'I still don't understand why Liverpool got rid of me – I never thought I'd have to leave'
This Liverpool shot-stopper went from being a treble-winning No. 1 to fourth choice almost overnight, despite thinking his long-term future was aligned with Anfield
by Ben Crawford · The MirrorFormer Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld went from first-choice to fourth-string in the blink of an eye in 2001 - and still doesn’t understand why.
Dutch ace Westerveld succeeded David James at Anfield in 1999, becoming the then-most expensive goalkeeper in British history when moving for £4million.
To begin his two years on Merseyside, Westerveld was the unimpeded No. 1 shot-stopper under Gerard Houllier, conceding the fewest goals in the 1999/2000 Premier League season. Even more impressively, he starred as the Reds stormed to a league-less treble in 2001, becoming the hero of their League Cup final against Birmingham City.
Yet, an incredibly sharp downturn in form and a costly mistake against Bolton lowered the Dutchman in Houllier's estimations, and action was taken. The iconic Jerzy Dudek and backup Chris Kirkland were recruited, and Westerveld found himself surplus to requirements, sold to Real Sociedad in December 2001 - an act the 50-year-old still fails to grasp fully.
“I know what happened, but I still don’t understand it,” Westerveld, the only goalkeeper to play for Liverpool and Everton after a loan spell at Goodison Park in 2006, told Planet Football.
“From day one, Houllier told me and the press that you need time to adapt to the English league. Obviously, I was criticised like all goalkeepers are. They’re under a lot of pressure, especially at Liverpool.
“I never felt the pressure, but I could see and hear the criticism. I started off well in my first year, when I was 24, and goalkeepers tend to get better every year. In the first year, we had the best defence in the Premier League, and in the second year, we won the treble.
“I was just improving, but already, from the very first day of pre-season, I heard rumours about Liverpool bringing in a new goalkeeper. That’s normal. I wasn’t nervous, or afraid of losing my place, because I felt I was doing good things.”
However, that mistake against Bolton, which saw a shot from Dean Holdsworth sneak under the Dutchman, saw him benched, and his downfall would only continue.
“I made a mistake,” Westerveld added. “Afterwards, I went away with the national team, and Liverpool bought two goalkeepers instead of one. That was obviously a big blow for me.
“I never thought that I would have to leave Liverpool. I always had a lot of confidence. I knew what I was doing. All goalkeepers make mistakes, but I was winning points as well.
“If they had brought one goalkeeper in, even Dudek, I would still have been fighting for my place. Nobody knows what would have happened. But when they buy two goalkeepers and they don’t even take you on a Champions League away trip as the number three, you know you’re number four.
“From number one to number four. That was just a nightmare. There was nothing for me to do. I didn’t have any chance to come back and they made it very clear. I thought it was very harsh, but what can you do? Things happen like this in football.”
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