Van der Sar: ‘I had two options – Juventus or Liverpool, my heart pushed me to Italy’ – Football Italia

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 26: Edwin Van Der Sar, former Manchester United and Fulham player acknowledges the fans during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Manchester United FC at Craven Cottage on January 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Former Juventus and Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has explained that he had an opportunity to join Liverpool in the late 1990s, and has given his reasoning as to why he opted to join Juventus instead: ‘My heart pushed me to Italy’. 

Van der Sar spoke in an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, discussing a number of topics including his time under Louis van Gaal at Ajax, his move to Juventus and his later experiences with Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. 

The Dutchman spent two years in Turin with the Old Lady between 1999-2001, a period in which he has admitted to not playing his best football. 

His career could have taken a different turn, however, as van der Sar reveals that he had an opportunity to join Premier League giants Liverpool, but opted to sign for Juventus instead. 

Why van der Sar joined Juventus over Liverpool

“I had two options: Liverpool or Juventus,” van der Sar told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

“I spoke with both clubs, then my heart pushed me to Italy. Serie A was the best league around back then, Juventus was an historic club and had beaten us in the Champions League final in 1996. 

“I liked the Bianconero jersey, and I was intrigued by the idea of playing in a team where a legendary keeper like Dino Zoff had been the main man.”

Van der Sar has admitted that he did not play to the best of his abilities during his time with Juventus, which led to his being sold to Fulham after two seasons in Serie A. 

“There were many changes at Juventus compared to the habits I had at Ajax,” the recent Ajax CEO explained. 

“I didn’t play my best football, but I don’t regret it. When a striker doesn’t score, or when a goalkeeper doesn’t save goals, it’s part of the game to receive criticism. But, it was a great experience to live and play in Italy. 

“The summer I arrived, my teammates all took me out to dinner: Ferrara, Iuliano, Zidane, Inzaghi, Zambrotta, Davids. We ate very well at the restaurants in Turin. At the end of the nights, I’d go to take out my credit card, but I’d never be allowed to pay for anything.”