The secret weapon Edwin van der Sar used to help Manchester United defeat Chelsea and win the 2008 Champions League final has been revealed.
The flagship event in European club football ended in penalties after neither side managed to get past a 1-1 draw.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed his kick, before John Terry’s infamous slip saw the scores leveled.
Ryan Giggs then returned home to give United a 6-5 lead, with Nicolas Anelka stepping in to try to keep Chelsea’s hopes alive.
But van der Sar guessed the right path and ruled out the striker’s penalty to give the Red Devils their third European title.
Van der Sar’s secret to saving this photo was a napkin with a piece of paper hidden inside. On it was a list of potential Chelsea penalty shooters and their tendencies.
The book The club: how the English Premier League became the wildest, richest and most disruptive force in sport claims United’s analysis department has created the list for Van der Sar to consult.
The list hadn’t helped the United goalkeeper in any of the opening six shots on goal, with the Dutchman not saving any, even guessing Terry’s fault.
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