Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy

File:1ac5846288ruudposeoficial2p.jpg
Personal information
Full name	Rutgerus Johannes Martinius van Nistelrooij
Height	6 ft 2 in / 1.88m
Position(s)	Centre Forward
Team information
Current team	Real Madrid
Number	TBA
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 June, 2006

Rutgerus Johannes Martinius van Nistelrooij (see letter IJ)); born July 1, 1976 in Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands) is a Dutch footballer who now plays as a Centre Forward for Real Madrid and the Dutch national team.

Biography

For the Netherlands, van Nistelrooy has a return of more than a goal every other game, scoring 28 times in 54 appearances. For Manchester United he has scored 150 goals in 219 games, as of April 1, 2006. Spanning his time at PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy has scored 46 goals in 55 UEFA Champions League matches (43 in 54 excluding qualifying matches which are not officially counted by UEFA), an enviable return for any striker.

However, despite being the Barclays Premiership’s second highest scorer with 21 goals this season, van Nistelrooy had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench after being dropped for the Carling Cup final against Wigan Athletic. He scored against West Ham on his return to the first team on March 29 but was dropped to the bench again for the next match against Bolton. He did come on as a second half substitute, though, and scored the winner in a 2–1 victory. It was his 150th goal for Manchester United. During the World Cup there was considerable doubt as to whether van Nistelrooy would continue to be a United player, with strong rumours that he might go to Germany or Spain [1]. On July 14th it was confirmed that he wanted to leave the club.[2], and on July 26th he passed a medical at Real Madrid.

He married his girlfriend Leontine Slaats, in July 2004.

Career in the Netherlands

In his schooling days, Van Nistelrooy started off as a central defender and then was moved to central midfield for Dutch second division club-side, FC Den Bosch, but was converted into a centre forward at SC Heerenveen in 1997. In 1998, on his 22nd birthday, he was signed by PSV Eindhoven for £4.2 million, a record sum of money for a transfer between two Dutch football clubs.

Van Nistelrooy repaid the faith by scoring 31 goals in 34 matches in his first season at PSV and being voted Dutch Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. In his second season, he notched up another 29 goals.

Manchester United

Playing for Manchester United against Spurs

Manchester United almost signed Van Nistelrooy on 25 April 2000 for a fee of £18.5 million. However, the deal fell through when Van Nistelrooy failed a medical due to a cruciate knee ligament injury which he suffered against Danish side Silkeborg on the 6th March, 2000.

However Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson persevered and almost exactly a year later, 24 year old Van Nistelrooy signed for a then British transfer record of £19 million said on 23 April, 2001 from PSV. During his first season at Manchester United, he proved his worth by scoring 23 goals in 32 games, achieving a feat of scoring in a record eight consecutive FA Premier League games. He also scored 10 Champions League goals capping an incredible debut season by being named the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

During the following year, the 2002–03 season, Van Nistelrooy scored 25 Premier League goals and 14 goals in European competition while leading Manchester United to the Premier League title. He also broke the record for scoring goals in European competitions for Manchester United in this season.

Van Nistelrooy started off the 2003–04 season in spectacular fashion, scoring twice in his first two league games. He also managed to score his 100th and 101st goals for the club against Everton at Goodison Park on 7 February 2004, as United earned a 4–3 Premiership victory.

Van Nistelrooy was selected to play for the Netherlands at Template:Ec2. Prior to the team's opening match against Germany, Van Nistelrooy stoked up his country's already intense rivalry with the Germans by saying that emotions would be intensified by lingering bitterness over World War II. His comments were severely criticised by the German media. During the match, he scored an acrobatic volley, one of the goals of the tournament, to silence his critics and take Holland to the next round. He shared the goal-scoring lead in the group phase with England teenage sensation Wayne Rooney, whom he later played alongside at Manchester United, and was one of only two players in the tournament to score goals in all three of their team's group matches (the other was Czech Milan Baroš).

Van Nistelrooy missed a large part of the 2004–05 Premiership season through injury, but was still the top goalscorer in the Champions League with 10 goals. He is currently the fourth most prolific scorer in European Cup / UEFA Champions League together with Eusébio, with 47 goals, only behind Alfredo di Stefano, Raúl, and current leader Andriy Shevchenko. He did however, sign a contract a new contact with Manchester United in January 2004, potentially keeping him at the club till 30 June, 2008

At the start of the 2005–06 season, Van Nistelrooy returned to form, scoring in United's first four Premiership games. He has also maintained his place in the Netherlands starting lineup despite pressure from Bayern Munich striker Roy Makaay.

He went on to form a prolific partnership with Wayne Rooney, both of them in great form in the 2005–06 season. The pair netted more goals than any other two strikers in the Premiership.

Controversy at Manchester United

On February 26, Van Nistelrooy was an unused substitute at Manchester United's League Cup final against Wigan Athletic. His place in the line-up was given to Louis Saha, who scored the second goal in a 4–0 win. This caused lots of controversy but the player declined claims that he has had a rift with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He was also left on the bench for six consecutive matches and suffered a goal drought, as he was not getting in the starting line up. However, in the following game against West Ham, Van Nistelrooy returned to the Manchester United starting line-up as captain, and scored the winning goal. In the game the following Saturday, against Bolton Wanderers, Van Nistelrooy found himself back on the bench — however, he came on as a substitute, and for the second successive game, scored the winning goal, his 150th for the club. Having not started for seven of the last eight games, Van Nistelrooy lost his place as the joint-highest goalscorer in the Premiership this season with 21 goals, with Thierry Henry having scored 24.

Fresh doubt has been spread over Van Nistelrooy's future when he was left out of the team to play Charlton Athletic in the final game of the season on 7 May 2006. Ferguson claimed that Van Nistelrooy, angry at the decision, left the ground and went home 3 hours before kickoff. Although, other reports suggest that he was forced to leave the ground by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson [3]. Ferguson further said that he was left out of the team because of a "number of issues": "There have been a couple of issues during the week that concerned me in terms of the spirit at the club," he said. "On such an important day, I just felt that Ruud should be left out." He added, "We'll be discussing it with the club's directors." United won the game 4–0, with youngster Giuseppe Rossi playing the match.

On May 9, 2006, Setanta Sports claimed to exclusively reveal the real reason behind Van Nistelrooy's non-inclusion in the squad for the game against Charlton. According to Setanta, van Nistelrooy and team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo had come to blows during a training session. Ruud allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to keep the ball, instead of passing, and then the two fought. Van Nistelrooy then, allegedly, said "go running to your daddy". Ronaldo's father had died earlier in the season, though the article claims that Van Nistelrooy was not referring to Ronaldo's father, but to his fellow Portuguese Carlos Queiroz.[4]

On 9 May, 2006, Ruud was told by Sir Alex Ferguson that he would not be allowed to play in the testimonial game for former team mate and ex-Manchester United captain, Roy Keane. Despite an excellent season for Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy is said to have become frustrated by a lack of playing time and is most likely to move on after the World Cup. The decision by the United management to continue to deny Van Nistelrooy opportunities has been seen as controversial due to the striker's immense popularity amongst the Old Trafford faithful, compared to the less popular Saha.

On 13 June, 2006, Bayern Munich admitted to being interested in obtaining Ruud van Nistelrooy's services. However, with the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea FC, Andriy's previous club AC Milan are said to also be chasing Ruud.

He has also been the target of Newcastle, as a replacement for injured Michael Owen or the retiring Alan Shearer.[5]

All the rumours of Ruud moving to a new club at the start of the new season were thought to have died away after club manager, Sir Alex Ferguson stated on MUTV that Van Nistelrooy would be continuing his career at Manchester United. However, on 14th July 2006, Manchester United Manager, Alex Ferguson confirmed that Ruud wanted to leave the club. Rumours suggest a transfer to Real Madrid or Bayern Munich is possible. Van Nistelrooy has been said to have agreed terms with Real Madrid already, however the stumbling block seems to concern price. Real are reported to be preparing a bid of £10m with Manchester United likely to hold out for £15m. Real also have injury problems (specifically with regard to star striker Ronaldo) so may yet be forced to meet these demands.

But the future of the player at Manchester United has ended after falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson. Ruud will be a Real Madrid player at the beginning of the 2006-07 season. The new coach of Real, Fabio Capello has publicly stated his admiration for the player. Ruud will also be relishing the chance to link up with the former England captain and Manchester United winger David Beckham, but unfortunately for the Spanish club, Manchester United had rejected an offer from Real Madrid. Sir Alex Ferguson said that the offer was an insult to them (Manchester United and Ruud).

The future of the player may not be as clear as first thought as after the whole Italian FA incident, many players have become available with David Trezeguet being cited as a possible Real Striker.

Rumours throughout July seem to link him with Real Madrid, although they reportedly cooled their interest once Manchester United rejected their initial bid, thought to be in the region of £10 million, with Manchester United holding out for at least £12m, on the rationale that Andrei Shevchenko, a player similar in style, position and age was transferred from AC Milan to Chelsea for a reported £30 million. Real Madrid are joined by Bayern Munich and one unnamed club in their interest for the striker. In the end, it seems that Real Madrid have confirmed that they will sign van Nistelrooy on 28th July 2006 - despite claims from Manchester United that the deal has not yet been finalised between the two clubs.

On 28th July 2006 real madrid unveiled Van Nistelrooy to the media as a Real player. Van Nistelrooy is quoted as saying of his relationship with Ferguson:

"The relationship with the manager had ended and this was painful for me because I owe him a lot,"

"He waited for me during my injury and allowed me to play at the highest level," he added.

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the manager yesterday because when I left the training ground in Manchester yesterday afternoon, the deal had not yet been completed but I'm sure I'll meet him again."

He also revealed his affection for the club and his enthusiasm to play alongside Former United team mate David Beckham again

"My affection for the fans and club is total. Manchester United will always be a part of me," said the striker.

"It will be great to play with David again.

"I've really missed him because he's both a wonderful person and a great player."

Real Madrid

Real Madrid announced on July 27, 2006, that Ruud van Nistelrooy has become a Real player. His transfer fee is reported to be €15 million (£10.3m), and he is set to sign a 3-year contract with the club on 28th July.

Abilities

A prolific striker with an outstanding finishing ability and excellent reflexes, he is also a regular penalty taker and has agility and balance for his height (1.88 m, 6 Template:Ft 2 in), which is often credited to his previous training in gymnastics.

FIFA/SOS Ambassador for the Netherlands

Ruud is the official FIFA/SOS ambassador for the Netherlands for the 2006 World Cup. [6]

Trivia

• Ruud van Nistelrooy was born on the same day as fellow Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert.
• Van Nistelrooij was Holland's leading goalscorer at Euro 2004, with four goals; one against Germany and Czech Republic and two against Latvia.
• He is Manchester United's all-time leading goal scorer in Europe, with 38 goals. The person closest to this record is Denis Law, with 28 goals.

Awards and honours

• Dutch Eredivisie: 1999-2000, 2000-2001
• Dutch Super Cup: 1999, 2000
• English Premiership: 2002-03
• FA Cup: 2004
• English League Cup: 2005-2006
• Community Shield: 2003
• Dutch League Top Scorer: 1998-1999, 1999-2000
• English Premiership Top Scorer: 2002-2003
• Champions League Top Scorer: 2001-2002, 2002-2003
• Dutch Player of the Year: 1999, 2000
• PFA Player of the Year: 2002
• Champions League Most Valuable Striker: 2001-2002

External links

• FootballDatabase :: Ruud van Nistelrooij
• Biography from the official Manchester United website
• Statistics at soccerbase.com
• A Career in Limbo at footballingworld.com