Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar has opened up on the symptoms of the brain haemorrhage he suffered, and the effect it has had on his life. Van der Sar suffered the major health scare back in 2023 – the same year that the former goalkeeper left his role at Ajax.
The 55-year-old was first signed by United in 2005 from Fulham and went on to make more than 250 appearances for the Red Devils, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League.
After retiring from professional football in 2011, just a few months before he turned 41, and went on to become a director at his former club Ajax.
Van der Sar suffered a brain haemorrhage while on holiday in July 2023, just a couple of months after he resigned from his role at Ajax.
The former goalkeeper was treated in intensive care and spent two weeks in hospital before making a recovery.
Van der Sar has now opened up on the day he first noticed symptoms, and why taking time away from football has helped his health.
“I’m OK now. I had it three years ago. I had a great holiday – a sailing trip in Croatia,” Van der Sar said on The Overlap, where he was alongside Gary Neville. “On the last day, in the hotel, I got up to go to the toilet and felt dizzy, and I felt my neck.
“I went back into the room and said, ‘Close the curtains’, and I sat on the bed not feeling well. My wife called the doctor, and I was told I had a brain haemorrhage.
“One of the things that helped was that I had just quit my job at Ajax as a director. Five weeks before that I had resigned. It was a big step for me, but I felt I had brought Ajax to a point where maybe I couldn’t bring any more to the club than I already did.
“I was surprised because I had a great holiday, we were all relaxed, and then something like that happens to you. We went to the hospital, I was in intensive care, and I was there for three weeks.
“Then you have the recovery process and rehabilitation, and you know as a player you also want the best people around you and a programme fitted for you. I had no pressure about going back into a job – no phone calls, no emails, no decision-making – so that helped a lot to recover to the level that I am now.”
Despite suffering a major health scare, Van der Sar has admitted that he and his wife, Annemarie, are not taking a different view of life, with the United legend enjoying his time away from football.
“No, I’m not that type of guy,” Van der Sar said. “What was nice for me was that I wanted to have a rest, take a year out of football, go to some other clubs and learn some new things.
“Now it’s almost three years ago, so I’ve had time to recover with no stress, no phone in my hand – just doing the stuff that I’ve wanted to do.
“Wake up when you want, walk the dog, go swim in the sea, go on holiday. I went to New Zealand for two months with Annemarie – nice things that I never had the chance to do before.
“I started playing at 18 or 19, finished at 40, and at 41 I became one of the directors at Ajax until 53, so I thought it was the right time to take a step back. That’s taken a little bit longer than I originally thought, to be fair, but we are enjoying ourselves very much.”
