World’s Best Goalie van der Sar

Edwin van der Sar on Hard Work is The Secret to Success

Edwin van der Sar started his pro career at Amsterdamsche Football Club (AFC) Ajax, known to most of us as simply Ajax – one of the most successful soccer clubs on the planet.

Based in Amsterdam, Ajax dominates the Dutch national football league (Feyenoord from Rotterdam are Ajax’s arch rivals), as well as top teams around the world.

Ajax’s youth academy is world famous.

Entrenched in expertise, Ajax’s coaches and directors use their knowledge to enhance the intelligent development of the complete youth player – a player who will become a successful professional footballer.

Football at Ajax is smart – The well thought out curriculum combines the best of technical training with a complete overview of player development. At Ajax, each stage of development is individually and specially enhanced by age-appropriate training. While many academies speak these words, at Ajax the experts in development even take into consideration the  emotional/psychological growth of players turning into teenagers and the impact of puberty. It is more than development of the body into a machine that can control a ball on a field of grass; at Ajax, the dedication is to developing the player as a whole person who can conquer the most competitive opposition on the field and sustain the responsibilities of being the best – and the rollercoaster of being on top.

Edwin van der Sar is a world-famous Dutch goalkeeper who played for Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. A legend, van der Sar is the most-capped player in the Netherlands national team’s history. Critics and fellow players consider Edwin van der Sar as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.

Now, years later, Eddie van der Sar (as he is known to his colleagues and friends) has been retired for two years and enjoys reminiscing about his days on the field. Van der Sar started his professional career at Ajax and was there for nine years before moving to Italy’s Juventus and then on to England; first to Fulham from 2001 to 2005 and then to Manchester United where he joined in 2005 and remained until the end of his career in 2011.

The list of van der Sar’s accomplishments is nearly too long to list, but to begin to appreciate the depth of this man’s achievement in soccer it is important to know he is one of the few footballers who has won the UEFA Champions League with two different teams – with Ajax in 1995 and Manchester United in 2008. At Manchester United, van der Sar was named UEFA Man of the Match for his role in the team’s UEFA Championship victory. Van der Sar also won the UEFA Cup with Ajax in 1992.

Most recently, FOX Soccer held an online poll through its Facebook page, looking for the best Premier League goalkeeper of all time. It should be no surprise that, as of publication of this article, van der Sar held a comfortable lead of nearly 800 votes over second place Petr Cech.

While in Amsterdam, SoccerNation News’ Editor in Chief Diane Scavuzzo sat down to chat with two-time Best European Goalkeeper (1995 and 2009), and UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year (2009) Edwin van der Sar to talk soccer and why he rejoined Ajax – this time as Marketing Director.

Edwin van der Sar was warm, wonderful and easy to talk to – a real pro with a passion for soccer, his Ajax and youth player development. He is amazingly approachable and accommodating and was not only willing but eager to spend time talking.

Diane Scavuzzo:  When you were a youth player, did you think you would ever be so successful?

Edwin van der Sar: “I wanted to be a star when I was young. People cheer you on, it was exciting – but I must admit I was slightly awkward when I was younger.”

Diane Scavuzzo: What is your secret to success?

Edwin van der Sar: “I always worked very hard. A great goalkeeper dives for every ball. It takes a certain type of mentality to do more than others. It is a real willingness to work, and to work harder and longer than others. It is not a secret.”

Diane Scavuzzo: I think goalies are often the Unsung Heroes on field. Goal Keepers do not normally get the headlines in the soccer news articles or on TV. The headlines are usually on the forwards or midfielders who score the game-winning goal. Do you agree?

Edwin van der Sar: “Yes, Goalies don’t usually score and a match is not normally defined be the goalie saving an attempt on goal.

I can remember at Manchester United when I made a great save. During those three or four seconds, the whole world was looking at me. That was the most unbelievable soccer moment in my life. My role made a huge impact on the game.

Being a goalie is an important position on the field, and I agree, he (or she) is often the unsung hero. It is nice to see more articles on goalies.

Diane Scavuzzo: Why did you come back to Ajax?

Edwin van der Sar: “It is most dear to my heart. I started here and went straight into the reserve team until Louis van Gaal called me to play for the first team.”

Diane Scavuzzo: You retired at Manchester United. You didn’t want to stay there?

Edwin van der Sar: “I could easily have stayed at Manchester United, but I was starting a new career and thought it would be great to start where I had first played professionally. I am the last to finish among my friends; everyone else has already retired. This opportunity came along and it was perfect for me.”

Diane Scavuzzo: “How does it feel to be back at Ajax?” 

Edwin van der Sar: “It is wonderful. I am very happy to be back. Ajax is where it all began for me and I wanted to return here.”

Diane Scavuzzo: Can you help me understand what you are doing at Ajax?

Edwin van der Sar: “Of course, There are three parts of the club: the financial part; the Football part run by Marc Overmars, which is the scouting, players, coaches; and then everything that is not financial and football is marketing.”

Diane Scavuzzo: Developing the Ajax brand?

Edwin van der Sar: Yes, the brand, all external relationships, tickets sales, merchandizing. At the moment, we are doing a little restructuring on how we want our organization to be. I left here in 1999 after a very successful period as a player. In those years since then there have been a lot of changes of directors, and now it is the time for a bit of restructuring.”

Diane Scavuzzo:  Do you think of yourself as a businessperson?

Edwin van der Sar: “I may lack experience on the business side, but I know soccer. And the sponsors know me. I want to help Ajax reach new levels of success.”

Diane Scavuzzo: What was it like playing for Manchester United manager/coach Sir Alex Ferguson? I know that Ferguson considers you one of the best goalkeepers ever.

Edwin van der Sar: That is always nice to hear. Playing for Alex was great.

Diane Scavuzzo: How was Manchester United different from Ajax?

Edwin van der Sar: “Inside Manchester United it is a very warm club. The players are all one big family. Ajax is a bit different; people here have experienced a lot of changes at the top.”

Diane Scavuzzo: How would you describe Ajax?

Edwin van der Sar: “The academy is the heart of the club. The Youth Academy is where we came from.”

Diane Scavuzzo: So t is the players that are at the heart of Ajax.

Edwin van der Sar: People make the club and that is why I want to be here. A lot of ex-players have come together to play their part in taking Ajax to a new level. We want to reinvent ourselves a bit and grow our reputation, as soccer is now more than ever a global game.

Diane Scavuzzo: Is there a secret to the training at Ajax?

Edwin van der Sar: Not really a secret. We want to help each other. Ajax is about developing the complete player. Our coaches take great care to educate players. Players leave here prepared to succeed.

Diane Scavuzzo: After years as the most famous and well-loved goalie, did you develop an inner sense? When you were on the field in front of the goal, did you have a sense of where the ball was going?

Edwin van der Sar: Yes. Technically, I often knew how the ball would bounce. As a goalie, you can see how the ball is moving on the pitch.

Diane Scavuzzo: In the 2008/09 season at Manchester United, you set the world record for the longest time without conceding a league goal – an amazing 1,311 minutes. What tips can you share with today’s youth goalies?

Edwin van der Sar: Success takes hard work and committment and great training. It is important to keep yourself on your toes and make sure your Defenders are well-positioned. Every challenge is a 1v1 for a goalie.  As a goalie, it is crucial to lead from the back. The real essence of teamwork is visible when a goalie communicates effectively with his defenders.

Diane Scavuzzo: How can defenders assist goalies?

Edwin van der Sar: “Great defenders can effectively reduce the width of the goal that the goalie needs to defend. Defenders can reduce the space where the opposition can score, enabling the goalkeeper to only having seven feet to defend instead of 9 feet. I remember playing at Manchester United and there was magic with a few defenders. We worked well together.”

Diane Scavuzzo: It is easier or harder for youth players today than when you were young and starting out?

Edwin van der Sar: That’s easy. It is harder for players nowadays than when I was young.

Diane Scavuzzo: What is one of your greatest challenges?

Edwin van der Sar: To slowly build a strong, effective grassroots youth soccer program and to carefully build the brand.

A bit of history of Ajax:

Founded on March 18, 1900 AFC Ajax is one of the largest and most storied clubs in European football. After their founding and acceptance into Dutch Football, Ajax spent ten seasons in the country’s second division before earning promotion for the 1911 season. Under the guidance of trainer Jack Reynolds, who led Ajax for a total of 27 years, the club won their first National Championship in 1918. From that point on Ajax could always be found at or near the top of the Dutch table. It was also Reynolds and his revolutionary training methods that built the foundation for what has now become the world-famous Ajax Youth Training Program. The club has an astonishing 30 league titles.

Ajax’s youth academy is known around the world and is also famous for player development. The only goal we have at this academy is to develop elite young players into successful, and professional soccer players. As Ajax website states, “Only the very best will reach the top after a difficult and often long road. Johan Cruijff, is one of a few of the international stars that have successfully completed the training at the youth academy.”  How many youth soccer players and their parents have heard coaches training the Cruijff move? This is where the famous footballer learned his skill.

Ajax has a comprehensive online youth academy with information for coaches and players. There is also information on Ajax Coaches Symposium at Ajax and weekend courses.

Ajax Online Academy has partnered with Premier International Tours, the leading international soccer travel organizing in North America, to offer an international coaches education tour to Ajax as well as team soccer tours to Ajax to train with Ajax Academy coaches. Select coaches and elite teams are welcome to  travel to The Netherlands and Ajax and learn “the Ajax Way” first hand from coaches from the Ajax Academy.