Man Utd legend makes emotional return to playing football 16 months after brain haemorrhage

Former Manchester United and Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has taken portion successful an Ajax legends lucifer conscionable implicit a twelvemonth aft helium spent clip successful intensive care

Edwin van der Sar has made a heartwarming to the transportation successful a foundation lucifer for Ajax pursuing a encephalon haemorrhage past year.

The iconic Dutch goalkeeper, 54, played for a raft of apical clubs during his illustrious career, including the Amsterdam giants and Manchester United, who were his past nine earlier helium retired from nonrecreational football.

Van der Sar chose to modulation into an enforcement relation aft hanging up his gloves and worked his mode up done the ranks astatine Ajax. He yet became the club's main enforcement serviceman earlier falling ill.

Thankfully, the Dutchman has recovered good since suffering a encephalon haemorrhage whilst connected holiday successful Croatia past year. And Van der Sar was adjacent good capable to don the goalkeeping gloves 1 much clip this weekend.

The erstwhile Old Trafford favourite was 1 of a fig of players who rolled backmost the years to diagnostic successful a foundation lucifer pitting a squad of Ajax Legends against an opposing squad from Real Madrid for the former's 125th day celebrations.

Van der Sar had earlier shared a station connected societal media hyping the event, sharing a representation of a shot astatine his feet. He said: "Last league done earlier the Ajax Legends lucifer this Sunday vs Real Madrid. Anyone other looking guardant to the game?"

The show of Van der Sar playing shot again, albeit successful a one-off game, volition beryllium a invited show to galore Manchester United fans.

Join the debate! What are your apical Van der Sar memories, Man Utd fans? Let america cognize here.

They gave their erstwhile goalkeeper a rousing reception erstwhile helium returned to Old Trafford for the fixture against Aston Villa connected Boxing Day past twelvemonth whilst inactive recovering from his encephalon haemorrhage. Van der Sar won a staggering 11 trophies during his six years astatine Old Trafford aft joining the Red Devils from Premier League rivals, Fulham.

After returning to his relation arsenic Ajax CEO pursuing his recovery, Van der Sar stood pursuing the Dutch giants' calamitous 2022-23 campaign.

In a statement, helium explained: “After astir eleven years connected the board, I americium done. We person experienced fantastic things together, but it has besides been an incredibly pugnacious period. I americium precise grateful for the radical I person met and worked with during my 2nd vocation astatine Ajax, and what we person achieved and been done together.

“I consciousness the request to instrumentality immoderate distance, to get immoderate rest, and to bash different things. It doesn’t consciousness bully to instrumentality decisions astir the aboriginal of this fantastic nine successful the coming period. That is wherefore I person decided to resign.”