Soccer Limey in America

Nationality: Dutch
Total appearances: 815
Caps: 130
World Cups: 4
Titles: 19

When Edwin Van Der Sar signed for Manchester United in 2005, I doubt anyone at the time thought that it would herald another era at the club similar to that when legend Peter Schmeichel was there.

Van Der Sar comes from an elite background of clubs and great goalkeepers and has played all over Europe. He started with Ajax and moved on to Juventus finally arriving in England in 2001 with Fulham. It was at that point that a few observers felt the big Dutchman’s career might be on the downward slide. I’d felt he had been inconsistent at the London club but United were searching for a replacement for Tim Howard, who had fallen out of favor with boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

It was the start of a trophy-laden career that saw him lift a collection of silverware that rivaled his time at Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie. He holds several records such as the highest capped Dutch player of all time with 130, and also is the world record holder for clean sheets at 1,311 minutes without having conceded a goal. He won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs and is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all-time.