Manchester United and Fulham legend Edwin van der Sar came out of retirement this weekend, and he did so in style.
Back in 1989, while with the youth team of Dutch side VV Noordwijk, Louis van Gaal discovered the then-19-year-old and brought him to Ajax. Now, 27 years later and 45 years old, VV Noordwijk in the fourth tier of Dutch football and suffering an injury crisis, van der Sar is back on the field for his boyhood club.
With previous starter Mustafa Amerzine injured in the last match, the legend who played 605 matches for Ajax, Juventus, Fulham, and Manchester United agreed to return temporarily five years after retiring to help the Dutch side out during a time of need.
“He still thinks warmly of the club and is here regularly,” Noordwijk technical director Peter Vink told Voetbal in de Bollenstreek. “After some deliberation, he agreed to keep goal next Saturday against Jodan Boys. We assume that it is basically only for one game. We are thrilled that Edwin wants to help us in this way.”
Oh, and he stopped a penalty, because that’s what Edwin van der Sar does. The match finished as a 1-1 draw.