Legends of Club Football: Edwin Van der Sar

All hopes of winning the Champions League were resting on the 6’5″ figure. The calm, experienced eyes reflected the anxiety of thousands of Red Devil maniacs with their hands clasped praying to God. Edwin van der Sar positioned his 37 year old body in front of the goal fully aware that his calculations had gone miserably wrong. As he concentrated on the seventh penalty, he realized Nicolas Anelka would try something different this time. Having missed it six times on the trot, Van der Sar correctly analyzed the penalty taker’s mind seconds before diving to his right and clearing the ball. What followed is history itself etched in glorious letters in the hearts of football aficionados.

When a 20 year old Van der Sar first walked into the field in a purple jersey, even Ajax fans gaped at the lanky physique and dreamy, pensive face. Yet, there was something in those eyes – the foundation of a revolution, the determination of peaking at the twilight of his career. The Ajax fans who had halfheartedly observed a leggy gymnast that night were the same ones who, twenty years after, stood awed admiring the same performer as he bid adieu to the circus.

Perfection, astuteness, wisdom, sharp reflexes and the natural goal-saving ability were the qualities that defined Van der Sar. His impeccable judgment and exceptional ability to adapt quickly and read into the game is what separated him from the rest. He exploited the advantage of his height as his long reach saved numerous goals on the dive. When Johan Cruijff had first dreamed about “total football”, he had mentioned the qualities of a “perfect goalkeeper” who would not only stop shots but also contribute to the team as an outfield player. The fabled goalkeeper that the Netherlands – in fact, every team in the world – had been praying for now seemed to emerge in the name of Edwin van der Sar. A two-footed player adept at one-touch pass, besides pulling off accurate long passes, Van der Sar was the man football had been looking for. Little did those gloomy eyes know then that their possessor would one day change the face of goalkeeping and redefine the term!

Having tasted fair success in his early years with Ajax, Van der Sar had, one day, received a phone call from Sir Alex Fergusson requesting him to join the Red Devils who’d been looking for an able replacement for the legendary Peter Schmeichel. Although Van der Sar had disappointed the Boss saying that he had been contemplating a move to Juventus instead, the day wasn’t far off when Manchester United signed him up for £2 million.

In the meantime though, the Dutchman had hit his nadir at Juventus and Fulham where he failed to exploit his phenomenal abilities and committed routine errors that are unimaginably difficult to associate with his level of professionalism.

“You always expect to do well at a club like this in big competitions and we haven’t done that. That is a disappointment to the newcomers like me who haven’t tasted success here and also to those who’ve been here longer and won things in the past. We have to address that.”

Transfer to United, however, proved to be the most productive deal in Van der Sar’s life as he went on to claim his position as one of Old Trafford’s best. At 35, Van der Sar had come of age and all his critics believed the Dutchman was past his prime. But football, as they say, has its own Gods and none would prefer to mess up with their unpredictability. What Van der Sar has achieved at United is for everyone to see since records are widely known to speak for themselves.

But Van der Sar wasn’t a man to be bound by mere statistics. His presence in the field brought much more to the team than was apparent. In a country where managers didn’t give enough importance to goalkeeping and even the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex failed to understand the implications of the alien position, Van der Sar burgeoned as a representative of his fellows. Whist the managers reduced the goalies to mere shot stoppers, which is by itself an extension of Cruijff’s reluctant notion of improper wastage of a spot in the 11-men squad, Van der Sar gradually worked his way up to shatter the loathing image of his brothers-in-trade. He reinstated the iconic illustration of a goalkeeper who occupied on the field, the best position to assess situations and game strategies. The keeper was the savior of the squad, the knight in shining armor who possessed the ultimate ability to save the day even when the strikers and midfielders were having a forgettable outing.

In more ways than one, Van der Sar was the ideal goalkeeper, a model in flesh and blood for his successors. That he was a thinking footballer was visibly evident from his carefully calculated maneuvers on the field. He organized his defenders in a crafty way so as to apparently block all the holes, making it execrably difficult for the opposition to break through. For every save he had to make, Van der Sar focused on what had gone wrong in the defense. Given his giant stature, Van der Sar positioned himself incisively in front of the goal thus leaving the rival striker no option but to shoot straight at him. He would collect the ball with a smile and hurl it to the nearest defender to facilitate a hasty counterattack.

With a grim face that was so impassive that even a smile appeared like a forceful one, Van der Sar had always been that quite kid who would shy away from limelight. Composed and collected in the mind, Van der Sar was that boring goalie who would seldom scream, punch in the air or react provocatively after making a save. He would cool-ly stand there between the bars doing what he did best – protecting his territory, guarding his citadel. Surely, United fans had nothing to complain about after he spent a record 1,311 minutes without conceding in the league!

“I sometimes see nice, quiet boys go nuts on the pitch. Then I think, people can say I’m a ‘dead one,’ but I don’t think those guys are 100 percent.”

Van der Sar’s international career also flourished in all aspects. Ever since his debut at 24 years of age, he had remained an integral member of the national squad. With 130 caps, he is Holland’s most capped player. Despite being the proud owner of innumerable personal awards in addition to unanimous global acclamation, the quiet Dutch remains the ever-humble gentleman bowing down in reverence to the support of his fans. Like a true legend, Van der Sar remains the highest echelon of modesty.

Van der Sar touched the zenith of success during his final playing years. In doing so, he had struck through the old tradition of goalkeepers retiring in their mid-thirties in fear of becoming a liability to their managers and to evade the mockery of supporters. As he declared his retirement from active football, the whole world stood up in honor of the great man. Teammates Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand tried to persuade him to continue, but the determined Dutch had already made up his mind.

“Let’s just say that it was playing on my mind from the moment Annemarie had her stroke.”

Without him, Old Trafford would never be the same again. Apparently recruited to fill in the big boots of Peter Schmeichel, Van der Sar had created a legacy of his own. His timing of retirement had been impeccable, much like his dives on field. Going out with the head held high is a dream few sportsmen are able to materialize, and when Van der Sar did exactly that, the whole stadium rose up to its feet lauding the ‘ice rabbit’.

He had realized the futility of trying to be a Superman at 40. After all, he could not continue forever. Or could he?

Edwin van der Sar, nevertheless, will always remain a legend at Old Trafford.