NATURAL TALENT

The football world has seen a ton of great goalkeepers and each of them was unique in their own way. Each goalkeeper was a mirror of his era, a kind of long-lasting symbol of past victories. One of these legends of modern football, who began playing in the mid-90s, is Edwin Van der Sar.
Edwin was born on October 29, 1970 in the small but lovely town of Voorhout, in the province of South Holland. Very soon, among other childhood interests, football came to the fore, which was facilitated by Edwin’s father. He doesn’t remember the first match he saw in person, but most likely it was a television broadcast of one of the matches of Ajax or the Dutch national team. “My parents sent me to bed very early - before seven in the evening. But if there was football, my father woke me up and allowed me to watch the game with him.”

The local team Foreholte, as well as the equally unknown VV Noordwijk, became just the first step in evolution for the aspiring football player. He wasn’t even a goalkeeper then, he studied diligently and thought of becoming a salesman in a store, like his uncle - former player"Volendama". Louis van Gaal, then the novice coach of Ajax, noticed Van der Sar as a tall and quite agile center forward. At the famous Academy "De Tukomst", Edwin grew up technically and... stood at the gate.

He was good in the field, but anyone who came close to Van der Sar knew that he had the perfect goalkeeper in front of him. Huge, with long and muscular arms, even then, thanks to these qualities, he could close most of the goal from the opposing players. Thanks to his height, Edwin felt confident during his outings. The reaction and technique of catching the ball were polished during long periods of time. training sessions. Like any Dutchman, Van der Sar is not afraid of work and is able to work on some component indefinitely. He continues to work on this now, because a goalkeeper learns all his life - he has learned this axiom once and for all.

CLUB CAREER: A LONG ROAD TO OLD TRAFFORD

AJAX is the best attacking player

Unlike a significant part of the Ajax players of the mid-90s, Van der Cap is not a graduate of the famous football school club. There is an interesting rumor that the long and skinny goalkeeper ended up in Amsterdam not because of his bright and memorable game, but because of his connections. They say that Noordwijk coach Ruud Bling was close friends with Louis Van Gaal, the Ajax coach. And, of course, Louis listened to his friend’s advice and sometimes took a couple of promising players from his team. For four long years, Edwin warmed the bench, only coming on as a substitute from time to time. Ajax's number one was Stanley Menzo. He stood out not only for his skin color, but also for his bright manner of playing. Menzo loved spectacular throws and was not afraid to make bold decisions, relying on his phenomenal reaction and innate jumping ability.

When the plan was successful, the stands beat in ecstasy from the breathtaking beauty with which Stanley saved the goal. However, often another unpredictable trick by Menzo would result in a stupid missed goal, or even an injury to the goalkeeper himself. It was thanks to the injury to the number one in the match against Sparta Rotterdam that a lanky and unknown debutant entered the field. Then-coach Leo Beenhacker patted the young goalkeeper on the back and said warmly: “It’s time.” Van der Sar was terribly nervous, but he didn’t do anything stupid, and next to his name, every witness to that debut mentally checked the box - let’s see what happens next.

“April 20, 1989 Ajax vs Sparta. I remember this match well, I started on the bench. But our main goalkeeper broke down, and I had to enter the game. I was very worried, because then no one knew me and everyone was asking one question: “who is this?” But the coach said: “your time has come.” I was excited. But everything went well, I played in 10 more games in a row after that. So the debut wasn’t that bad,” Van der Sar recalls about his first match.
While Menzo was recovering, Edwin played nine matches in a row. Of course, there were mistakes, but even then his calmness and self-confidence spoke in favor of Van der Sar. He did only what was needed and nothing unnecessary. Menzo at the gate resembled ball lightning, which sooner or later had to explode, and Edwin could only wait.

When goalkeepers were prohibited from taking the ball from their own defenders in the early 90s, Edwin's experience playing on the field came in handy. He adapted to the new requirements easily and calmly. Johan Cruyff very soon named him among the best goalkeepers in the history of Dutch football. “He is unique. Usually goalkeepers kick the ball somewhere into the stands, but Edwin remains part of the whole team's game and takes part in attacks thanks to his accurate and accurate passing. The opposing forwards quickly realized that it was useless to try to take the ball away from him, and the defenders began to trust him, knowing that in any situation they could get a convenient pass from him.”

The time of the “flying Surinamese” was irreversibly fading into the past, and the last shot in the film about the career of the eccentric Ajax goalkeeper was the UEFA Cup quarter-final with Auxerre. The Amsterdam club won this trophy in the 91/92 season and wanted to defend the title, but on March 3, 1993 they suffered a fatal defeat in France - 2:4. 10 minutes before final whistle. The score was level when Menzo punched the ball into his own net after a cross from the corner of the field, and then brought another goal. Louis van Gaal was already the head coach and after that match he decided to give the goalkeeper position to Van der Sar once and for all.
At the beginning of the return match, Edwin was quite nervous. He almost helped his opponent score, but he soon regained his famous composure, for which Van der Sar was nicknamed “The Ice Rabbit” in Holland. It was after this match that Edwin's five-year streak began at Ajax.

Van Der Sar won his first international trophy almost immediately. That team was very good. An excellent attack, a balanced defense, the few mistakes of which were corrected by the hero of this story. Titles rained down on Ajax: the European Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, not to mention the national championship, where Ajax simply had no worthy opponents. But the collapse of the “gnomes” happened suddenly. It's all because of Bosman's work. Gradually all the team leaders left: Seedorf, Davids, Overmars, the de Boer brothers, Litmanen, Kluivert. Van Der Sar was the longest-serving member of the "old guard" at Ajax. But the time has come for him to leave. The team no longer had such great ambitions. The verdict in the Bosman case crippled Ajax's morale. And there were no international-class performers.
The Dutch goalkeeper was claimed by many leading European clubs, including the English Manchester United, which had just won the Champions League and was looking for a replacement for Peter Schmeichel, who had left for Sporting Lisbon. Van der Cap chose Juventus Turin. “I decided to go to Italy because I really like exploring other cultures and there is not much difference between Holland and England. But that doesn't mean I don't like the Premier League. Maybe I will still have time to play in England... The most important thing for me was to be in a great club... "Juventus is without a doubt one of the greatest clubs in Europe."

JUVENTUS - "Uncontrollable" goalkeeper

In Turin, Van der Cap settled in very quickly. Juventus conceded only 20 goals in 34 matches in the championship - much less than any other team, and it is not the fault of the goalkeeper, but of the attack (46 goals) that the Turin side missed out on the Scudetto. However, Van der Cap admitted that his first season in Italy was not as easy as it might seem at first glance. "The tasks of goalkeepers in Italy and Holland are significantly different. In Holland, entertainment is 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".

Naturally, Van der Sar had to rebuild. However, the Dutchman so impressed Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti with his ability to make accurate passes to his partners with his feet that the goalkeeper was allowed “liberties” when putting the ball into play, and one can even say that during the 1999/2000 season, Juventus’ style of action when moving from defense to attack has undergone significant changes. “At first they required me to immediately kick the ball away from the goal in a critical situation. But now they know that I can launch a sharp attack, and they use this quality of mine.”
The problem for Van der Sar was that he had little knowledge of the habits of Serie A strikers. “In Holland I knew everything - the favorite maneuvers of the forwards, their style of shooting on goal. In Italy I have to study it all over again.”

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, in order to achieve perfection, Van der Sar needed to improve his game at the exits, especially with high serves.
Catching the ball is perhaps the most important part of the goalkeeper's art. It is to catch, not to beat off. The goalkeeper who catches the ball takes full responsibility for the episode. When hitting the ball, he divides it between himself and the defenders. It seems that goalkeepers are now no longer required to catch balls. Maybe it's more reliable this way. When the episode is not dependent on one person, the risk is reduced.
On May 6, 2001, Edwin Van der Sar keenly felt the validity of this assumption. In the key match for the Scudetto, Juventus beat Roma with a score of 2:0. At the end of the match, the Japanese midfielder of the Romans Hidetoshi Nakata won back one goal with an excellent long-range strike. Van der Sar rushed for the ball, but did not reach it. No one was going to blame him - the blow was perfect: powerful, along an outgoing trajectory. As soon as the fourth referee raised the sign, signaling the start of five stoppage minutes, Nakata struck again from distance. This time the ball flew almost through the center of the goal and should have become the prey of the Dutchman. Edwin tried to catch the round one, but failed to secure the ball in his hands. The defenders did not have time to react to the rebound, and Vincenzo Montella finished the ball into the net. Van der Sar tried to parry the kick while lying down, but it was useless.
So Roma equalized the score and subsequently overtook Juventus on the final bend.

Two seasons in Turin were not successful for either Edwin or his team. There were enough complaints about Van der Sar's performance, and he does not deny that he played below his capabilities. In addition to the decisive mistake in the match with Roma, the Dutchman had other mistakes on his conscience - like in the match with Milan, when Edwin made a mistake at the exit. “When you find yourself in a team like Juventus, you want to play for more than two years and win trophies. For some reason I couldn't do either one or the other. And yet, it seems to me that I don’t deserve to be treated this way.”

Juventus said goodbye to Carlo Ancelotti, returning Marcello Lippi to the coaching bridge. The club's general director Luciano Moggi assured both Van der Sar personally and the fans that the reshuffle coaching staff will not affect the number one post: “Edwin will remain, because only a very high-class goalkeeper can replace him, and there are only one or two of them in the world. We believe in Van der Sar's character."

Just two and a half weeks after the announcement, Juventus shelled out £32 million for Gigi Buffon. If there were stronger goalkeepers in the world than Van der Sar, then Buffon was certainly number one. There was no point in staying in Turin for Edwin, and he immediately began looking for a new place of work. Germany, Holland, England - there were plenty of offers for the goalkeeper, even if he was going through a difficult period in his career. Manchester United were no longer among the contenders - Sir Alex believed that in Fabien Barthez he had found a solution to the problem. Louis van Gaal recommended going to England, and Van der Sar eventually chose Premier League debutant Fulham. He later recalled: “My wife and I fell in love with Italy immediately, and the fans reciprocated. When I left, they drove a whole truck full of gifts to my house - for me, my wife, and children. Juventus already had Buffon, and I didn’t want to be second.”

FULHAM - Edwina's Four Year Series

Edwin quickly became an idol for Fulham fans. The Summer Residents, led by the famous Frenchman Jean Tigana, took tenth place in the Premier League in their debut season, won a ticket to the Intertoto Cup and brilliantly won this tournament, but Van der Sar soon realized that he would not see the Champions League here. “A mortal melancholy came over me when I heard the anthem of this big tournament.”

Edwin's second season at Fulham was marred by injury, which forced him to miss six months. But, in general, he remained the undisputed number one and was constantly in sight. It's hard to lose concentration in a team like Fulham, there's always a lot of work, but Van der Sar was never afraid of work. You can't count the points that their goalkeeper's performance brought to the Cottagers! Once he single-handedly withstood Arsenal, parrying two dozen shots on target, and at Old Trafford he helped his team win a sensational 3-1 victory.
One evening, Van der Sar and his wife sat in front of the TV, where Peter Schmeichel said in one of the football programs: “I would advise my former boss Sir Alex Ferguson to pay attention to Van der Sar.” “I was damn pleased, because I really missed the Champions League,” the Dutchman later admitted. “But I didn’t get a call from Sir Alex until a year after Schmeichel’s prompt.”
“When I was 24 years old, I thought I would play for another ten years and then retire. However, as it turns out, the older you get, the more fun you get from the game!” It was clear to any Londoner that the “summer residents” did not bring such a treasure to the island for themselves. “Today he is the best in the world. I'm not just saying this because he's Dutch. Van der Sar proved this while playing for Juventus, said Arsenal player Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. And Dennis Bergkamp, ​​who played with Van der Sar at Ajax, simply stated in plain text: “He is more than great goalkeeper. He is a lifesaver for the team and I will do my best to get him to Arsenal." Nevertheless, still sacredly honoring corporate ethics and team spirit, Edwin played for Fulham for three seasons (154 matches). With a year left on his four-year contract, the club's owners, despite Coleman's hopeless protests, put their investment up for transfer. Fortunately, at that time all the “Big Four” clubs, except Manchester United, had solved their goalkeeping problems both in the main team and in the reserves.
In the summer of 2005, Van der Sar not only did not intend to put an end to his career, he decided to write a truly glorious page in it. Sir Alex has finally found his goalkeeper, and Edwin has finally found his team. And since then, a new gaming era began in the life of the middle-aged goalkeeper - the era of Manchester United.

MANCHESTER UNITED - Devilishly agile goalkeeper

Then Ferguson's decision to pay £2 million for a three-year contract with the elderly goalkeeper was received ambiguously. Sir Alex was so painfully searching for a goalkeeper equal to Peter Schmeichel that there were enough doubts about the necessity of this particular step. And because Van der Sar was already well aged, and because the coach had already made mistakes so many times. During the six years of searching, Mark Bosnich and Massimo Taibi, Raymond Van der Gouw and Fabien Barthez, Roy Carroll and Tim Howard, as well as the Spaniard Ricardo, the ancient Scot Andy Goram, the young Paul Rachubka and Nick Culkin visited the Manchester United gates... And when Fergie now says that Van der Sar's appearance was the most important change in his team, he can be understood.

In the camp of the Red Devils, Ed found his second youth. I became better in everything: faster, sharper at exits, improved in my reaction to long-range shots and penalties. Yes, there were much fewer corporate blunders. Alex Ferguson enthused: “He brought strength of character with him. Ed always takes care of himself and trains well.”
And the trophies have not rusted: Community Shield (2007 and 2008), Carling Cup 2006, championship (2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009), Champions League 2007/08 (that same magnificent final in which Ed converted his dream and saved the decisive 11-meter kick) and, newfangled, Club Championship Mira.

“Edwin is the best goalkeeper we have had since Schmeichel,” the Mancunian coach is convinced. - There are many players who, having reached the top, calm down. But he's not one of those. He is quite capable of playing at the same level until he is 40.”

After the clownery that Barthez put on in front of goal and the “foams” that Tim Howard regularly let out, Van der Sar’s calmness and reliability in Manchester couldn’t get enough of him. Edwin became a star again when he was already 35 years old. Van der Star (“star” translated from English means “star”) - that’s what they call him in Foggy Albion.

Sir Alex Ferguson on Van Der Sar: “He probably got his second wind when he came to United. He played successfully at Fulham and before that at Juventus, but coming to us gave him an extra boost, which often happens to goalkeepers at this age. He is ready to play, he has no excess weight, is hungry for victories and could easily play another two years. He also has authority in the locker room. He may not be as expressive as Schmeichel, for example, but what he says during the game matters to the players because he has a lot of experience and a special charisma.”

This year, Van der Sar extended his contract for another year, and it looks like next season will be his last in big football.
At the end of his career, he plans to move to his native Voorhout and... try his hand at attacking in a local amateur team. “You know, scoring goals is still the most enjoyable thing in football,” he claims. However, the veteran believes he has yet to make his most impressive save.

CAREER IN THE TEAM TEAM – “orange” years

In June 1995, 10 days after winning the Champions League, Van der Sar tried on the national team jersey. Guus Hiddink entrusted Edwin with a place in the squad for the away Euro 1996 qualifying match against Belarus. The debut turned out to be a failure. The Orange lost in Minsk, and Sergei Gerasimets scored the only goal after a gross error by the goalkeeper.

This is how the goalkeeper himself recalls: “It was in 1995, ten days after I won the Champions League with Ajax. We (the Dutch team) had a meeting with the Belarusians in Minsk, at that time Belarus was a very wild country! The hotel where we stayed had no proper sanitary conditions, no mirrors, no curtains. Such living conditions shocked us. We lost that match. This is how my first match turned out.”
Be that as it may, after this failure Edwin remained in the team. Which Hiddink probably didn’t regret, because until the very end of the selection the team’s gates remained locked. At the 1996 European Championship, Edwin was the main goalkeeper.

If anyone thinks that the England team is traditionally unlucky in terms of penalties, then this is someone who has never supported the Dutch team. In the first two matches of the Orange's European campaign, Van der Sar did not miss a single goal (0:0 with Scotland and a 2:0 victory over Switzerland), but in the match with England he broke his fast for four banks (1:4). However, the Dutch advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost to France on penalties 4:5. Van der Sar didn't take a single hit. 1998, World Championships in France. The Dutch national team brings a very good squad and traditionally is among the favorites. The group tournament went off with a bang; Van der Sar conceded only two goals in three matches. In the one-eighth and in the quarter-finals, they defeated the difficult teams of Yugoslavia and Argentina, respectively, with the same score of 2:1. In the semifinals, the Orange faced the Brazilians. Regular time is 1:1, the Brazilians win on penalties - 4:2. Edwin again did not reflect a single blow.

European Championship 2000. The Dutch triumphantly progress through the group, gaining maximum points and simultaneously defeating the world champions and future continental champions, the French team. Beating a baby in the face of Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals - 6:1. In the semi-finals there was a meeting with the Italian national team of Dino Zoffa, who not only played almost the entire match with ten men, but also scored two penalties, neither of which were converted. The penalty kick series ends with the score 1:3. Of course, in favor of the Italians. What’s interesting is that Van der Sar was literally adored both in the national team and in the country, and they never even tried to lynch him. He is very good as a captain. He never forgets to greet and thank the fans, and also to “start up” the stands at the right moment. Always finds the right idiomatic expressions to give weight to the phrase: “Gentlemen, go and score!” Enjoys unconditional authority on the field and respect from coaches. In short, the embodied ideal of a leader without fear or reproach.

In 2002, the Dutch national team did not qualify for final tournament World Championships in Japan and Korea. At the 2004 European Championship in Portugal, the Dutch barely crawled out of a difficult group only thanks to the ambitious Czechs, who, in a match that meant nothing to themselves, carried the German national team feet first with the second team.
On June 26, 2004, the Dutch fought the Swedes in the quarterfinals of the European Championship. The score was 5:4 (on penalties) on this day God turned away from Sweden.

Edwin van der Sar can, without any exaggeration, be called a unique footballer - the peak of his career occurred between 35 and 40 years old, the age when most players finish playing football.

Edwin van der Sar

• Country: Holland.
• Position: goalkeeper.
• Born: October 29, 1970.
• Height: 197 cm.

Biography and career of a football player

Edwin was born in the small town of Voorhout, located in the province of South Holland, where he began playing football in local clubs. Since childhood, he was much taller than his peers, so somehow it just happened that he stood in goal.

“I played in an amateur children’s team for two years, and one day the coach said: “You know, you’re the tallest, stand in the goal.” Then I thought: “This is the last time I play football,” Edwin later recalled.

It is unknown how van der Sar’s fate would have turned out if the then Noordwijk coach had not been on short terms with Louis van Gaal and had not advised him to pay attention to the young goalkeeper.

"Ajax"

1990-1999

This is how van der Sar ended up at Ajax, and a little later Louis van Gaal became the team’s head coach. Despite this, Edwin had to sit behind Stanley Menzo for two and a half years, the second goalkeeper of the Dutch national team at that time, after van Breukelen.

Only in the middle of the 1992-1993 season did van der Sar take a place in the Ajax goal, but he took a strong position, remaining the permanent guard of the Amsterdam club’s goal for seven years.

Despite his height, even for a goalkeeper, van der Sar had good jumping ability and excellent reactions. “Van der Save” was the nickname given to him by his teammates. And in terms of such a component as kicking, Edwin still remains one of the best goalkeepers in the history of world football.

The best season for both the club and the goalkeeper was the 1994-1995 season, when he won the national championship, as well as the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup, and Edwin van der Sar was recognized as the best goalkeeper in Europe.

By the way, while playing for Ajax, van der Sar scored a goal against De Graafschap, converting a penalty. Of course, it cannot be called, but there is one goal scored in track record not every goalkeeper.

Juventus

1999-2001

The transition to the strongest championship at that time was undoubtedly a step forward, especially considering that Ajax players began to be actively bought up by richer clubs, especially since thanks to the decision in the “Bosman case”, the existing limit on foreign players was abolished.

Van der Sar spent two seasons at Juventus and spent them on high level. I repeat, Serie A was the strongest at that time European League, and Juventus twice became second in the championship during these years, the first time losing a point to Lazio, and the second time losing two points to Roma.

By the way, it is interesting that Carlo Ancelotti, who coached the club at the time, even changed the team’s playing tactics when switching from defense to attack because of van der Sar. The fact is that in the Dutch championship, goalkeepers traditionally took part in the beginning of the attack, and van der Sar, accustomed to such a game from childhood, played well with his feet.

“At first, I was required to immediately kick the ball away from the goal. But now the coach knows that I can launch a sharp attack, and uses this quality of mine,” the goalkeeper himself explained it.

In general, foreign goalkeepers, given the level of the Italian goalkeeper school, have a very difficult time in the Apennines. Van der Sar, for example, became the first goalkeeper - a foreign player of Juventus.

Before the start of the 2001-2002 season, Juventus acquired Gianluigi Buffon, and the club's management made it clear that the main bet would be placed on him. Therefore van der Sar left Turin.

Fulham

2001-2005

At the time of his transfer to Fulham, van der Sar was already 30 years old - an age that is far from critical for a goalkeeper, but this transfer was perceived by many as the beginning of the decline of the Dutch goalkeeper’s career.

“Yes, he plays in the elite championship, but big clubs don’t need him anymore,” fans and experts reasoned something like this.

This is how it was at first - Edwin van der Sar spent four seasons as a member of the “summer residents”, while remaining the main goalkeeper of the Dutch national team, and highest achievement Fulham finished 9th in the Championship over the years.

But everything changed overnight.

Manchester United

2005-2011

In the summer of 2005, van der Sar ended up at Manchester United, which for several years, after leaving, experienced problems at the No. 1 position.

It was not clear that they decided to solve this problem with the help of a 35-year-old goalkeeper, who in recent years had not played for the strongest club. And many openly laughed at this transfer.

But Sir Alex knew what he was doing, otherwise he wouldn't have been a great coach. In the person of van der Sar, Manchester United acquired the most reliable rear, and the fans forgot about the goalkeeper problem for six whole years. The Red Devils won four league titles with van der Sarom in goal.

And the Dutchman himself updated several “eternal” records for the number of “dry” minutes. First, the Premier League record set by Peter Cech fell (van der Sar did not miss 1032 minutes in a row). Edwin then set the English league record of 1,103 minutes, which had stood since 1979, then surpassed the British record of 1,212 minutes, and finally the world record by playing 1,311 minutes without conceding in the domestic championship.

This was in 2009, and it is not surprising that that season Edwin van der Sar was named the best goalkeeper in Europe for the second time in his career, and achieved this at the age of 38. And a year earlier, van der Sar's save in the penalty shootout against London's Chelsea brought Manchester its third Champions Cup in history.

Van der Sar's farewell to Manchester United could have turned out not just beautiful, but outstanding, or something (I don't even know which epithet is more appropriate). Last time He entered the field for the Red Devils on 28 May 2011 in the Champions League final against Barcelona. Alas, United lost that match, and we must admit that they lost for good reason.

Holland team

1995-2008

In 1994, Edwin van der Sar, as part of the Dutch national team, went to the World Cup in the USA, but only as a reserve goalkeeper. And my first match for national team it was held on June 7, 1995.

The debut was not the most successful - the Dutch lost the match qualifying tournament Belarus national team. But bad luck is the beginning: later van der Sar became the first number of the “orange” team for 13 long years, taking part in four European Championships and two World Championships (the Dutch missed the 2002 World Championship), where he was invariably the main goalkeeper .

The Dutch left three of these six tournaments after defeats in a penalty shootout. Particularly offensive were the defeats in the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup from the Brazilian national team and from Italy.

According to many fans, the Dutch team was the best team at those tournaments, and deserved to win at least one of them. And here I have heard reproaches against van der Sar: if only he knew how to save a penalty...

Yes, come on! No goalkeeper has ever lost a penalty shootout. The goalkeeper can win it, but the field players always lose, because the chances of someone shooting from 11 meters are disproportionately higher than the chances of someone standing in the frame.

After the 2008 European Championship, Edwin van der Sar announced his retirement from the national team, but played two more matches for them in the qualifying round.

Edwin van der Sar's farewell match

And with big football legendary goalkeeper said goodbye on August 3, 2011. At the Amsterdam Arena stadium, Ajax and the “Dream Team” met, for which van der Sar’s former teammates from Manchester United and the Dutch national team played.

Edwin himself also played for “Dream”, which won with a score of 2:1.

Titles by Edwina van der Sar

Team

1. Four-time Dutch champion.
2. Three-time winner of the Dutch Cup.
3. Three-time winner of the Dutch Super Cup.
4. Four-time English champion.
5. Two-time FA League Cup winner.
6. Three-time winner of the English Super Cup.
7. Two-time Champions League winner.
8. Winner of the UEFA Cup.
9. Winner of the European Super Cup.
10. Winner of the Intercontinental Cup.
11. Bronze medalist at the European Championships in 2000 and 2004.
12. Semi-finalist of the 1998 World Championship.

Individual

1. Best goalkeeper in Europe 1995 and 2009.
2. The best goalkeeper of Holland 1994 - 1997.
3. The best football player in Holland in 1998.

• Van der Sar is the only goalkeeper in the world to win the Champions League with two different clubs.
• In 2016, van der Sar resumed his playing career. True, for only one match - his first club, Noordwijk, playing in the fourth division, was left without goalkeepers, and Edwin had to take the field. The game ended 1:1, and van der Sar saved a penalty!

• Van der Sar is the record holder for the number of “dry” minutes in matches of the final stage of the European Championships - 594. Van der Sar did not concede at all (in the match group stage He did not take part against the French national team, and in the quarter-finals with Yugoslavia he was replaced when the score was 4:0 in favor of Holland).
• Van der Sar was 40 years and 212 days old on May 28, 2011, the day Manchester United played in the Champions League final against Barcelona. He is the oldest player to play in the championship final.
• In the list of the best goalkeepers of the 20th century, compiled according to a survey of specialists and journalists in 2000, Edwin van der Sar took 29th place. But let's not forget that he best years came to this century

Family and personal life of Edwin van der Sar

Edwin is an example of an exemplary family man; his name has never appeared on the pages of the yellow press and no scandals have ever been associated with him. His wife is Annemarie van Kesteren. The couple has been married since 2006 and has a son and daughter.

After finishing playing, van der Sar did not stay out of football - he is now the general director of his native Ajax.

It doesn't often happen that the subject of an interview FFT becomes CEO football club. But it’s even rarer that the CEO is also an eight-time winner of gold medals in the championships of two countries and has two Champions League cups in his treasury.

“The way I try to make my club more successful in terms of generating revenue and winning titles is similar to my captaincy when I played,” says Edwin van der Sar, Ajax CEO, trying to find similarities between dominance in the penalty area and in the boardroom. The Dutchman believes that, despite the lack of extensive business experience and an impressive amount of knowledge in this area, almost 20 years spent in football give him the necessary vision of how to run a club. Especially the club where, between 1990 and 1999, he demonstrated great game, became the champion of the Netherlands four times, won three Dutch Cups, a UEFA Cup and a Champions League Cup, defeating Milan in 1995.

All of the above should serve as a significant help to Edwin when he answers your questions about his magnificent career.

– Have you always dreamed of becoming a goalkeeper? Remember the day you first stepped through the gate?

Chris Ambler, Portsmouth

– For the first year and a half I was a field player. But one day our goalkeeper didn’t come to the game, and the coach told me: “Edwin, you’re the tallest one, so you’ll be at the goal.” And things went so well that I ended up staying there.

For many years I played for a small amateur team Noordwijk never expected that my dream of becoming a professional football player would ever come true. When I was about 19 years old, I received an offer from Sparta (Rotterdam) to be their third goalkeeper. However, they were only willing to pay for my relocation. That's why I decided to stay at Noordwijk. And then a few days later they called me from Ajax and asked me to come and sign a contract with them, which I did.

– What do you think about the growing popularity of this type of goalkeeper, the last defender goalkeeper? You've always played well with your feet, weren't you the one who contributed to such popularity?

Nav Singh, Facebook

– Back in the 90s at Ajax we developed a system in which I participated in the construction of a positional attack, and this can be useful if you want to adhere to a certain style of play. But sometimes I think people make too much of it. The goalkeeper is on the field primarily to prevent the ball from entering the goal.

– When Louis van Gaal worked in England, from time to time he seemed a little eccentric. Was he the same at Ajax?

Laura Matthews, Facebook

“He hasn’t really changed much in terms of how he talks to the press and how he behaves in everyday life (say, at a dinner party). I once attended one of Manchester United's training sessions when he was coaching the team and again I saw the same driven man who constantly focuses on the progress of his players. The way he interacted with the players, the key elements of training and his general rules– all this was very familiar to me, although many years had passed.

– Do you think any other Dutch team will be able to lift the Champions League Cup? Unfortunately, this is unlikely now.

Andy Green, Merseyside

– [puffs out cheeks] This will be very, very difficult to do. Even in my time, about 20 years ago, this was truly a huge achievement, but then there was only one team per country in the tournament, and in the final stages of the competition there were only about 16 teams.

With the adoption of the new model, one might say that, to some extent, all the romance has gone away. And although some new rules are being adopted, it seems to me that big clubs will always dominate the tournament, since with their huge budget they will still bypass other clubs.

- That Ajax squad was full of players that any European club wanted to get. Who did Juventus have to compete with for what in order to finally get your signature on the contract?

Paul Kelly, Facebook

– When I left Ajax in 1999, I went to Liverpool and spoke with Gerard Houllier there. I was shown around Anfield and met the chairman of the club and some of the players. I thought about this for a long time, but when Juventus representatives approached me, I decided that playing in Italy would be a much bigger challenge for me. But just as I was about to move to Juventus, an offer came from Manchester United! At that time I spoke to Alex Ferguson's brother, although I had almost signed a contract with Juve. I liked the idea of ​​going to a country with a completely different culture and style of play, but moving to a Serie A club was a leap into the unknown for me.

I later found out that Ferguson was indeed interested in signing me, but the chairman wanted to sign Mark Bosnich as a free agent instead. Therefore, I was always expected to play the role of Peter Schmeichel’s successor, but in the end, six months passed more than planned, and during that period other goalkeepers were auditioned for this role. While I was at Fulham, I also heard about interest from Arsenal, which never materialized into anything concrete, which I regretted at the time. And so I was especially happy when United and I beat Arsenal several times in my career [laughs].

– When you played at Juventus with Zinedine Zidane, what was the most striking thing about his game? And what was the Frenchman like as a person?

Will Clay, Yorkshire

“He was a completely normal guy.” In Italy there are all these pretentious guys with beautiful cars and expensive clothes, but Zidane has always been very laid-back. He could often be seen wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. He didn't have his head in the clouds and at the same time showed an incredibly high-quality game. When you made a pass to him and the ball was going a little clumsily, he took control of it so clearly that the ball gave in immediately. He knew exactly what was going on around him and could make a pass to any area. Sometimes it seemed that he moved much faster with the ball than without it.

– What did you say to Ariel Ortega right before the Argentine “butted” you and received a red card at the 1998 World Cup?

Darren Walsh, Facebook

– Ortega wanted to earn a penalty for his team, allegedly tripping over Jaap Stam’s leg. And as he rose from the lawn, I bent over him and “expressed doubt as to his origin.” He got angry and stood up too abruptly!

– Did you have nightmares when you remembered Francesco Totti’s “panenka” at Euro 2000? Do you think you could save this penalty? And how hard was it to lose in the semi-finals like that?

Gustav Henriksen, Maastricht

“The panenka penalty was not the hardest part of everything we faced. A goal is a goal, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s scored with a “panenka” or something else. No, if I had nightmares about that match, they would most likely be related to all those penalties that we missed. We missed two penalties in regular time, and then three more in the penalty shootout. Francesco Toldo saved three shots - two of them from Frank de Boer - but Patrick Kluivert still hit the Italian goal once. And that ball from Jaap Stam is probably still somewhere on the top tier behind the goal! We managed to miss five out of six shots, which is clearly too much if you want to get to the final...

– How did you feel when Gigi Buffon took your place at Juve? Looking back at that time, did they make the right choice? Or do you think that they should have left you?

Jimmy Wainwright, Cardiff

– All this happened under not the most pleasant circumstances, although, I must admit, at Juventus I did not reach the level that I showed in Holland. That summer I even asked for a meeting to hear their ideas for the upcoming season. I was told that they were going to buy a couple of new players, but they assured me that I didn't need to worry at all. Then, I think a week later they signed Buffon for about £30 million. Of course, that deal had already been in the negotiation stage for some time, but they decided not to tell me anything about it when I came to that meeting. So yes, this all took me by surprise and I had to go back to looking at all of my career options.

– Why did you decide to move from Juventus to Fulham? We weren't actually the biggest club at the time!

Raf M, Twitter

– At that time, there was a big hype around goalkeepers in Italy: Buffon came to Juve, Francesco Toldo moved to Inter Milan, and Sebastian Frey to Parma. In the top clubs then, one might say, there was a “hustle and bustle” between the keepers. But then, let’s say, I stayed on the sidelines. Then I talked with representatives of Ajax, Liverpool and Dortmund. The latter two clubs wanted to wait until the end of the summer transfer window. But I didn’t want to be in limbo for so long. Fulham had big ambitions: they became champions of the first division and entered the Premier League, and began to buy a lot of new players. And I wanted to get gaming practice. I consulted Louis van Gaal, who was coaching the Dutch national team at the time, and he immediately approved of my choice. You could say that I viewed this transition as a small step back in order to try to take a few steps forward in the future.

– What was Mohammed al-Fayed [Fulham owner until 2013] like as a person during your time at the club? Has he done any particularly strange things?

Matt Bagnall, Twitter

- Of course, he did a lot of unusual things, he was an eccentric! Before the match, he would appear on the sideline, then go straight out onto the field and wave his scarf. It usually happened that he would come up to me to say hello while I was warming up. He often communicated with the players. On match days, he came into our locker room and sometimes even flew to training in his helicopter. And several times, when we had a series of successful matches, there were times when he gave each player a huge bag of food from his Harrods supermarkets.

– Were you surprised by the dismissal of Jean Tigan from the post of head coach of Fulham in 2003? This seemed too harsh a decision, given that he led the team to the Premier League in 2001 and retained their registration in top division for next year.

Trevor Bailey, Facebook

“It was very sad, especially for me, since he was the coach who brought me to the club. Jean was well versed in football, you could immediately tell that he played at a very high level. Sometimes he trained with us, and then his skill was immediately visible.

– Have you ever regretted that then, in 2001, you did not move from Juventus straight to Manchester United? That you had to spend four more seasons at Fulham before moving to Manchester?

Darren Chin, Brunei

“I really liked it in London, but I didn’t plan on playing for Fulham for four seasons. I thought I would spend a year or two there and then move on. Towards the end of my career at Fulham, I even extended my contract for a short period so that the club would receive money for me if I transferred. They told me they wouldn't let me play unless I agreed to renew my contract!

I found out United wanted to sign me when I found a voicemail on my phone from Alex Ferguson. It was a special day. At that moment I thought: “This is why I came to London - to finally take the next step forward.” Ferguson told me he wanted a player who could lead the defense and direct the players. He said he knew that if the team was under pressure, I wouldn't let my anxiety get the better of me.

– What did you pay special attention to when you studied how opposing players take penalties? And what was going on in your head when Nicolas Anelka approached the penalty spot in the 2008 Champions League final?

PenaltyKickStat, Twitter

– I remember how before that match I studied a huge number of penalty kicks by Chelsea players on DVD. For example, I analyzed about 40 penalties that Frank Lampard took earlier in his career. I made a lot of notes and noted for myself that Nicolas Anelka almost always kicked his penalty into the right corner of the goalkeeper. I later heard that Chelsea also studied my game and found that I usually rush to the right. Therefore, I think the players were warned that they needed to hit the corner to my left, which many of them did. I assumed that Anelka would still choose the other side to strike, and, fortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

When I saved his penalty, it seemed to me that for a few seconds I was simply somewhere in another world. I don't think there will ever be a more emotional moment in my life than when I realized we had just won the Champions League final and saw my whole team running towards me. It was the most highlight throughout my career.

– Do you often remember how John Terry slipped (and laugh a little about it)?

Peter Johnston, Facebook

– No, I don’t laugh at this, because I understand that I was miraculously lucky. At that moment, fortune really smiled on us. I have to admit, the field was terrible - I slipped a few times myself.

– You are given credit for putting an end to the long feud between Ruud van Nistelrooy and Marco van Basten so that van Nistelrooy could qualify for Euro 2008. What did you tell them to smooth out the conflict?

Theis van Damme, Facebook

“I wouldn’t say that I was the one who was able to reconcile them.” I simply expressed my opinion, as the captain of the team, about what will benefit our squad. I pointed out how valuable Van Nistelrooy could be for us and said that he could be an important player for us in this tournament. It seems to me that they are both very stubborn, seriously. I can generally interact with different people, so I simply expressed my thoughts to everyone. But it wasn't that I called a meeting or something and demanded that they forget all their differences.

Did you ever get bored during that period in the 2008/09 season when you kept 14 clean sheets in a row, with Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra providing an impenetrable barrier in front of you?

Griffin Pyle, Twitter

- No, of course not! [laughs] But at the time I said that this series would mean absolutely nothing if we weren't champions at the end of the season. Everything was done to achieve this goal. The media and people around me were a little more interested in this series of “dry” matches than I was.

– How annoyed were you that your long streak of clean sheets was interrupted by an error in the match against Newcastle, when Peter Lovenkrands scored from a rebound? I have no doubt that you would prefer that the streak be interrupted by some magnificent blow.

Lewis Migor, Facebook

- Yes, I would prefer that this series be interrupted by some kind of “gun” right at the “nine”. Of course, I could have held this record longer. But on the other hand, another moment comes to mind when a West Brom player hit the crossbar 10 minutes before I was about to break the record. Therefore everything is fair.

“It is often said that when Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were younger, they played at about the same level, but later they reached different heights because Ronaldo devoted himself more to improving as a footballer. Do you think such conversations are fair?

Sam Hirst, Leicester

“They both worked very hard on the field, but Cristiano was a level higher. Outside football field Ronaldo paid attention to many other things, such as how to properly rest and strengthen his body.

He often stayed after training to practice free throws, and then came up to me and said: “Edwin, could you stand in goal?” I used to say that I was already old and that it would be better for him to practice with one of the young goalkeepers, but he insisted that I should be in goal because he wanted to score against me. I often teased him and said something like: “You can’t score on me, Ronnie, and you know it. Better ask for a backup keeper, it will be better for your self-confidence.” He began to worry and answered: “No, no. You should be at the gate!” But Cristiano is really very nice guy, and the overall impression of him is not really a reflection of his personality.

– Is the United you played for, whose players won three Premier League titles in a row and also reached three Champions League finals in four years, an underrated team? United is not talked about as one of the best teams in history, but only a few clubs have managed to win so many trophies...

Brian Woodford, Facebook

“Well, if we really wanted to be the best team, then we should have won two of the three Champions League finals we played in at the time. For example, if we had won in 2009, we would have become the best team in Europe for the last two seasons and the first team to ever win two Champions League titles in a row. Therefore, if we had defeated Barcelona in the final in Rome, we would have been considered a great team. But, of course, if you look at the players we had on our roster at that time, we were definitely a very good team.

– What did you think about the pressure that David de Gea was subjected to at the beginning of his United career? Is the English media too harsh on foreign goalkeepers?

Aaron Cassidy, Coventry

– No, at that time I did not consider the criticism too harsh. He didn't play very well and made mistakes, which is probably to be expected when you come to such a big club, like United, at such a young age. This is a new country for you, where people speak a different language and where the style of play is completely different. But since then he has done a lot of work and is able to completely change his attitude towards himself. Now he has become a really good goalkeeper.

– What happened to the Dutch team, Edwin? Last year's Euro without Orange fans wasn't the same...

Ryan Byrne, Liverpool

– I think from time to time teams have failures in qualifying. Remember the same year 2002, when we did not make it to the World Cup. Today I believe that we lack top players aged 25-26-27 who can lead the team. When you lose to Iceland twice, you don't deserve to go to the Euros.

- During your time at United, you had to leave the field twice, and in such cases a field player remained in goal. In the match against Portsmouth this player was Rio Ferdinand, and in the game against Tottenham it was John O'Shea. What did you advise them then?

Hannah Stewart, Twitter

– In those situations, I actually had no time for advice at all. I picked up a groin injury against Portsmouth and Tomasz Kuszczak, who replaced me, later received a red card, so by the time Ferdinand got in the goal I was already sitting high up in the stands. And in the match against Spurs, I broke my nose after a collision with Robbie Keane and went into the stands to get help. A few minutes later I heard a deafening roar: it turned out that John O’Shea had made a very good save!

– How well can you hear the fans behind the goal during the match?Can you remember the strangest cry from a fan?

Michael Baker, London

– West Ham fans are not the nicest guys. Let's just say that their vocabulary was quite... limited. But what words were thrown at you in the opponent's stadium usually depended on whether you won or lost the match. Once your team gets ahead, you don't have to rush to take a goal kick, and that made the fans really angry. And when your team loses and you need to quickly get the ball that has flown out of the goal, only ridicule comes from the stands. But overall the atmosphere created by the English fans was great and when I lived in England I felt at home.

– I heard that in 2012 you took part in the New York Marathon. Why did you decide to do this and how long did you run?

Nathaniel Bullock, Leeds

– A few years ago, my friend told me that he was going to take part in this marathon. I really liked this idea, and I told him: “Maybe you can wait a little longer? I will retire and we will run together.” But then the wait took a little longer because I renewed my contract with United several times [laughs]. As a result, training for the marathon took me about two and a half months. This turned out to be a big strain on my body, and it took me a lot of time to recover. But in the end I ran 4 hours 19 minutes.

2011

2005 1995 and with Manchester United in 2008 year. IN 1995 And 2009

1992 of the year and the Champions League 1995 year. IN 1995 1996 1997/98 ).

IN 1999

2001

2005

May 5 2007 2006/07

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Edwin van der Sar is a Dutch football player who played as a goalkeeper. Completed his career in 2011 year. For more than thirteen years, Van der Sar was the main goalkeeper and captain of the Dutch 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. He then played for Juventus and Fulham, and in 2005 moved to Manchester United. Van der Sar is one of the few footballers to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs: with Ajax in 1995 and with Manchester United in 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 spotted by Louis van Gaal. As a result, van der Sar moved to Ajax, becoming one of the key players in the club's second "golden generation". With Ajax, he won four championships, three Dutch Cups, and the UEFA Cup. 1992 of the year and the Champions League 1995 year. IN 1995 year he was recognized as the best goalkeeper in Europe. Van der Sar also played in the Champions League final 1996 year, however, in that match, Ajax lost to Juventus in a penalty shootout. In total, van der Sar played 226 matches for Ajax and scored one goal from the penalty spot (in a match against De Graafschap in the season 1997/98 ).

IN 1999 In the same 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 in goal. He became the first non-Italian goalkeeper in Juventus history.

Disagreeing with his role as a reserve 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 June 10 2005 year, the transfer amount was not disclosed (according to some sources, it was £2 million). Head coach United Sir Alex called van der Sar the team's best goalkeeper since Peter Schmeichel.

May 5 2007 1999, van der Sar took a penalty in the match against Manchester City, thereby ensuring United's victory with a minimal score of 1:0 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 championship medal. Edwin was included in the “team of the year” according to the PFA at the end of the season 2006/07 . Three months later, van der Sar became the hero of the FA Super Cup match, saving three Chelsea penalties from the penalty spot, after which United became the winner of the Super Cup.

Season 2007/08 Van der Sar became very successful: 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.

December 12 2008 2009/10 .

January 27 2009 year, after defeating West Brom with a score of 5:0, van der Sar helped Manchester United set a new club and 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 clean sheet didn't end there, and four days later van der Sar broke the English championship record held by Reading's Steve Deth ( 1103 minutes) and set by him in 1979 year. On February 8, van der Sar kept another clean sheet against West Ham, and his streak lasted until 1212 minutes, breaking the British record set by Aberdeen goalkeeper Bobby Clarke ( 1155 minutes) in 1971 year.

February 18 2009 Van der Sar's "dry streak" lasted until 1302 minutes, surpassing the world single-season record set by José Maria Bulhubasic ( 1289 minutes) in the Chilean championship in 2005 year. The record run was interrupted in the match against Newcastle on March 4, when van der Sar missed a goal in the 9th minute of the match. In total, van der Sar spent 1311 minutes without conceding a goal in the championship. This clean sheet was a key factor in Manchester United winning their 11th Premier League title. Van der Sar won the Golden Glove award this season with 21 clean sheets in the Premier League.

Van der Sar injured a finger in a pre-season Audi Cup match, forcing him to miss 12 of United's senior matches this season. 2009/10 . October 6 2009 Van der Sar played for the first time since injury in United's reserve team match against Everton. On October 17, he returned to the main team, playing in the 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 reasons (his wife suffered a cerebral hemorrhage before Christmas). January 16 2010 The same year 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 . At the end of January 2011 Edwin announced his decision to retire at the end of the season 2010/11 .

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

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 at 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 of 2008. talked to the goalkeeper about the World Cup in Russia, Euro 2008 and 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. Russia has definitely revealed itself in a very pleasant way.

Have your impressions of Moscow changed over these 10 years?

I didn't see much when I was a player. 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 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. There have already been 21 penalty kicks. (The previous record was 18, dated to the 1990/1998/2002 World Cup). How does a goalkeeper prepare for a penalty?

Nowadays, different sources of training are open to goalkeepers: you can find out which corner a particular football player hits most often. If he threw 17 times to the right and only three times to the left, you'll be ready to hit. However, new difficulties arose: the forwards began to shoot directly into the center. Therefore, the goalkeeper needs to train more carefully.

Does Telstar's new World Cup dream ball help goalkeepers save shots?

Yes. Adidas has put a lot of effort into making the ball goal-friendly. But football is designed to score goals. If it becomes very easy for the goalkeeper to cope with shots, then the fans will not be happy.

Photo: Alexey Filippov / RIA Novosti

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

Of course! Emotional recharging is important for any team. The person who will say: it will be difficult, but we can handle it. Most often this role is assigned to the captain. In the case of the Russian national team - . He is an experienced goalkeeper who has been playing for Russia for a long time and knows what’s what.

Does Akinfeev have the opportunity to move to a top club? Or is it lost on him?

Akinfeev should have left Russia much earlier. Although I moved from Fulham to "" only at 34 years old. Therefore, a move 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 that. He made a first-class save in 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 it will soon return to its previous level.

“I didn’t expect such a result from the Russian team”

Germany failed to qualify from the group; most of the favorites also went home, failing to live up to expectations. Who was your favorite?

Before the semi-final I thought England were the most likely team to win. Although in the first match of the 1/2 finals I rooted for 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 Croatian performance for you?

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

Russian football players are unknown abroad because the RFPL is practically not broadcast on television. That's why I watch your athletes only during international competitions. When I looked friendly matches, I didn’t expect such a result from the Russian team at all. Apparently home championship world gave players an additional impetus to play well.

The Dutch team failed to qualify for this World Cup. What was the team missing?

Do you really think that our team has problems? Yes, we didn't make it to the World Cup. But we had a tough group in 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 strength for Euro 2020, and we will break into the elite again.

What was missing from this World Cup?

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

“2008 became the year of Russian football”

For the Russian team, the victory over Holland at Euro 2008 became 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 a little in in better shape. It was a shame to lose to Russia then, because for me that match was the last as part of the Dutch national team.

Were you surprised by the result of that meeting?

It didn't come as a surprise to me. If a team makes it to the European Championship, it means they know how to play football. Moreover, we had heard a lot about football players from Moscow clubs and St. Petersburg, which by that time had already won the Cup. Probably, 2008 became the year of Russian football.

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

Not really. Yours football league practically not covered in Europe. And if we watch 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 Holland in the finals of the European Championship 2020?

Anything can happen in football. But if this happens, then Holland will definitely win.