Bebo

Career in the Netherlands
Van Nistelrooy started off as a central defender and was then moved to central midfield for Dutch second division 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 ƒ14 million or €6.3 million, a then-record sum of money for a transfer between two Dutch football clubs.

Van Nistelrooy repaid the faith shown in him 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
Manchester United almost signed Van Nistelrooy on 25 April 2000 for a fee of £18.3 million. However, the deal fell through when Van Nistelrooy failed a medical due to a cruciate knee ligament injury which he suffered in training in 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, and still the Dutch football transfer record of £19 million 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 ten 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 (including a stunning goal which he started from the half way line against Fulham) and 12 goals in the Champions League(a tournament record) while leading Manchester United to the Premier League title.

Van Nistelrooy started off the 2003–04 season in spectacular fashion, scoring twice in his first two league games. Which added on to his run of form at the end of the previous season meant he equalled the all time top flight scoring in consecutive games record of 10 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. In that season he broke Denis Law's European goal scoring record for Manchester United. Van Nistelrooy was famously attacked by Martin Keown in a match against Keown's team, Arsenal, after missing a penalty against the London side for the third time, as well as signing a new contract which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2008 and the age of 32.

In 2004 in a survey on Manchester United's official website Ruud was voted "Ferguson's best bargain buy" by over 10,000 fans worldwide even beating the likes of Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Peter Schmeichel to the accolade.

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 8 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 Stéfano, Andriy Shevchenko, and current leader Raúl.

At the start of the 2005–06 season, Van Nistelrooy returned to form, scoring in United's first four Premiership games. He went on to finish as the second-highest scorer in the Premiership with 21 goals, behind Thierry Henry of Arsenal.


[edit] Exit from Manchester United

Playing for Manchester United against Tottenham HotspurOn February 26, 2006, 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 action caused a lot of controversy within fans and in the media, but the player denied claims that he had had a rift with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He was also left on the bench for six consecutive matches. However, in the following game against West Ham, Van Nistelr

Full Name: Rutgerus Johannes Martinius Ruud van Nistelrooy
Known As: Ruud van Nistelrooy
Date of Birth: 1st Jul 1976 (31 years old)
Place of Birth: Oss, Holland
Nationality: Netherlands/Dutch
Height: 1.88m (6'2)
Weight: 79.37kg
Nickname: 'Van The Man'
Shoe Size: 10½
Writes With: Left Hand
Sponsors: Nike , Coca Cola, Pringles
Previous Club(s): Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven
Club: Real Madrid
Childhood Hero: Marco van Basten
Favourite Striker: Shevchenko
Squad Number: 17
National Squad Number: 9
Position: Striker