Before joining Manchester United in 2005, Edwin van der Sar had spells at Fulham, Juventus and Ajax, and the Dutchman has now revealed he rejected Liverpool early in his career.
The ex-goalkeeper spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about his time as a player and as a CEO.
He focused on his time at Juventus but claimed, and went on to say Liverpool came calling for him, before he joined the Old Lady from Ajax.
The 54-year-old told the newspaper: “I had two options: Liverpool or Juventus. I spoke to both clubs, then my heart drew me to Italy. Serie A was the best league at the time, Juventus was a historic club and had beaten us in the Champions League final in 1996.”
Van Der Sar explained the prospect playing at the club same club where Dino Zoff once was fascinated him.
“I liked the black and white shirt and was intrigued by the idea of playing for the team that had once hosted a legendary goalkeeper like Zoff.”
The ex-Netherlands star also made it clear he has no regrets about rejecting Liverpool.
“At Juventus, there were many changes compared to the habits I had at Ajax, and there were just as many difficulties. I didn’t play my best football, but I have no regrets: when a striker doesn’t score or a goalkeeper doesn’t save goals, it’s part of the game to receive criticism.”
Van Der Sar insists he enjoyed living in Italy and sharing the dressing room with many icons.
“It was still a great experience living and playing in Italy. The summer I arrived, my teammates all took me out to dinner: Ferrara, Iuliano, Zidane, Inzaghi, Zambrotta, Davids. The food in Turin’s restaurants was excellent. At the end of the evening, I’d take out my credit card, but I could never pay.”
Joining Liverpool would have changed the trajectory of his career, especially since the Reds weren’t at the peak of their powers back then and Van Der Sar also wasn’t a finished product at that point.
His stint at Juventus wasn’t the most impressive and led to a blip, leading to a move to Fulham. He won silverware in Italy and also at the London club, which could be another reason why Van Der Sar has no regrets about his decision.
