Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld considered retiring from football after dramatically falling out of favour under Gerard Houllier. The Reds had broken the British transfer record for a shot-stopper when signing him in 1999, but he was ditched by the manager two years later.
The 51-year-old is set to return to Anfield as part of the Liverpool legends squad for the LFC Foundation charity match against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Westerveld played a pivotal part in the club’s success under Houllier, winning five trophies throughout 2001.
The Netherlands international was a virtual ever-present in his two years as Liverpool’s number one, making 103 appearances. However, a notable mistake against Bolton Wanderers in an early part of the 2001/02 campaign saw the Reds make late transfer swoops for Jerzy Dudek and a young Chris Kirkland, while Westerveld never played for Liverpool again.
Explaining his decision to bring in two new goalkeepers, Houllier said: "It has always been our aim to strengthen every area of the team. That is why we have ensured the signing of these two major goalkeeping talents. The addition of a hugely promising young talent (Kirkland) together with an experienced international (Dudek) will provide a major boost to the club."
Despite being part of a trophy-winning team, there had been speculation about Westerveld’s position prior to the Reds signing fresh competition. The former Vitesse Arnhem star admitted being shocked by the situation as he felt the Liverpool boss had gone back on his word.
"I am very upset by what has happened. Houllier promised I would be his number one keeper, whatever happened,” Westerveld said while away on international duty in 2001. “I will certainly want to speak to the manager before the next match.”
Following a discussion with Houllier, Westerveld was informed he would be the club’s third-choice goalkeeper. However, he would later fall even further down the pecking order after being left out of travelling Champions League squads.
“I'm absolutely disgusted with that,” the goalkeeper said at the time. “You could say we have dramatically different opinions. There's no point going back for more talks. I'm looking for a new club as of now. There's no use staying at Liverpool as long as Gerard Houllier is there."
The timing of the deals meant the goalkeeper was forced to wait before sealing a £3.4m move to Real Sociedad in December 2001. While the uncertainty only lasted a few months, it led Westerveld to consider hanging up his gloves.
“That period was the darkest of my career. The transfer window had just closed, too,” Westerveld recalled to Four Four Two. “I was in the stands for home games and not allowed to travel to Champions League games.
“I later found out why both Dudek and Kirkland had joined the club at the same time: it turned out that Liverpool only wanted to sign Dudek, but something went wrong with the medical examination. Liverpool wanted to cancel the transfer and signed Kirkland from Coventry but Feyenoord kept Liverpool to their deal.
“Still, I don't understand why I didn't get the opportunity to fight for my position. Instead, Houllier ruthlessly kicked me out. I thought about quitting football.”
Westerveld played 36 league games for Liverpool in his debut season. The following year, he started 61 of 63 games in all competitions as the Reds won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup, later adding the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup to his medal haul.
After leaving Anfield, Westerveld spent several years in Spanish football before joining Portsmouth in 2005. Later that season, he briefly returned to Merseyside after signing for Everton on a short-term loan. The last few years of his career saw him play in Spain, the Netherlands and Italy before retiring with South African outfit Ajax Cape Town in 2013.
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