Source: Telegraph
Manchester United saved me from quitting says Edwin van der Sar
The 38-year-old is the last line of a defence that has set a new domestic record for consecutive clean sheets this season and, despite his advancing years, is still as commanding a presence as he has been in the past for Ajax and the Dutch national team.[LNB]However, there was a time before Ferguson came calling when he felt his career was going to come to its conclusion at Craven Cottage[LNB]'If I had stayed at Fulham I would have quit the game by now,' said Van der Sar.[LNB]'After my third and fourth year there, I thought my chance of playing for a big club again had gone. [LNB]'I went to Fulham for the project they explained to me — but it didn't really work out. [LNB]'I might have been playing at a high level for the national team but I was starting to miss those European nights and challenging for titles. [LNB]'At certain times you start to — maybe not lose the faith — but just wonder how long it will take until someone picks me up. [LNB]'I was thinking, 'Is it just me? Do I think I'm better than any manager does? Do they think I am just too old or not good enough?' [LNB]'But Alex Ferguson bought me and I have to admit, if I had not been at Manchester United, I'd have stopped playing by now.' [LNB]Collecting a second European Cup winner's medal after the penalty shoot-out victory over Chelsea last season – 13 years after he was in goal for the Ajax side that beat AC Milan 1-0 in the final in Vienna – was reward for Ferguson's faith and Van der Sar's enduring quality.[LNB]And that night in Moscow also gave the Dutchman something he had been longing for but had yet to find up to that point in a distinguished career.[LNB]'One thing I always wanted was to make a particular save that you would always be remembered for,' he told the Sun[LNB] newspaper. [LNB]'Stopping what proved to be the last penalty in a Champions League final is that moment — something you will cherish for the rest of your life, because you know how important that was for the players, the club and yourself.'[LNB]
