Top 100 Quotes & Sayings by Edwin van der Sar - Page 2

I am 40 years old, but I still feel fit.

I didn't find it hard to settle at United because there was a great bunch of players, great staff, and a good atmosphere at the club.

I know I'm a good goalkeeper.

When I was younger, I thought I would finish in my mid-30s because that is normal for most players.

Coming to Old Trafford gave me a new lease of life.

If you are in the Premier League or at Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich, you are at an end station.

You have to get your motivation from within, and it doesn't matter if you lose in the quarters, the semis, or the final. You must want to have another chance of winning the trophy.

It's hard to put your faith in youngsters, but Ajax have always done that.

I want to finish at the top, playing well.

My career record was 5-2 in penalty shootouts.

When I was 18, I never expected to be what I was - you hope to make your debut, to play for the national team, and I want to achieve something similar off the pitch to what I did on the pitch.

You see the strength of the Spanish league, the Premier League, Germany, France, and Italy. The TV revenues are so much higher in those countries.

Ajax always bring through young players from their academy - we can't pay €20m for a player, so we make sure we develop those players and give them the opportunity to play.

You get confidence when you get on a roll. When you are not struggling, and you get your players back, it is bound to make everyone feel better about themselves.

When I left Ajax in 1999, I travelled to Liverpool and spoke to Houllier. I was shown around Anfield and also met with the chairman and a couple of the players. I thought about it, but when Juventus came to the table, I came to the conclusion that it would be a bigger challenge to play in Italy.

I'm always quite rational.

At Ajax, Juventus, and with Holland, I have played with top teams, and now I want to use my experience to reach the same goal with Fulham.

I will miss football.

Everybody doubts themselves. Every writer doubts themselves, every artist doubts himself, and every football player does.

The most time players get off is during the international breaks.

It's always hard the moment you decide to stop playing. It doesn't matter if you're at a small club or a big club: it's the end of your playing career, so that's always going to be a big moment for any player.

As a goalkeeper, you always expect every team to give you nightmares.

Nothing can replicate the thrill of making a great save at an away ground, or hearing your own fans cheering you, or the atmosphere when you score a goal or win a big game.

I would like Ajax to be people's favourite second team. Like in Spain, if you are a Real Madrid fan, then you can't be a Barcelona supporter. It's the same in Italy. But you can be an Ajax fan.

The leagues in the countries around us are probably more interesting and played at a higher level, but in general, we are happy with the way we have moved things forward with Ajax, together with Marc Overmars as technical director, to establish a squad that can compete at the highest level.

I think, on one end, we need to understand that goalkeeping is an art and is also a very important position to have in your club.

It doesn't matter whether it is your first game or your last game: you want to win.

I'm not going back to Amsterdam, though it would be very comfortable there with Frank de Boer, Danny Blind, and Dennis Bergkamp. When I left 12 years ago, I said I would return, but I did not know then what great years I would have with Manchester United. I might occasionally visit training with them, but I will not be going regularly.

I am delighted to have signed for Manchester United, one of the most famous clubs in the world.

Playing is the biggest thing there is.

All things evolve, and European football needs to evolve as well.

We need a solution for European football. You need to help smaller clubs in European competitions get the right distribution of money so they can invest in coaches and attract talent for the level they can play at.

I don't hate the idea of retirement. I am looking forward to it.

Being at Manchester United is a great way to play at the highest level and win trophies with a team that is very closely knitted together.

You don't need only your strikers. You need your defenders to be on top of their game. You need a midfield to work hard and track back, and I suppose you need a goalkeeper who makes saves once in a while.

Jean Tigana wants to go to the top with Fulham, and I like that ambition.

For everyone, the World Cup is important. It doesn't matter if you are 21, going for your first one, or 35 and going for your third one. It's the biggest stage you can play on, and every opportunity to experience it is something special.

When I was in Dutch and Italian football, a lot of people looked at Manchester United, and when they were asked who was the best player, a lot of them said Paul Scholes. Much of what he did looked simple, but actually it was quite hard. Invariably he controlled the ball instantly and passed it straight on, keeping the game moving. He made inch-perfect passes across the pitch; he saw the gaps and could play the ball through them. So it didn't surprise me that so many top-class international footballers recognized his quality.

I don't know why we aren't scoring as we're keeping clean sheets.

It is not always easy for a young player to come through at the club level, because all the clubs are able to buy for 20 million or 30 million and it is hard for young English talent to come through and to get recognition and be able to be part of the squad or start playing.