Edwin van der Sar to be honoured with Eredivisie Oeuvre Award

This year’s ceremony will see the Eredivisie present the Eredivisie Oeuvre Award for the fourth time. The award was created to honour and celebrate the achievements of football personalities who are (or have been) vital to the continued success of Dutch football. Arjen Robben, Wim Jansen (posthumously) and Louis van Gaal are the previous award recipients.

Jan de Jong, Eredivisie CV director, explains the decision to honour Van der Sar: “Edwin van der Sar is a proven winner. His trophy cabinet is bursting with silverware and is the envy of many a collector, jeweller and museum. He has always epitomised a down-to-earth, ‘just act normal’ mentality. He certainly didn’t achieve what he has without hard work; he fought incredibly hard to reach the very top and remain there for so long.”

“Last year, he was hit by major sporting and physical setbacks. Thankfully, he seems to have made a miraculous recovery, one that typifies Edwin’s character. He has a warm personality and is genuinely interested in other people. Simply put, he is a great sports executive. Yet he is always ice cool under pressure, a mentality that enables him to remain calm and in control. Edwin assumed and carried the responsibility of running one of the biggest clubs in Europe, while devising sky-high ambitions when others dared not to. He never took the easy option of watching from the sidelines; he fought from the heart of the Arena to transform the culture of the club. Edwin didn’t have to do this. He wanted too. Having worked so hard to achieve this change, he nearly paid a very heavy price.”

“As well as being a fantastic keeper, he is above all a gem to be cherished and an incredible ambassador for Ajax, the Dutch national team (Oranje) and the Eredivisie. He helped put Ajax back on the world football map, first in the 1990s and then again in recent years when they reached the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League. He is a world famous figure and a legend of the beautiful game. He is able to kick down barriers that remain closed for others. As an accomplished diplomat he helped ensure that, in the best interests of Dutch football, the UEFA Europa Conference League was launched. Partly thanks to his efforts, the Netherlands currently stands sixth in the UEFA rankings. This illustrious background, as well as the huge number of prizes he’s won, make Edwin a deserved winner of the Eredivisie Oeuvre Award.”

Edwin van der Sar began his incredible career at Ajax, where he played 226 Eredivisie matches and kept 97 clean sheets - a clean sheet percentage of 42.9% per match. He won the Eredivisie four times during his time at Ajax. After leaving the Amsterdam club, he went on to play for Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He made 66 Serie A appearances (33 clean sheets) and played in 313 Premier League matches (132 clean sheets), becoming one of the world’s best goalkeepers in the process. Van der Sar made his debut for the Dutch national team in 1995. He went on to win 130 international caps, keeping 72 clean sheets for Oranje. He took part in three World Cups and four European Championships.

His career was crowned with numerous trophies, both as a player and as a chief executive. As a player, his honours include eight national championships, five domestic cups, six super cups, two Champions League titles, one UEFA Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. As chief executive, Van der Sar oversaw nine championship wins and eight cup wins by Ajax, Ajax Vrouwen and Jong Ajax.

After retiring from his impressive playing career, Van der Sar joined the board of directors at Ajax. This decision was made after obtaining a master in sports management and on the advice of Johan Cruyff, who suggested revolutionising the culture of Ajax together with other former players. He began as Ajax’s marketing director, before being promoted to CEO in late 2016. After seven years in the role, Van der Sar resigned as CEO on 30 May 2023.

As an accomplished diplomat in his role as ECA vice-president, he has achieved so much for Dutch clubs and players, including a vital role in UEFA and FIFA committees that explore new European tournament formats. He also played a key role in improving training compensation and solidarity payments to feeder clubs, as well as developing a youth competition (UEFA Youth League Domestic Champions Path) which enabled more Dutch youth teams to compete at European level.