Sports
Edwin van der Sar Names His All-Time Greatest Teammates 11
When you think of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history, it’s impossible not to think of Edwin van der Sar. The Dutch shot-stopper was incredible at both Fulham and Manchester United, with him enjoying one of the most fruitful spells of his career at Old Trafford.
Claiming four Premier League titles along with a second Champions League of his career, the 2008/09 Golden Glove winner was crucial to the Red Devils’ success in the late 2000s. Also second for all-time caps for the Netherlands, Van der Sar’s incredible legacy is there for all to see.
Having also played for Ajax and Juventus before arriving on English soil, the goalkeeper was privileged enough to play alongside numerous legends of the game. Cramming the best of the best into one team is an arduous task, but Van der Sar gave it his best shot. Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, he picked out the 10 players, along with himself who would make it into his best teammates XI.
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Goalkeeper and Defence
Having been told that he would be the man inbetween the sticks, attention turned to the back four. There was little surprise over the two names picked by Van der Sar at centre-back, as both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic earned their place in his XI.
“That triangle was fantastic. Rio was there when I came and Nemanja came in the winter break half a year later. That connection we had with each other… we knew we could read and write with each other without any problems.”
While Patrice Evra might have laid a claim to the left-back spot, the goalkeeper was not prepared to budge on the man whom he played the most games with. Frank de Boer and Van der Sar were partners at both Ajax and for the Netherlands, taking to the pitch 345 times as teammates. While his management career might not have gone according to plan, there’s no doubt that the defender was a formidable force for De Oranje.
Completing the defence, though, was a surprise name. Despite playing with Gary Neville for multiple seasons at United, Van der Sar instead opted for Ciro Ferrera, who he met while at Juventus. Although they only played alongside one another for two seasons, the Italian was described as a “warrior” who proved to be integral to the Old Lady’s backline.
Midfield
If we’re speaking about players who were vital to Juventus, it’s impossible not to mention the great Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman, regarded as one of the best players of all time, was always likely to make an appearance in this XI.
“If you threw him a ball, the control that he had, the pace that he could generate… Also his attitude, just calm, nothing too flashy. Just generally nice guy.”
Next to Zidane, Van der Sar opted for someone who he only met in the twilight years of his career. Frank Rijkaard was never the glovesman’s teammate at international level, but returned to Ajax in 1993 for two seasons alongside the man who would go on to become one of the game’s great goalkeepers. Rijkaard would eventually win a third European Cup in the final game of his career, as his boyhood club beat his former team AC Milan in the final.
Van der Sar’s third midfielder came from yet another different team, with this pick equally unsurprising. Paul Scholes’ reputation as one of the greatest passers of the ball has earned him recognition from former teammates and opponents alike, who have all waxed lyrical about his technical ability. Consequently, it was impossible to leave the former England international out.
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Attackers
Van der Sar could easily have gone for a United trio as his attacking line, having played in the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs. But while two of the three made the cut, the England international was another high-profile name to miss out.
Ronaldo was steadily building his reputation when Van der Sar arrived from Fulham, but took his game to new heights before eventually leaving for Real Madrid in 2009. Claiming his first Ballon d’Or and Champions League at Old Trafford, that was a sign of things to come elsewhere.
Giggs, meanwhile, was at the opposite stage of his career, but just as impactful. Despite being 31 when Van der Sar moved to Manchester, the flying Welshman went on to play for nine more years, outlasting his Dutch teammate and only hanging up his boots at the age of 40, by which point he had claimed the Premier League’s all-time assist record.
When it came to a central attacker, though, Van der Sar opted for Arsenal icon Dennis Bergkamp, who he played with and against during his career. The Dutchman’s grace and poise on the ball helped others around him to thrive, most notably Thierry Henry, but he was still a great finisher too.
“I don’t think he ever scored an ugly goal. I think all of his goals are nice goals, great goals.”
Check Out Van der Sar’s Full Breakdown Below:
Leeds are set to open contract talks to tie down one of their key stars when they return from the World Cup.
The Yorkshire club will be looking to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window after an impressive 25/26 season.
It will also be imperative that they keep hold of as many of Daniel Farke’s key players as possible in order to continue building rather than stagnating.
Leeds already pulled off one of the most important deals of the summer, tieing Ethan Ampadu down to a new contract.
Farke has hardly completed any new signings so far, in terms of official confirmation, but there’s certainly no need to panic after they showed they can comfortably avoid relegation last season.
Leeds to open contract talks
According to a report from Football Insider, Leeds are set to open fresh contract talks with Brenden Aaronson once he returns from the World Cup.
The 25-year-old has now been knocked out of the tournament with the USA, but it will still be a while before he returns to Leeds.
Leeds want to offer Aaronson a new deal as a priority this summer, as he enters the final year of his deal.
If Leeds are unable to agree a new contract with the American international, they will look to cash in on him in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
Leeds paid a fee in the region of £25 million to sign Aaronson from Red Bull Salzburg, so they won’t want to be losing him for nothing.
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Leeds can take risks in transfer market
Leeds can now afford to take risks in the current transfer market after proving that they have a squad capable of avoiding relegation in the Premier League.
The Yorkshire club were one of the favourites to drop down to the Championship, but Farke managed to steer them away from the bottom three.
For Leeds, it’s now about going to the next level and climbing into the top half of the Premier League table.
Farke has certainly earned himself enough credit with the board to back him in the transfer market, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them enjoy a strong summer transfer window.
Hossam Hassan has made a shocking accusation about Lionel Messi following Egypt’s dramatic World Cup exit against Argentina on Tuesday night. The Pharaohs were two goals to the good with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining, but a stunning 14-minute turnaround from the holders saw Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandez turn the game on its head and complete an incredible remontada in Atlanta.
For neutrals, it was football at its very best – a reminder that the game can be a cruel mistress, delivering ecstasy and agony in equal measure as Lionel Scaloni’s side kept alive their hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles. But since the final whistle, the result has opened a can of worms.
A VAR expert has claimed Mohamed Salah should have been awarded a penalty in the build-up to the 93rd-minute winner, while Egypt’s coaching staff have had plenty to say about FIFA’s handling of this year’s tournament.
After the match, striker Mostafa Ziko also vented his frustrations over several refereeing decisions, going as far as to suggest the World Cup has been ‘rigged’ in Argentina’s favour. While he stopped short of targeting Messi directly, his manager was not prepared to pull any punches, refusing to leave football’s golden boy out of the firing line as he reflected on Tuesday night’s heartbreaking defeat.
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Speaking at a press conference after the match, Hassan was furious about his team’s defeat, which he claimed was deliberate. He told media, as per Gulf Today (watch his untranslated interview below):
“They want Argentina and Messi to stay in the World Cup for marketing. If they wanted Argentina to win, why invite other teams to participate? This match was clearly rigged, and the whole world witnessed it.
“We were better than Argentina, and football is unfair. We had a clear penalty that the referee didn’t award, and Ziko’s goal at the start of the second half was disallowed, even though it was perfectly legitimate.”
He added: “I will boycott watching the remaining matches of the tournament as a form of protest. I told the players that I thank them and that they can face the biggest teams in the world, provided there is fairness. FIFA promotes fair play, but we don’t see it on the pitch.”
“I’m not convinced with this outcome. I’m not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match. I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording, selective wording, and saying hard luck, and so on and so forth. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”
Hassan Addresses Altercation with Referee that Produced Late Yellow Card
Hassan also said Egypt had objected to Letexier being the referee, referring to his “background,” as he is French, despite it likely being that he would rather his nation face the African side than their superiors from the 2022 final.
Nine minutes into extra time, Hassan was issued a yellow card after objecting to the lack of a VAR review. “I was just saying this is unfair. I was saying maybe he’s carrying a scar,” Hassan said of their interaction. “Maybe he has something to hide. Whoever has something to hide sometimes fails to hide what he is hiding.”
Argentina will now face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia in the quarter-finals of this summer’s World Cup. After that, should they continue their title defence, they will face either Norway or England, and then one of France, Morocco, Belgium or Spain in the final.
Manchester United are planning a £51 million bid to sign a new midfielder who starred at the World Cup.
The World Cup is an opportunity for clubs to assess whether the players are capable of performing on the biggest stage.
That can also come with players seeing their price tags drastically increase, with selling clubs knowing they are announcing themselves on the world stage.
It can be risky business for clubs to sign players based on World Cup performances, but it is a real opportunity to see talent from around the globe.
United will have multiple scouts at the tournament, and they are specifically looking to bring in midfielders in the summer transfer window.
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Manchester United could be in the market for a new defender.
Man Utd eyeing World Cup midfielder
According to a report from United in Focus, Manchester United are now planning a bid in the region of £51 million for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha in the summer transfer window.
United are looking to bring in a physical presence in the middle of the park, and Nmecha is viewed as a player who could help their rebuild in midfield.
United do face competition from Chelsea for the signature of the German international, but the Red Devils’ interest is believed to be the most advanced.
It remains to be seen whether the offer of £51 million will be enough to tempt Dortmund into accepting an offer.
Nmecha, who has been described as being ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’, is just one of many midfielders who United have been linked with in the summer transfer window as they look to find a replacement for Casemiro.
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Nmecha well known at United
Nmecha, who is believed to be open to moving to the Premier League, is someone who is well known by some of the hierarchy at Old Trafford.
Manchester United director Jason Wilcox worked with Nmecha when they were both at Manchester City’s Academy. The German midfielder made three competitive appearances for United’s rivals before leaving the club to join Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.
Whether Wilcox can have an influence on Nmecha making the move to United remains to be seen, but it’s no surprise that United are interested.
Nmecha moved to Manchester as a child and spent 14 years with the Citizens, so he’s no stranger to living in the North West of England.
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