PROFILE - EDWIN VAN DER SAR:FEW CHAMPIONS LEAGUE finals can have been quite as overshadowed by talk of impending defection by key players from the competing teams.
Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and, after a spate of interviews last week in which he continued his long-running bout of footsy with Real Madrid, Ronaldo have been linked with moves away from their respective clubs.
In the goalkeeping department, though, there is some stability at least. Petr Cech was quick to make clear his long-term commitment to the Londoners after reports suggested he would like to join the exodus from Stamford Bridge while Edwin van der Sar has at least one more year at Old Trafford after singing a contract extension at Christmas.
Beyond that, the Dutchman's future is far less certain. The progress of the highly-rated Ben Foster was halted this year by injury and Alex Ferguson may look to start the transition to van der Sar's appointed successor during the next campaign.
For the moment, though, the 37-year-old is enjoying being back at the game's top table, 13 years after becoming a European Champion with Ajax.
"It's been a long time but it's a great feeling to go to the final game again and try to win it for a second time," said the hugely experienced goalkeeper recently.
His joy, he admitted, is all the greater for the fact that there have been times during the last decade when he doubted he would again experience what he came to regard as "normality" at Ajax - winning titles and competing in major finals.
Ferguson failed to sign Van der Sar in 1999 when Peter Schmeichel's departure left him in need of a top-class goalkeeper and it took six years and a fair bit of heartache for both men before the pair finally got to work together.
Van der Sar went to Juventus, where he spent two years before opting to move when the huge fee paid for Gianluigi Buffon left little doubt about who would be first choice and there followed a few, sometimes difficult seasons at Fulham.
The Manchester United manager, meanwhile, auditioned close to a dozen would-be replacements for his great Dane before paying around €2.5 million for the Dutch international.
Though he has not been completely consistent during his time in a United shirt, Van der Sar has certainly looked a cut above those who went before, restoring stability and focus to the position.
At 37, van der Sar remains as good a shot stopper as there is in British football with doubts about his game tending to centre on his command of the six-yard box.
During the recent win over Wigan, Ferguson's doubts about his kicking were also exposed when the manager could be heard on television telling Patrice Evra not to play the ball back to his goalkeeper. Still, with Tomasz Kusczak failing to make much of an impression, the Dutchman's status as the club's number one has not been seriously challenged.
Foster might well change that next season. With the increased competition in mind, perhaps, the Dutch skipper has suggested he will end his international career after the European Championships. When Buffon displaced him, he observed that he "didn't want to hang around to play second fiddle", and it will be interesting to see how he reacts if he does lose his place next season.
"Of course it hurt," he said of his previous experience, "but then you want to go on and prove that you're still a quality goalkeeper."
The difference is that this time the end of his career will be looming large and, whatever his flaws, becoming a European champion again after winning back-to-back championships with United leaves him with nothing else to prove.
