Van Nistelrooy Biography

Ruud van Nistelrooy
(full name Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij , born July 1 , 1976 in Oss , North Brabant , Netherlands ) 

Ruud is a Dutch football player currently playing for Manchester United . 

He wears the number 10 for Manchester United and number 9 for Holland team.. 

Ruud is a natural striker with phenomenal finishing. 
He has great instinct inside the penalty box. 

He is also a regular penalty taker. 

And has exceptional agility and balance for his height of 1.88 m 6 ft 2 in), which is often credited to his previous training in gymnastics. 

He scores very frequently for Manchester United and his national team. 

FC Den Bosch 
FC Den Bosch days 

Ruud began his playing career with FC Den Bosch in the Dutch Second Division in the 1993/94 season. After four seasons in the lower Leagues, he was bought by top flight club Heerenveen in 1997, and went on to score 13 goals in 30 appearances in 1997/98. His strike rate caught the eye of PSV Eindhoven who swooped for the striker, signing him on his 22nd birthday in 1998 for £4.2 million, a record between two Dutch clubs. 

After scoring his first goal for PSV against Heerenveen, Ruud ended his first season in Eindhoven, 1998/99, as top scorer in the Dutch League with 31 goals. He made his international debut on 18 November 1998 in a 1-1 draw with Germany, and finished second in the European Golden Boot rankings. Not surprisingly, he was voted Dutch Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. 

Scoring goals for PSV 

The Knee Injury 
After having scored 29 goals in 1999/2000, Ruud picked up a knee injury in a friendly against Silkeborg on 6 March 2000. The next month, a proposed move to Manchester United fell through because he could not complete a medical at United, causing the deal to be postponed. 

Days later, he collapsed in training with PSV Eindhoven and damaged his cruciate ligament. 

His season was over, but he was still voted Dutch player of the year for the second successive term by his colleagues, and again finished runner-up in the European Golden Boot charts. 

After a year of rehabilitation, Ruud made his comeback by scoring twice in a Reserve match against Sparta Rotterdam on 1 March 2001. His first team return came two days later, as a substitute against Roda JC. 

Ruud signs for United 

Ruud Signs For Manchester United
Ruud finally signed for Manchester United on 23rd April 2001, for a British record of £19 million. It was almost exactly twelve months to the day after his original move to Old Trafford had collapsed. Recently, Ruud scored for Holland when he came on as substitute in their 4-0 win over Cyprus and twice again as substitute in a 4-2 win against Estonia. 

From the moment he first put on a United shirt Ruud Van Nistelrooy couldn't stop scoring. After scoring in pre-season friendlies and the Charity Shield clash with Liverpool it quickly became obvious United had got a striker of the highest quality in world football. 

In his Old Trafford debut he got two against Fulham, goals followed against Newcastle, Spurs then a double at home to Deportivo. Ruud got his first hat-trick for the reds at home to Southampton in the 6-1 win as well as scoring twice against Boavista, Spurs, Sunderland. Vital goals also came in European away trips to Bayern Munich and Deportivo. A highlight was the FA Cup 3rd Round tie away to Aston Villa. With United 2-0 down, Van Nistelrooy came off the bench to score twice in two minutes and seal a memorable 3-2 victory. 

What was most impressive was the variety of goals Ruud scored. He can score tap-ins, one-on-ones with the keeper, headers or spectacular shots all with equal ease. Like all experts, he makes it look easy. He also became the club's first choice penalty taker, converting seven with deadly accuracy.