Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Sar admits his first Champions League win was so long ago he did not own a mobile phone

Edwin van der Sar – Manchester United (Getty Images)

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Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s first Champions League final came in 1995 and the Dutchman says it was so long ago he did not even own a mobile phone at the time.

Van der Sar will make his final appearance on Saturday at Wembley before retiring from the game and he admitted he has enjoyed a long career in the competition.

“It feels like a lifetime ago,” said Van der Sar in an article in The Mirror.

“Back then, we were without mobile phones, Internet, those kind of things. It’s been a long road, but very enjoyable.

“That win with Ajax is always compared to Manchester United’s in 1999, in that we were playing with six or seven players from our own youth set-up.

“The same affection United have for guys like Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and David Beckham, Ajax have for guys like Marc Overmars and Edgar Davids.

“The next year, 1996, we reached the final and lost to Juventus. The third year we got to the semi-finals.

“So it felt like every year you expect and think you’re going to play a final, but it took a long time to get back again.”

The goalkeeper won the competition in 2008 with Manchester United and is determined for his career to finish on a high.

“You just want to win,” he added.

“That’s all that matters. This isn’t just another game for me, that’s obvious.

“Before a final, normally you’re asked which players you fear most and what you have to be thoughtful of. Now it’s more about how are you going to enjoy your last game, what are you going to do after.

“Otherwise it’s just training as normal to prepare for the things to come on Saturday.

“When I finish, I’m going to do my coaching badges here and probably do something back in Holland.

“There might be some commercial opportunities and the chance to spend some time at weekends with my family – watching my son play.

“You think more about things you’ve lost than the trophies that you’ve won. When you’ve won, you have a medal. When you’ve lost, you just keep thinking about what went wrong.”