Edwin Van Der Sar reveals symptoms and recovery after 2023 brain haemorrhage

edwin van der sar has given a detailed account of the symptoms he experienced before suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2023 and described the treatment and rehabilitation that followed. The former goalkeeper said stepping away from his director role at Ajax removed pressure and was a key factor in his recovery.

Symptoms on holiday in Croatia

Van der Sar says the episode began on the last day of a sailing trip in Croatia. He recalls getting up to go to the toilet, suddenly feeling dizzy and noticing discomfort in his neck. Back in the hotel room he asked for the curtains to be closed and sat on the bed, feeling unwell, until his wife, Annemarie, called a doctor and he was told he had a brain haemorrhage.

Hospital treatment and intensive care

He was taken to hospital and treated in intensive care. Published accounts note he spent two weeks in hospital before making a recovery, while in his own description he said he was in intensive care for three weeks. After the acute phase he underwent a programme of recovery and rehabilitation with specialist support.

Edwin Van Der Sar on stepping away from Ajax

Van der Sar linked the timing of the health scare to his decision to leave Ajax. He had resigned from his director position five weeks before the incident and said that having quit the job removed phone calls, emails and decision-making responsibilities. That absence of professional pressure, he said, made it easier to follow a tailored rehabilitation plan and recover "to the level that I am now. " What makes this notable is the close sequence: resignation followed by a major health event, and then a recuperation period that he credits in part to stepping away from work.

Playing career and later roles

The 55-year-old joined Manchester United from Fulham in 2005 and went on to make more than 250 appearances for the club, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League. He retired from professional football in 2011, a few months before his 41st birthday, and later became a director at Ajax—an executive role he left in the months before the haemorrhage.

Recovery, lifestyle changes and outlook with Annemarie

Van der Sar has said he is now well enough to enjoy days without schedules: walking the dog, swimming in the sea and taking holidays. He spent two months in New Zealand with his wife, reflecting a break from routine that he had not previously taken. He told listeners he wanted initially to take a year out of football to learn at other clubs and that the break allowed him to recover without stress. He insisted neither he nor Annemarie have drastically altered their view of life, noting, "No, I'm not that type of guy, " when asked about changing priorities.

Public disclosure on The Overlap with Gary Neville

The details were shared on The Overlap in conversation with Gary Neville, where van der Sar outlined both the immediate symptoms and the longer recovery timeline. He also stated, in his own words, that "I'm OK now. I had it three years ago, " placing the episode some years behind him as he described the changes he has made since.

The clear cause-and-effect in his account links the sudden onset of dizziness and neck pain to an emergency hospital admission and an intensive care stay, and ties his resignation from Ajax—five weeks earlier—to a less pressured recovery environment. The combination of urgent medical care, rehabilitation and time away from work are presented as the decisive elements in his return to routine life.