Van der Sar: I’m exceeding expectations

Van der Sar: I’m exceeding expectations
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Edwin van der Sar has given up worrying about how long his career will continue. The goalkeeper will celebrate his 40th birthday in October, by which time he hopes to be well on the way to another fine season for Manchester United.

When he arrived from Fulham in a cut-price deal, it was supposed to be a stop-gap for Sir Alex Ferguson, who was still struggling to find an adequate replacement for the legendary Peter Schmeichel. Now in his sixth season, Van der Sar remains as reliable as ever, with Ben Foster becoming the latest to abandon the quest to battle with the veteran Dutchman by leaving Old Trafford for Birmingham City this summer.

Age must catch up with Van der Sar eventually. But on recent evidence, there is plenty of life in the former Ajax man yet. And he certainly is not naming the day when he hangs up his gloves for the last time.

"I don't worry about when that day arrives," he said. "I am now exceeding my own expectations, so it doesn't bother me. When I was younger I thought maybe I would finish in my mid-30s. But that is a normal time to be thinking about it when you are younger and for players at this level.
When I was younger I thought maybe I would finish in my mid-30s. Coming to Old Trafford probably gave me a new lease of life.
Edwin van der Sar

"That would have been the obvious time to finish, but I only came to United late in my career and maybe that is why I am still enjoying it. Coming to Old Trafford probably gave me a new lease of life."

With each passing season Ferguson must question why he allowed Van der Sar to join Juventus in 1999 when he was first giving serious thought to making the keeper a Red Devil. Of all Schmeichel's successors, he is the one who has come closest to matching the great Dane's extraordinary achievements, a feat Ferguson is quick to acknowledge.

"The club have to be happy," Van der Sar said. "If they are not happy with the quality you are producing then there is no need to keep on going. I broke two fingers in pre-season last year and then got another knee injury later on, but every time I was fit I was picked again, so that was a good sign for me.

"It proved he still had confidence in me and my qualities and ability. It is always nice when you work hard to get back and then the first opportunity to put you back in the team, he does it. It is important to know he has that faith."

Mixed emotions
Although Van der Sar retired from international duty after UEFA EURO 2008, there was some talk that Bert van Marwijk might call on him again for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. As it turned out, the man who won a record 130 caps for the Oranje watched the tournament at home, desperately wanting the Netherlands to overcome Spain in the Final while knowing there would have been a nagging knot in his stomach if Giovanni van Bronkhorst and his men had prevailed.

"You make a decision in life, sometimes you go back on it and sometimes you stay with it," he reflected. "I would have been really happy if Holland had won the World Cup, but I suppose then I would have missed something on my list. But I have achieved a few other things, so I cannot complain."