Source: Daily_Mail
Veteran manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar admits to dreading Old Trafford farewell
Share Edwin van der Sar is old enough to know life does not always throw up fairytale endings.[LNB]A Hollywood scriptwriter might have the 40-year-old goalkeeper walking into the sunset after a penalty shoot-out save from Lionel Messi in the Champions League final, but the Dutch veteran knows from the experience of a couple of famous friends it can go the opposite way.[LNB] [LNB] Dreading the final curtain: Van Der Sar is not looking forward to retirement[LNB]'Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the captain of Holland, played his last game in the 2010 World Cup final, which they lost to Spain,' said Van der Sar.[LNB]'It also happened to Zinedine Zidane, my former team-mate from Juventus. He got sent off in the 2006 World Cup final, his final match before retiring.[LNB]'Those two weren't the most fortunate, so let's hope it's third time lucky for me and I can make it. I will try to leave a different way.'[LNB]Saturday's epic final at Wembley between Manchester United and Barcelona will also be the final game of Van der Sar's illustrious career. His first European medal, as a substitute for Ajax in their 1992 UEFA Cup triumph against Torino, predates the Premier League. Three years later, he was in goal when the Dutch club beat a starstudded AC Milan to win the Champions League. [LNB]United teammates Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez were still in short trousers and Paul Scholes still waiting for his first league title. Van der Sar's penalty save from Nicolas Anelka was the last act of the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow, when United beat Chelsea, and his form has remained so good this season he was Scott Parker's most serious rival for Footballer of the Year.[LNB] Captain, my captain: Ferguson (right) will let Van der Sar (left) lead the United side out at Old Trafford [LNB] [LNB] Even so, Van der Sar subscribes to Sir Alex Ferguson's view that it is best for players to quit when they are still on top. So, at around half-past-seven on Saturday night, the Dutchlegend will put his gloves on - left one first because of superstition -for the last time.[LNB]'This is going to be my last game,' he confirmed. 'I could have said I may be able to carry for another year but I'm not sure I wanted to deal in maybes.[LNB]'It's not a case of quitting for physical reasons or because I can't compete in training. But at a can't compete in training. But at a certain point you know you can't keep on progressing or even sometimes staying at the same level.[LNB]'I think this is the right moment. I didn't expect to have gone on for so long anyway. I have already extended my life as a goalkeeper by a couple of years. Now I just want to finish on a high.'[LNB]How to replace Van der Sar, a goalkeeper Sir Alex Ferguson now rates alongside Peter Schmeichel as United's greatest ever, has occupied the United manager all season. He has run the rule over a number of targets including Atletico Madrid's David de Gea, Pepe Reina of Liverpool and Ajax's Maarten Stekelenburg for months.[LNB]The performance of Van der Sar's current understudy, Tomasz Kuszczak, at Blackburn last weekend underlined that the pressure of being United's goalkeeper carries serious risk to your nerves. Of more immediate concern to Van der Sar is how to stop Barcelona; a hugely feted team essentially made up of Spain's World Cupwinning players plus Messi.[LNB] Breath of fresh air: Scholes (left) says he looks forward to Holloway's (right) press conferences [LNB] In 2009, the Argentine wizard overshadowed Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov and Tevez to score in a 2-0 win against United in Rome. Ronaldo's head was already in Madrid and Rooney looked forlorn stuck out wide. But Van der Sar suggests United will be far better prepared this time.[LNB]'We have to treat it as a special game,' he said.[LNB]'We don't want to think because it isat Wembley and we can travel by train and stay in our normal hotel thatit's going to be easier. Maybe we treated the FA Cup semi-final againstCity like that and we lacked a little bit during the game.[LNB]'So it's important we get the right focus. The preparations have already started on the training pitch for Barcelona. The players are visualising things about the game and the technical directions the coaching staff will give us.[LNB]'None of us can look back on the 2009 Barcelona game with a good feeling. We have to make sure we all turn up this time.' [LNB] Fergie hints at strong United team to face Blackpool despite rivals' fearsFergie pleads with Scholes to play on and pen one-year deal at Old TraffordAll the latest Manchester United FC news, features and opinionAll the latest Blackpool FC news, features and opinion[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Edwin Van Der Sar, Pepe Reina, Lionel Messi, Tomasz Kuszczak, Wayne Rooney, Zinedine Zidane, Nicolas Anelka Places: Barcelona, Rome, Moscow, Liverpool, Madrid, Spain, The Netherlands
