PROFILE & BIO

EDWIN VAN DER SAR

THE BEST GOALKEEPER

Squad Number : 1

Position : Goal

Place of Birth : Voorhout, Netherlands

Date Of Birth : 29/ 10/ 1970

Height : 6'6

Weight : 13st 3lbs

* The arrival of Edwin Van der Sar at Old Trafford ended Sir Alex Ferguson's search for a successor to Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel.

* With Ferguson having tried a number of keepers, including Fabien Barthez, Tim Howard and Roy Carroll, he turned to the Dutch international to fill the shoes of the Great Dane.

* Van der Sar began his career at Dutch side Ajax, making over 200 appearances for the club and winning numerous trophies, including the UEFA Champions League in 1995.

* Those impressive performances with Ajax led to a move to Italian side Juventus. He eventually lost his place at Stadio delle Alpi to Italian international Gianluigi Buffon and subsequently left the club to join Premiership newcomers Fulham for a fee of £5 million.

* He continued to impress at Craven Cottage and helped the club earn a place in the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup in the 2002/2003 season, eventually losing 2-1 to Hertha Berlin in Round 3.

* Over the next few seasons, Van der Sar helped to establish Fulham as a solid mid-table Premiership side and caught the eye of Ferguson. He made the move north to Old Trafford in June 2005 for a reported fee of around £2 million, signing a two-year contract.

* His arrival helped steady the Manchester United defence and despite failing in Europe and the FA Cup, he did help United to win the Carling Cup with a 4-0 win over Premiership newcomers Wigan at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

* The 6'6" stopper holds the record for most international appearances for the Dutch national team, having played 117 times. He beat the previous record of 112, held by Frank de Boer, when he played against Portugal in the Second Round defeat at World Cup 2006. He has been Holland's number 1 keeper for every tournament they have qualified for since making his debut in 1995.

* Impressive performances in 2005/06 convinced Ferguson to offer an extended deal to van der Sar, who continued to be first choice for Manchester United in 2006/07 and won his first Premiership champions medal. However, his form dipped towards the end of the season, with some potentially costly errors coming into his game, and doubts were cast over how long he could remain United Number 1.

* However, the Dutchman gave a string of sterling displays in 2007/08 to power United to Premier League and Champions League glory. He proved particulalrly inspired in the Champions League final as he saved Nicolas Anelka's decisive penalty to hand glory to United.

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