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quarta-feira, 16 de março de 2016

Van der Sar rolls back the years

Van der Sar rolls back the years
Getty Images
Edwin van der Sar is widely recognised as one of the finest goalkeepers in recent history - and now the Dutchman has caused a stir once again. On Saturday 12 March he donned his gloves once more, five years after retiring from the game.

 Why did he do so? After suffering a number of injuries, amateur club VV Noordwijk - who play in the fourth tier of Dutch football – asked the national association (KNVB) for permission to field the 45-year-old. Up until now, Van der Sar had been registered as a non-active member of the club he joined as a youngster and played for between 1985 and 1990. "I'd like to help out my first club, but it's only for one game," he said.

 That "one game" came against Jodan Boys, and it turned out to be a memorable one for Van der Sar, with the veteran custodian remarkably saving a penalty to help his side to a 1-1 draw. 
Van der Sar represented the Netherlands for 13 years between 1995 and 2008, and participated at two FIFA World Cups™. He helped the Oranje to a fourth-placed finish at France 1998, but they were eliminated in the Round of 16 at Germany 2006. Furthermore, the custodian made 16 appearances across four UEFA European Championships, taking to the field at England 1996, Netherlands/Belgium 2000, Portugal 2004 and Austria/Switzerland 2008.

 Over the course of his extensive career, Van der Sar collected 27 titles at club level. At Ajax he won four league titles, three cups, three Dutch Supercups, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup, the European Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup.

 The imposing custodian added the Intertoto Cup to that haul with Juventus, and later won the same competition with Fulham. Van der Sar arguably enjoyed his greatest success with Manchester United, winning four league championships, three League Cups, three Community Shields as well as the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup. He also earned numerous individual awards.

 Record holder
Even though his final game ended with a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley, the 6'4 (1.97m) goalkeeper once told FIFA.com that he was happy and satisfied with his achievements, especially Manchester United's Champions League triumph over Chelsea in Moscow. "I’ve had a great career," he said. "I’ve won titles left and right in Holland and in England, but the one highlight that stands out is the save against [Nicolas] Anelka [in the Champions League final penalty shoot-out in 2008]."

 It is not only Van der Sar's collection of titles that impresses, however: his statistics are highly respectable too. He is the Netherlands' most-capped player of all-time with 130 international appearances; was the first goalkeeper to keep 50 clean sheets in the Champions League and the first non-British footballer to play in the Premier League beyond the age of 40. Moreover, he holds the world record for the longest run without conceding, going 1,311 minutes in the 2008/09 Premier League season.

 Now, at the age of 45, he has written another memorable chapter in his career. One wonders how highly he ranks the spot kick save against Jodan Boys, compared to that fabled stop in Moscow.