Santos and the closing of Brazil to the outside world
By Gordon Fleetwood, our Santos expert
On July 21st, the portal between Brazil and the outside world shut after the summer’s – or winter’s since Brazil is in the Southern Hermisphere -stream of transfers. Well, maybe not a stream. It was more of a brook to be honest. As Libertadores winners, Santos were prime for the picking as the European hawks circled. Unfortunately, the predators were able to capture some members of the shoal, but the group was able to take some of the stores back. This metaphor is becoming increasingly strained. In addition to the men who left, and those who arrived, the big story of the transfer window were the players who stayed put. The rumors surrounding Neymar and Ganso eventually came to nothing as the duo will remain at Santos. Just as important in my view was the retention of Arouca who was the subject of a late bid by Fiorentina.
Of course, this does not conclude Santos’ transfer dealings as the domestic window is there to be exploited. The club is still searching for a backup leftback as well as another cog to supplement the attacking machine. That is a glimpse of the future, but now it is time to look at the past and assess how the change in the makeup of the squad has changed Santos. Without further delay, here’s a summary of Santos international dealings.
Edwin van der Sar - A trendsetter. A pioneer.
Edwin Van der Sar’s heroic career has ended and we’re proud to have two of the best experts on Dutch football and Ajax, Mohamed Moallim and Babette van Haaren, each pay their respect to one of Holland’s greats. We start with the biography-esque piece from Mohamed (Twitter / Personal Blog), who is a British freelance journalist currently writing for publications such as World Football Columns and FourFourTwo amongst many others on the brilliant world of Dutch football.
One of the preeminent goalkeepers of his generation, Edwin van der Sar came to define a role that became more than just keeping the ball out, he in some ways was a pioneer and trendsetter, which, in turn, is his biggest legacy. He was more than a keeper; he was the reference, he changed the game and effectively became the eleventh man.
Known as ijskonijn (ice rabbit) in his native home – courtesy of his easy-going demeanour – with his strong and agile frame, he was perfect as the sweeper-keeper, an extra player on the pitch, which was an idea originating from Johan Cruyff. Attacks would start from Van der Sar – one of the very first keepers of his kind.
