for various reasons. True, the club again managed to reach the Champions League final, but lost to Juventus. Regular time ended in a draw 1:1. The Italians won 4-2 on penalties. Nevertheless, there was nothing to reproach the goalkeeper, he played brilliantly.

In the same 1996, van der Sar, together with the Dutch national team, came to England for the European Championship as the main goalkeeper. In the first two matches of the group stage, he left his gate untouchable - the Dutch drew with Scotland - 0:0, and defeated Switzerland - 2:0. However, the last match with the hosts of the England team tournament was for the Dutch football Waterloo - 1:4.

"Edwin van der Sar"

Nevertheless, the “orange” reached the quarterfinals, where they met with the French team. The main time ended in a draw. But the French won in the penalty shootout - 5:4.

Despite the failure of the Dutch national team, van der Sar was already then called one of the best goalkeepers in the world, noting his elegant and original game. True, some considered his weak point to be his inability to repel penalty kicks. Of the five penalties, the French, in fact, scored him all five. But, on the other hand, claims should also be made against the field players of the Dutch, who scored fewer goals than the French ...

Strikingly unlucky for the Dutch in the post-match penalties and in all other big tournaments. Sometimes they didn't score penalty kicks during playing time either. And this is despite the fact that the Dutch national team has always had an excellent selection of players, and much more could be expected from it.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, van der Sar again conceded only two goals in three group stage matches. In the match of the one-eighth final, the Dutch defeated the national team of Yugoslavia - 2:1, and in the quarterfinals the national team of Argentina - 2:1. In the semi-final match, the Dutch played on equal terms with the Brazilian national team. The main time ended 1:1.

"Edwin van der Sar"

The Brazilians won 4-2 on penalties.

This fatal misfortune with penalties reached its climax at the 2000 European Championships held in Holland and Belgium. The stadium in Rotterdam was chosen as the place for the final match, and, of course, the whole of Holland was waiting for the native “orange” team to win. The Dutch team came out as the winner in the group, having won three victories, including over the then world champion team of France - 3:2. In the quarterfinal match, the Yugoslav national team was defeated - 6:1. But then came the day of the semi-finals against Italy, led by the then-legendary goalkeeper-turned-coach of another generation, Dino Zoff...

Zoff chose his usual purely defensive option. Pretty soon one of the Italians was removed from the field. It seemed that a powerful Dutch attack was about to break the Italian defense. But the score to the end remained zero, although the Dutch hit penalty kicks twice. One shot was parried by Italian goalkeeper Toldo, the other hit the post. The Dutch failed to score in Extra time. And again in the penalty shoot-out the Dutch team lost - 1:3.

Another failure of the national team did not shake the reputation of Edwin van der Sar - he remained and remains to this day one of the strongest goalkeepers in the world.

As for him club career, then shortly after the 1998 World Cup, he moved from Ajax to the Italian Juventus. In his first season for the Turin club, van der Sar conceded only 20 goals in 34 matches - significantly less than any other Serie A goalkeeper. True, the goalkeeper himself noted that the task of goalkeepers in Holland and Italy is noticeably different. "In Holland, entertainment is just as important as the result, and therefore creative functions are assigned to everyone, including goalkeepers. In Italy, the result is the only criterion, and for goalkeepers, the most important thing is reliability." And in 2001, Edwin van der Sar signed a four-year contract with English club Fulham.

Now the famous Dutchman has come to the best time for the goalkeeper football maturity and wisdom, and he is going to play for a long time. As an example for himself, he considers the experience of Dino Zoff, who became the world champion at the age of forty.

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Edwin van der Sar

August 2005

Edwin van der Sar walks past a small table at the edge of the field. He is extremely indignant, although outwardly almost calm. September 1, 2001, when Ireland knocked the Netherlands out of the World Cup in Dublin, is arguably the worst day of the Dutch goalkeeper's career.

It seems that the table will get it now - the goalkeeper raises his leg to strike death blow. But, having changed his mind, he only knocks down a plastic cup. In this act, the whole van der Sar. The ability to hit instantly, without acceleration, turns it into the best football player among goalkeepers. He also knows how to control his emotions. No wonder he is nicknamed the Ice Rabbit. Both qualities will help him in his new job, probably the most demanding in football - the goalkeeper for Manchester United, which he took up today against Everton.

Van der Sar is thirty-four years old. He grew up in a village nestled among Dutch onion fields. And he looks exactly like a country boy. Growth - 197, average for the region. A long, pale, sullen face, like that of a typical Calvinist pastor of the 1872 model, is also characteristic of these places.

As a child, he liked to play football. True, do not stand at the gate, but actively move around the field. However, he never dreamed of turning professional until he was spotted by Ajax Amsterdam. The club was distinguished by original ideas about goalkeepers. Ajax's greatest player and "house philosopher" Johan Cruyff said it was absurd to limit them to just catching the ball. This approach means wasting the energy of one of the eleven players. The goalkeeper must start the attack, pass like a field player. Van der Sar, who attended good hit, was created to implement the ideas of Cruyff. Johan later called Ice Rabbit "Ajax's best attacking player". It was in this club that the future famous player realized that his task was not just to catch balls. Rather, he must organize the defense so that it does not have to be done. If the ball flew into the goal, it means that something was previously done wrong.

But if van der Sar needs to take the ball, he does it. Ask other goalkeepers about him, and they will surely confirm that he rarely makes mistakes. According to Cruyff, he is “completely versatile”: he equally successfully takes hinged strikes from the flanks, “reads” the game or catches balls flying by ricochet. But above all, like a real Ice Bunny, Edwin never gets nervous. Concentrating before the match, he follows his own definition of reliability: "Take all the balls that are possible." He has only one drawback - he rarely takes "impossible" balls.

“Goalkeepers are crazy,” reads the football stamp. But van der Sar is not like that. He says: “Sometimes I see nice, calm guys go crazy on the field. I may seem insensitive to someone, but I doubt that they are playing 100%.

The Dutchman never seems to lose his self-control, which is not typical of other footballers. Even after great victory, fighting off his comrades who hug him too violently, he fences himself off with a cold irony that does not seem funny.

When Juventus bought van der Sar from Ajax in 1999, he was considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in the world. Two years later, he was not. At Juve, for the only time in his career, the goalkeeper lost his confidence and made a mistake. The Italians began to tease him with "van der Goal", and Juventus, having previously asked to check his eyesight, sold him. "Van der Gol" joined the ranks of Fulham, who assured that they would rise to glory together. Then the team ran out of money, ambitions moderated. As a result, the former “best goalkeeper in the world” spent four years at a mediocre club.

In a television program aired last December, Manchester United's last great goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, recommended the Dutchman to United and Arsenal. Van der Sar and his wife, who watched the broadcast at home, were flattered. But none of the clubs ever called. They seem to have enough mediocre goalkeepers. In the Netherlands, the goalkeeper is expected to demonstrate the talent of a field player, in Italy - the ability to hit balls perfectly. In England, they do not expect anything from him, it seems.

Playing on the small "Craven Cottage" was especially offensive for van der Sar - he knew that he was at the peak of his form. His the best match the player counts the meeting between Arsenal and Fulham in 2003. Playing for the Dutch national team, along with the boys who had brought balls a few years ago, he played the 100th match in his native team and finally became a truly brilliant goalkeeper.

Like many goalkeepers, he peaked at thirty-five. Joop Hiel, his former coach explains why: “To be a goalkeeper means to see and understand the situation, to find a solution. And the more often, the easier it is to play. Therefore, an experienced goalkeeper knows the structure of the attack well and manages to organize the defense. The young player does not know how, he only has talent. When he makes a mistake, he begins to doubt himself.” When a similar thing happened to Tim Howard, United's young goalkeeper, the club finally approached van der Sar.

Team coach Alex Ferguson has been recruiting dubious goalkeepers for six years. And he was not alone in this. Such a "blind spot" on the conscience of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Few mentors understand the work of a goalkeeper. It's a shame because only goalkeeping mistakes prevented United from reaching the Champions League. The team still lacks Schmeichel's ability to organize the game. Although he, like most British goalkeepers, did not know how to play football at all, he could start a counterattack by throwing the ball 35 meters right at the feet of a teammate. Van der Sar does the same with passes. Moreover, he does not hang out under the spotlights. the biggest club a world where any mistake by the gatekeeper becomes a national tragedy. In addition, he complements United's "roll of honors", consisting of Roy Keane so far.

In any case, United is just an interlude for van der Sar. He will eventually return to his amateur club in the Dutch Dunes, where he will leave his position as a goalkeeper to play in attack. “Kicking balls is much more enjoyable,” he says.

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Edwin van der Sar August 2005 Edwin van der Sar walks past a small table at the edge of the field. He is extremely indignant, although outwardly almost calm. September 1, 2001, when Ireland knocked the Netherlands out of the World Cup in Dublin, possibly the worst day of his career

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Dutchman Edwin van der Sar is one of the most titled goalkeepers of the 21st century. The athlete has eight championships at the club level and two bronze medals of the European Championships with the national team. Van der Sar is the only goalkeeper to win the Champions League twice: with Ajax in 1995 and with Manchester United in the Moscow final in 2008. talked to the goalkeeper about the World Cup in Russia, Euro 2008 and the best goalkeepers planets.

“Leaving for a European club could be a new challenge for Akinfeev”

Lenta.ru: 10 years ago you were already in Moscow. How do you like the city today?

Edwin van der Sar: Moscow will forever remain in my memory, because here I won one of the main titles in my career - the Champions League. I like the city, especially now, when so many fans from all over the world have come to Moscow. Definitely, Russia opened up from a very pleasant side.

Have your impressions of Moscow changed over these 10 years?

When I was a player, I didn't get to see much. Our route passed between the hotel and the stadium, and in free time I just wanted to relax. Of course, now the image of your country has changed due to politics. But the 2018 World Cup has improved the attitude of foreigners towards Russia.

The tournament turned out to be intense for the fans and broke the record for the number of penalties awarded. Already implemented 21 penalty kicks. (The previous record was 18, dated from the 1990/1998/2002 World Cup). How does a goalkeeper prepare for a penalty kick?

Now different sources of training are open for goalkeepers: you can find which corner a particular player hits more often. If he hit 17 times to the right and only three to the left, you will be ready to hit. However, new difficulties arose: the forwards began to punch right in the center. Therefore, the goalkeeper needs to train more carefully.

Is the new Telstar Dream ball designed for the World Cup helping the goalkeeper to stop shots?

Yes. Adidas has gone to great lengths to make the ball comfortable for the goalkeeper. But football is made for scoring goals. If it becomes very easy for the goalkeeper to cope with the blows, then the fans will not be happy.

Photo: Alexei Filippov / RIA Novosti

It is technically possible to prepare for a penalty, but how do you set yourself up emotionally? Is it important for a team to have a leader who will energize the rest?

Still would! Emotional recharging is important for any team. The person who will say: it will be difficult, but we will manage. Most often, this role is assigned to the captain. In the case of the Russian team -. He is an experienced goalkeeper who for a long time stands for Russia and knows what's what.

Does Akinfeev have the opportunity to move to a top club? Or is it missing for him?

Akinfeev had to leave Russia much earlier. Although I moved from Fulham to "" only at 34 years old. Therefore, the transition to a European club could be a new challenge for Akinfeev and an opportunity to play against great players. I advise him to leave CSKA and try to gain a foothold in Europe.

I wouldn't say so. He scored a first-class save in the last match. group stage against South Korea. And this despite missing the season due to injury. Before the injury, Neuer was the leader of both the German national team and Bayern Munich. I hope he returns to his previous level soon.

“I did not expect such a result from the Russian team”

Germany failed to qualify from the group, most of the favorites also went home, not living up to expectations. Who was your favourite?

Before the semi-finals, I thought that, most likely, England would win. Although in the first match of the 1/2 finals I supported Belgium with all my heart. They are our neighbors, we speak the same language, and many Belgian football players play on our teams.

How surprising was the performance of the Croats for you?

I thought it would be difficult for them. They spent a lot of energy on two penalty shootouts, the match against the Russian team turned out to be especially difficult. But the emotional charge helped them. A small country with about four million people beat the huge Russia and surpassed the British.

Russian football players are unknown abroad, because the Premier League is practically not broadcast on television. Therefore, I watch your athletes only during international competitions. When I watched the friendly matches, I did not expect such a result from the Russian team at all. Apparently, the home world championship gave the players an additional impetus for a good game.

The Dutch team did not manage to get to this World Cup. What was missing from the team?

Do you really think that our team has problems? Yes, we didn't make it to the World Cup. But we had a difficult group in the qualifying round: France, Sweden, which left the Italians without the World Cup. We have a lot of good young players who will be full of energy for Euro 2020 and we will break into the elite again.

What was missing from this World Cup?

Dutch fans. You go to Red Square and meet fans from Colombia, Spain, Brazil, but there are no guys in orange uniforms. Hope next international tournament I still see native colors.

"2008 became the year of Russian football"

For the Russian team, the victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2008 was one of the most significant in football history countries. What do you think about when you remember that match?

It seems to me that that victory happened largely thanks to the coach, who worked in Holland for a long time and knew our players well. Maybe Russia was in a little better shape. It was a shame to lose to Russia then, because for me that match was the last in the Dutch national team.

Were you surprised by the outcome of that meeting?

He didn't surprise me. If the team got to the European Championship, then it knows how to play football. Moreover, we have heard a lot about football players from Moscow and St. Petersburg clubs, which by that time had already won the Cup. Probably, 2008 was the year of Russian football.

Before the match, did you know at least one of the Russian football players?

Not really. Your football league practically not covered in Europe. And if we are watching Russian clubs in the Champions League, we see a huge number of foreigners. The star of the team is more likely to be a Brazilian than a Russian.

Do you think it is possible to see the teams of Russia and the Netherlands in the final of the European Championship 2020?

Everything is possible in football. But if this happens, then Holland will definitely win.

Edwin Van der Sar is one of the key elements of Ajax's second golden generation. As part of the capital team in the 90s, this goalkeeper won five championships and three Cups of the country. The wards of Louis van Gaal were indomitable on the European arena - in 1992 they won the UEFA Cup, and three seasons later they won the Champions League. Then in the final in Vienna, Ajax defeated AC Milan 1-0. Later, Edwin became the owner of the European Super Cup.

In 1999, after Angelo Peruzzi left Turin for Inter Milan, Van der Sar became the first foreigner to score against Juventus, and for two seasons he was the Old Lady's main goalkeeper. In 2001, Juve acquired Gianluigi Buffon from Parma, and Edwin's first-team appearances became limited.

The Dutchman was bought by the English Fulham for 11.5 million euros, with whom he signed a four-year contract. During the time spent in the “summer residents” he played 154 matches.

Van der Sar has incredible reflexes for a man of his build and tall(197 cm). Plays in a modern style, often coming out of the net, and essentially performing the functions of the last defender.

Edwin is the main goalkeeper of the Dutch national team. In the summer of 2004, in many ways, it was Van der Sar's excellent performance at the European Championship that helped the Oranges reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

On 1 July 2005, Edwin van der Sar joined United on a two-year deal with the Red Devils.

The Dutchman was United's first signing since Malcolm Glaser's purchase of the club and joined the team during the team's July tour of the Far East. He was the latest in a long line of goalkeepers Fergie tried as No. 1 after the departure of Peter Schmeichel in 1999. Mark Bosnich, Massimo Taibi, Raymond van der Gove, Fabien Barthez, Ricardo and Roy Carroll failed to become Big Dan's heirs and left the club.

The 197cm goalkeeper proved his prowess at all levels and it was believed that with his vast playing experience he would stabilize the club's game at the last frontier after inconsistent play at the gates of Tim Howard's team. With the start of the 2005-06 season, Sir Alex Ferguson made Edwin number one, and commentators soon stopped talking about the "goalkeeper problem" at Old Trafford.

Van der Sar has become a model of consistency and it's hard to remember the serious mistakes he made in this first season with his new team, on the contrary he had a great season helping the team out at crucial moments. He set a rare achievement for a player - went out to starting lineup United in all 38 league games, and became only the club's fourth player to do so since Gary Pallister, who also played every league game in 1994-95.

Given his age, he is certainly not a long-term player on the team, and Tim Howard was supposed to take over the role of understudy and gain experience to take over when the time comes for him to take over as No. 1. However, Tim Howard's recent move in Everton they leave him understudy Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster. Van der Sar is still the main goalkeeper of the Dutch national team, he played at the World Cup in Germany and will play for his national team at least until Euro 2008.

In the 2006-07 season, Edwin played in 32 Premier League games, 12 Champions League games and 3 in the FA Cup. He missed several matches in the national championship after breaking his nose in the away match against Tottenham in a clash with Robbie Keane, otherwise he would have spent almost the entire championship at the gates of United.

The excellent playing form of the Dutchman has become one of the decisive factors on the path of Manchester United to the league title. Suffice it to recall how he did not allow Peter Crouch to score on last minute in a 1-0 win for Manchester United at Anfield, saved a 1-1 draw from Mark Viduka at home to Boro. In May 2007, he saved Darius Wassel's penalty kick in a derby against City to give Manchester United a 1-0 win.

The next day, after a draw between Chelsea and Bolton, it became clear that these three points brought the Red Devils the league title. And although Van der Sar became the Dutch champion four times with Ajax, this is his first success in one of the leading European championships - English.

In the 2007-2008 season, Edwin secured his place in Manchester United history by parrying a Nicolas Anelka shot in the Champions League final at Luzhniki Moscow. Interestingly, Van der Sar's season began in August, also with a penalty shoot-out and also in the game against Chelsea, when he saved three shots in a row and helped his partners win the FA Super Cup.

At 37 years old, Edwin is still a model of stability and managed to keep his nets “dry” in 23 matches of the season, while United set a club record in the English Championship, conceding only 22 goals during the championship. In European matches, he missed only 3 goals at all, and rightfully won the second gold medal in the Champions League in his distinguished goalkeeping career.

The 2008-09 season once again proved that the acquisition of van der Sar was one of Ferguson's most successful moves in the transfer market. The unfading Dutchman managed not only to successfully spend another football year of his career, to replenish his impressive collection of medals of the highest standard, but also to break several goalkeeper records.

The Dutch goalkeeper went 14 straight Premier League games from 8 November 2008 to 4 March 2009, which was 1311 minutes, which was not only a Premier League record, but also surpassed several other English records for goalkeepers, and elevated Edwin to 6 -th line of the world rating of "impenetrability" of goalkeepers.

21 times in the course of the English championship, Edwin left his goal “dry” and rightfully became the owner of the Golden Gloves Premier League prize, which is awarded to the goalkeeper for this achievement and was included at the end of the year in the England championship team.

After breaking a finger and injuring his wrist in a pre-season game against Bayern, van der Sar missed the start of the 2009-10 season and made his first appearance only on 17 October in a 2-1 win against Bolton. But it was only one of his five starts until mid-January, as an injured knee and wife's illness once again prevented him from helping teammates.

Finally returning to the number one position on 16 January against Burnley, which United win 3-0, Edwin becomes Manchester United's oldest player in the post-war era, having entered the field at 39 years and 79 days, and proves that he is more important than ever for the team. His equanimity, composure, experience and amazing reaction are a huge plus for the Red Devils. The defensive five again looks unassailable, and the central figure in this fortress is, of course, van der Sar. Having made 29 appearances for United this season, the Dutchman kept a clean sheet in 14 of them, while becoming the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in terms of the percentage of saved shots on goal (81%).

Despite rumors throughout the season that Edwin is close to completing his brilliant career, he signed a new one-year contract with the team, and for at least one more season, the Dutchman's fans and teammates need not worry about the last frontier.