Edwin van der Sar
Biography, Age, Net Worth, House, Cars, Wife, Children, Height, Stats, Parents & Retirement
Edwin van der Sar Basic Information
| Stage Name: | Van der Sar/ Number One/ The Flying Dutchman |
| Real Name: | Edwin Van der Sar |
| Occupation: | Retired Professional Footballer, Football Executive |
| Date Of Birth/Age: | 29 October 1970 |
| Place of Birth: | Voorhout, The Netherlands |
| Gender: | Male |
| Nationality: | Dutch |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Education: |
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| Height: | 6Ft 10In |
| Net Worth: | $25M |
Edwin van der Sar Biography
Edwin van der Sar, born in Voorhout on 29 October 1970, started his career at Foreholte before moving on to VV Noordwijk. He was introduced to Louis van Gaal at a relatively late age and later signed for Ajax. Despite arriving late, he joined the reserve squad and bided his time until Louis van Gaal called him up to the first team. The early 1990s saw the start of Van der Sar’s career when he joined one of the most prosperous clubs in the Netherlands, AFC Ajax. He quickly made a name for himself as a skilled goalkeeper and was a crucial member of the “golden generation” of Ajax players. As a former professional player and executive, he has been an influential figure in Dutch football.
Family
Parents
Edwin van der Sar’s parents, Wil and Rien van der Sar have little or no information about them.
Siblings
Edwin van der Sar has a brother and a sister, but little is known about them.
Children
Joe and Lynn van der Sar are Edwin’s two children. Joe van der Sar, his son, was conceived in March 1998. He is the current goalkeeper for Noordwijk, a Dutch third-tier team. From 2011 to 2019, Joe van der Sar worked with the youth teams of Ajax, Manchester United, his current club, Noordwijk, and two other Dutch clubs, RKC Waalwijk and ADO Den Haag.
Edwin Van Der Sar’S Son Joe Van Der Sar, In Action
Wife
Annemarie van Kesteren is the wife of Edwin van der Sar. Together, they have two kids. At Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, they exchanged vows in 2006. During his stint at Manchester United, She was once also diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage and later survived it.
Lifestyle
The early 1990s saw the start of Van der Sar’s career when he joined one of the most prosperous clubs in the Netherlands, AFC Ajax. He quickly made a name for himself as a skilled goalkeeper and was a crucial member of the “golden generation” of Ajax players. 1995 Ajax’s historic UEFA Champions League victory was greatly aided by Van der Sar. His outstanding play throughout the competition assisted Ajax in winning the prestigious trophy, enhancing his standing as one of the best goalkeepers in European football.
Van der Sar started a remarkable international career representing the Netherlands after finding success with Ajax. He played in significant competitions like the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship, earning 130 caps for his country.
Van der Sar relocated to Italy in 1999 to play for Juventus, a legendary Serie A team. He displayed exceptional abilities there and was a key component of Juventus’ domestic triumphs during his tenure. Van der Sar left the team in 2001 to join Fulham FC in England after only two seasons with the organization. Van der Sar maintained his stellar play in goal for Fulham, winning acclaim for his proficiency in stopping shots and command of the penalty area. One of the top football clubs in England, Manchester United, took notice of his outstanding performances.
Van der Sar joined Manchester United in 2005, where he would have great success. He developed into a critical group member and was instrumental in helping Manchester United win numerous domestic and international championships. While at Manchester United, Van der Sar won multiple Premier League titles, FA Cups, and League Cups. He was also a vital part of the team that won the UEFA Champions League in 2008, playing a crucial role in the penalty shootout victory against Chelsea.
One of the most decorated goalkeepers in football history, Van der Sar, announced his retirement from the game in 2011. But his enthusiasm for the sport remained unwavering. He changed careers from football player to executive after hanging up his gloves. Van der Sar returned to his beloved team, AFC Ajax, in 2012 as its marketing director. Later, he took on the position of chief executive officer, where he significantly contributed to the club’s ongoing success in both domestic and European competitions.
Following a brain haemorrhage in July 2023, Van der Sar was admitted to the hospital but has since been said to be in stable condition.
Van der Sar is a well-respected figure in football administration thanks to his leadership and knowledge, both of which have received widespread recognition. His contributions to the game as a player and an executive have profoundly affected football and cemented his place among the sport’s all-time greats.
Net Worth
Edwin van der Sar has an estimated net worth of $21 million.
Cars
Van der Sar also owns a Bentley Continental GT Speed worth $85,000, among other vehicles.
House
In addition to other real estate holdings worldwide, he owns a home in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
Stats
He is among the most successful footballers, with 26 major trophies, mostly from his time at Ajax and Manchester United. Van der Sar amassed the most club championships—26—with Manchester United and Ajax. With Manchester United, he amassed ten club championships. He won 14 club trophies with Ajax, including four Eredivisie titles, three consecutive, one UEFA Cup in the 1991–92 season, and one UEFA Super Cup in 1995. These include four Premier League championships. The two remaining club championships Van der Sar won with Fulham and Juventus are the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which he won twice with each club—once in 1999 with Juventus and again in 2002 with Fulham.
He has won several individual honours as well, including four consecutive Dutch Football Goalkeeper of the Year Awards from 1994 to 1997, two Best European Goalkeeper Awards in 1995 and 2009, a Dutch Golden Shoe in 1998 (awarded to the top Dutch player in the first and second divisions of the Eredivisie since 1984), and two Premier League awards in 2008-09 (the Golden Glove and the Merit). Van der Sar also won the UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2009 and the Fulham Player of the Year award in 2004.
Retirement
Following retirement from professional playing, the former Dutch football executive and professional player Edwin van der Sar most recently served as the CEO of AFC Ajax before resigning recently. Despite retirement, the shot-stopper has come out of retirement a few times to participate in active football.
A homage/testimonial match for Van der Sar was performed at the Amsterdam Arena on 3 August 2011. The goalkeeper’s “dream team,” managed by Alex Ferguson, included Wayne Rooney, John Heitinga, Louis Saha, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nemanja Vidi, André Ooijer, Dirk Kuyt, Gary Neville, Michael Carrick, Edgar Davids, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Boudewijn Zenden, and Dennis Bergkamp. They competed against Frank de Boer’s first Ajax squad. There were two shorter matches played before this one. In one, the Ajax and Manchester United youth teams competed; in the other, the 1995 team faced the 1998 Netherlands national team. Louis van Gaal was the manager of the Ajax team, which included Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu, Frank de Boer, Winston Bogarde, Nordin Wooter, Ronald de Boer, Danny Blind, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, and Frank Rijkaard. Wim Jonk, Dennis Bergkamp, Roy Makaay, Ruud Hesp, Aron Winter, Richard Witschge, and Pierre van Hooijdonk were all Guus Hiddink-led Netherlands team members.
The Netherlands alone saw a peak of 2 million viewers, accounting for a 26% market share. The Make a Wish Foundation and Laureus were to receive the money raised by the match, which raised a significant amount. Nevertheless, Van der Sar declared later that he would establish his charitable foundation to aid in allocating the funds. It was revealed at the occasion that Van der Sar would be covering the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League as an analyst for the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting.
Van der Sar took part in the Soccer Aid 2012 Match on 27 May 2012, playing for the Rest of the World team in the first half and stopping John Bishop at full stretch. At halftime, Patrick Kielty, a comedian, took his place. He also participated in the Soccer Aid 2014 match on 8 June 2014, playing once more for the Rest of the World before Patrick Kielty took his place at the half.
On 19 November 2012, Van der Sar started working as the marketing director for Ajax. He received a promotion to CEO in the latter part of 2016. Van der Sar returned to football for a single game on 12 March 2016 for his old youth team VV Noordwijk. Noordwijk, a team competing in the amateur fifth tier, was dealing with an injury crisis. They tied Jodan Boys 1-1 after he saved a penalty and allowed a goal.
He is on mandatory “temporal” retirement from footballing activities to attend to his health and aid in his quick recovery after experiencing a recent decline in health due to a brain haemorrhage.
