Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar confirmed on Thursday that he will retire at the end of the season.
The 40-year-old, who has won three Premier League titles and a Champions League in six years at Old Trafford, has been considering his future since his wife Annemarie collapsed with a brain haemorrhage in December 2009.
“I cannot really identify a time when it (the decision) happened,” he said. “Let’s just say that it was playing on my mind from the moment Annemarie had her stroke.
“She has fought back from it. We decided on another year in England and thus to stay at Manchester United. “But, once engaged in the season, the thought of saying goodbye started to gnaw a bit more emphatically.”
