Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈrytfɑnˈnɪstəlroːi]; born 1 July 1976), commonly known asRuudvan Nistelrooy (/vænˈnɪstəlrɔɪ/), is a Dutch professionalfootball manager and former player who was most recently manager ofLeicester City. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Nistelrooy was the top scorer in threeUEFA Champions League seasons and is the all-time Dutchtop goalscorer in the competition's history with 56 goals. He has also been the top scorer in three European domestic leagues.[4] In 2004, he was listed in theFIFA 100 of the world's greatest living players.[5]
Van Nistelrooy began his career withDen Bosch, before moving ontoHeerenveen, eventually making a name for himself atPSV Eindhoven, where he won twoEredivisie titles. His goalscoring record at PSV attracted attention fromManchester United; a deal was in place in the summer of 2000, but because of injury problems, his move was secured a year later for a then British record fee of £19 million. His time at United was successful, winning thePremier League,FA Cup,Football League Cup, andFA Community Shield, along with winning theSir Matt Busby Player of the Year twice. Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in just 219 games for United, as well as becoming at the time their all-time European record goalscorer, but fell out of favour towards the end of his tenure.
Real Madrid secured Van Nistelrooy's services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of his days with Madrid, he wonLa Liga twice and theSupercopa de España before signing forHamburger SV during the January transfer window in 2010. After one and a half seasons with Hamburg, he moved back to Spain withMálaga in the summer of 2011. He retired as a player in 2012.
Born inOss,North Brabant,[2] Van Nistelrooy started his career in 1993, aged 17, with DutchEerste Divisie sideDen Bosch, where he was converted from acentral midfielder tocentre-forward, after playing for local clubs Nooit Gedacht and RKSV Margriet.[6][7] After netting 12 goals in 31 games in the 1996–97 campaign, he transferred for €360,000 toHeerenveen the next year, and scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his only season with the club.
Van Nistelrooy was signed byPSV Eindhoven ahead of the 1998–99 season for €6.3 million, a then-record transfer sum between two Dutch teams.[6] ManagerBobby Robson started with him as a substitute, but he went on to score 31 goals in 34 matches,[6] the highest season total in theEredivisie and second-highest in Europe overall, in addition to scoring all three of PSV's goals in aChampions League match againstHJK Helsinki on 25 November 1998.[8][9] Van Nistelrooy capped off the year by winning theDutch Player of the Year award.[10] Thefollowing season, he won his second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals.[11]
Van Nistelrooy looked set to complete a club record£18.5 million transfer to English clubManchester United in the summer of 2000.[12] He was to be unveiled at a press conference four days later, but this was instead used to announce that the transfer had been postponed over concerns about his fitness, having not played for a month due to problems with his knee.[13] The transfer was then cancelled after PSV refused to agree to further medical tests,[14][15] and the next day he suffered a rupture to hisanterior cruciate knee ligaments during a training session, leaving him injured for a year.[16][17]
A year later, Van Nistelrooy signed a five-year contract with Manchester United after passing his medical.[18] He downplayed United's £19 million investment to reporters, saying, "The price is not heavy for me – it lifts me up because it means United have big confidence in me."[19] According to a 2001 interview withThe Daily Telegraph,Manchester United coachSir Alex Ferguson said that his son,Darren, who was at try-outs for Eredivisie rival Heerenveen at the time, begged his father, "You've got to sign Van Nistelrooy right away, he's fantastic. We've been watching him."[19] Ferguson sent team representatives to PSV's next league game and signed Van Nistelrooy the next day.[19]
On 22 December, Van Nistelrooy scored his firstPremier League hat-trick in a 6–1 win againstSouthampton.[23] In theFA Cup, Van Nistelrooy started on the bench for the third round tie againstAston Villa due to a groin strain, but was substituted on forLuke Chadwick in the second-half with United 2–0 down and scored two "sublime" goals in three minutes to help United advance to the fourth round with a 3–2 win.[24]
The following season, he finished as the topPremier League scorer with 25 goals in 34 games, with a goal on the final day againstEverton earning him the Golden Boot ahead ofArsenal'sThierry Henry.[25] His tally included threehat-tricks againstNewcastle United,[26] Fulham,[27] andCharlton Athletic.[28] He also scored in each of the final eight games of the season as United won the title. Van Nistelrooy won thePremier League Player of the Season in 2003.[29][30] He was accredited with spearheading the title win for United with a goal tally that was described as "astonishing".[31] After scoring 12 Champions League goals in nine consecutive matches,[32] he was named by UEFA as the best striker in Europe.[33]
Van Nistelrooy started the2003–04 season by scoring twice in his first two league matches. This meant he had scored in 10 consecutive league games, then a Premier League record,[35] which stood until 2015 whenJamie Vardy scored in 11 consecutive matches.[36] In the 0–0 draw on 21 September 2003, later dubbed theBattle of Old Trafford, Van Nistelrooy was at the centre of one of the most infamous incidents of theArsenal–Manchester United rivalry. After missing a last-minute penalty that would have won the game for United,[37] Van Nistelrooy was attacked byMartin Keown, prompting a melee involving several players from both sides; five Arsenal players including Keown received various bans and fines, while the club itself received a record fine of £175,000.[38][39] Earlier in the game, he had been fouled byPatrick Vieira, who was sent off for a second bookable offence. Vieira and his managerArsène Wenger both accused Van Nistelrooy of cheating and stamping on Vieira,[40][41] prompting a vociferous defence by Alex Ferguson.[42]
On 27 September, he scored a hat-trick againstLeicester City in a 4–1 victory.[43] He scored his 100th goal for the club in a dramatic 4–3 victory over Everton on 7 February 2004.[44]
In theFA Cup fifth roundderby againstManchester City, Van Nistelrooy scored twice to help ten-man United win 4–2,[45] and again scored twice in the quarter-final against Fulham as United came from behind to win 2–1.[46] He scored a further two goals, including one penalty, in United's victory overMillwall in the2004 FA Cup Final.[47]
Van Nistelrooy missed a large part of the2004–05 season due to injury, but nonetheless scored aChampions League-best eight goals. One of them was his 30th career European goal, which he scored in a 2–2 Champions League group stage draw withLyon on 15 September 2004, overtakingDenis Law's previous club record of 28 goals. Law later said to reporters, "I'm delighted for Ruud. It could not happen to a nicer guy."[48]
On 24 October, Arsenal returned to Old Trafford for another dramatic fixture.The Gunners entered the fixture with a 49-game unbeaten run and had been dubbed "The Invincibles", but United won the game 2–0. Van Nistelrooy scored the opening goal from the penalty spot, atoning for the penalty miss the previous year, withWayne Rooney scoring a second.[49][50] Van Nistelrooy was later banned for three games for a foul onAshley Cole that the referee had missed.[51] On 3 November, Van Nistelrooy scored all four goals in a 4–1 win againstSparta Prague.[52] On 17 April 2005, he scored two goals in theFA Cup semi-final in a 4–1 win against Newcastle,[53] but United lost the final on penalties to Arsenal.[54]
At the start of the2005–06 season, Van Nistelrooy scored in United's first four Premier League games. He finished as the second-highest league scorer with 21 goals, behind Arsenal's Thierry Henry. However, he was benched for theLeague Cup Final againstWigan Athletic, fuelling speculation of a rift between him and Alex Ferguson, which Van Nistelrooy denied. He was nonetheless left on the bench for six consecutive league matches, and though he then returned to the starting line-up and scored match-winners againstWest Ham United andBolton Wanderers, fresh doubt spread over Van Nistelrooy's future when he was benched for United's season finale win over Charlton Athletic. Ferguson claimed that Van Nistelrooy was angry at the decision and left the stadium three hours before kick-off.[55][56] On 9 May 2006, it was reported that Van Nistelrooy's exclusion from the squad was due to a training session fight between him and teammateCristiano Ronaldo. Van Nistelrooy allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of passing to his teammates, which sparked the fight, after which Van Nistelrooy remarked, "What are you going to do? Complain to your daddy?" This was in reference to United's Portuguese assistant manager,Carlos Queiroz,[57] but Ronaldo took the statement literally and allegedly broke into tears since his father, José had died eight months previously.[58] Van Nistelrooy later apologised to Ferguson for his behaviour in the previous few months.[59]
Van Nistelrooy signed with SpanishLa Liga sideReal Madrid on 28 July, departing Old Trafford after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 219 appearances, with his final goal coming on 1 April against Bolton, scoring what proved to be the winning goal.[60] With 38 goals, he is also the club's second all-time European goalscorer, behindWayne Rooney.
Van Nistelrooy playing for Real Madrid during a league game toVillarreal
On 15 July 2006, Ferguson confirmed that Van Nistelrooy wanted to leave Manchester United and Real Madrid announced two weeks later that he had signed a three-year contract after being purchased for €14 million.[61]
Van Nistelrooy made his debut for the Spanish club in a 1–0 friendly win overReggina on 4 August 2006.[62] Van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick in his second league match againstLevante and, on 12 November 2006, he scored all four of Real Madrid's goals in a 4–1 victory overOsasuna. For the first six months he was a teammate ofRonaldo, a player whom Van Nistelrooy regards as the best he ever played with.[63][64] Van Nistelrooy won the league'sPichichi award with 25 goals as Real Madrid took home the2006–07 title, and he also equalled the longest consecutive scoring streak in La Liga history with seven straight matches, tying a league record shared byHugo Sánchez.[65]
In January 2008, Van Nistelrooy signed a contract extension keeping him with Madrid until 2010, with the expiration date one day shy of his 34th birthday.[66] He underwent ankle surgery in March,[67] and returned for theEl Clásico derby againstBarcelona on 7 May, in which he netted a penalty two minutes after coming on as a substitute.[68] He finished the season with 20 goals in 33 appearances.
Van Nistelrooy signing autographs in 2007
In November 2008, Real Madrid announced that Van Nistelrooy would miss the remainder of the2008–09 season after exploratory arthroscopic surgery revealed a partially tornmeniscus in his right knee, with an expected recovery time of six to nine months following a second operation to repair the damage.[69] Van Nistelrooy travelled to the United States to see specialistRichard Steadman, who had previously operated on the same knee back in 2000. At the time of his injury, he had 10 goals in 12 club appearances for the season.[70] Following the injury, he was de-registered by Real Madrid for the rest of the 2008–09 season, and his shirt number was given toDani Parejo. On 24 August 2009, in the last pre-season match before the start ofLa Liga, Van Nistelrooy stepped on the pitch for the first time since his injury and played the last 15 minutes of the game againstRosenborg, substitutingKaká. Van Nistelrooy came on for Cristiano Ronaldo in the 80th minute againstXerez in his first La Liga match since recovering from his injury. In the 81st minute, he provided the assist for aKarim Benzema goal, following it with his own 88th-minute goal. During his strike, however, he picked up a thigh injury, where it was later revealed by Real Madrid that he would be out from first team action for up to six weeks.[71] On 27 October, Van Nistelrooy made his second comeback of the season coming on as a substitute forRaúl in the 71st minute againstAlcorcón in theCopa del Rey.[72]
On 23 January 2010, Van Nistelrooy signed an 18-month contract with the German clubHamburger SV until June 2011.[73][74] He made his first appearance for the club after coming off the bench in the last two minutes of Hamburg's 3–3 draw with1. FC Köln on 6 February.[75] Van Nistelrooy scored his first two goals for Hamburg on 13 February 2010 againstVfB Stuttgart in the 75th and 77th minutes of a 3–1 win, after entering the game just a few minutes prior.[76] On 11 March 2010, he scored his firstUEFA Europa League goal in the 41st minute of Hamburg's match againstAnderlecht.[77]
Van Nistelrooy scored his only competitive hat-trick with Hamburg on 15 August 2010, in a 5–1 win overTorgelower SV Greif in the first round of the2010–11 DFB-Pokal.[78] On 21 August 2010, he scored a brace in Hamburg'sseason opener againstSchalke 04, which HSV won 2–1. During that match, he played against his friend and former Real Madrid teammate Raúl, who was making his Bundesliga debut. In the January transfer window, Van Nistelrooy was linked a return move back to Real Madrid and could be used for a short-term basis to cover, following injuries ofGonzalo Higuaín and Karim Benzema as managerJosé Mourinho would be happy for Van Nistelrooy to join the club as Mourinho left the door for him.[79] Van Nistelrooy admitted he seriously considered moving back to the club if the bid happened.[80] The club, however, rejected Madrid's bid for Van Nistelrooy, giving the club a warning as Hamburg wants to keep hold of him until the transfer window ended.[81] Despite being angered over his move to Real Madrid rejected, Van Nistelrooy said he would remain committed at Hamburg.[82] During a match between Hamburg andHannover 96 on 16 April 2011, Van Nistelrooy suffered a calf injury that kept him out until the last matchday.[83][84]
Van Nistelrooy netted seven goals and made two assists in 25 appearances in his only full season with Hamburg.[85]
Van Nistelrooy being introduced as a Málaga player
On 1 June 2011, Van Nistelrooy returned to Spain to pen a one-year deal with La Liga sideMálaga, on a free transfer.[86] Van Nistelrooy was presented atLa Rosaleda Stadium as he was welcomed by 15,000 Málaga fans.[87] He made his debut in a 2–1 loss againstSevilla on the opening game of the2011–12 season.[88][89]
Van Nistelrooy registered his first goal on 1 October 2011 againstGetafe.[90] On 21 December, against the same club, he opened the scoring with a volley as Málaga won 3–2 on aggregate in theCopa del Rey.[91] Later on in the season, Van Nistelrooy scored two more goals in the league againstEspanyol andRacing Santander,[92][93] with the latter being his final goal of his career.[89] Just one day before his retirement, Van Nistelrooy made his last appearance of his career, coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute for goalscorerSalomón Rondón, who scored the only goal in Málaga's league match againstSporting Gijón.[89][94]
On 14 May 2012, Van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from football at the age of 35.[95] He toldSport1 he previously made hints that his football career was coming to an end after insisting Málaga would be his last club.[96]
Van Nistelrooy with the Netherlands during the 2006 World Cup
Van Nistelrooy earned 70 caps and scored 35 goals for theNetherlands. He made his debut for the national team in a friendly match againstGermany on 18 November 1998.[97] However, the cruciate ligament injury which postponed his transfer to Manchester United also ruled Van Nistelrooy out ofEuro 2000.[17]
The Dutch failed to qualify for the2002 World Cup, being beaten to a playoff place by theRepublic of Ireland.[98] On 19 November 2003, Van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win overScotland in theUEFA Euro 2004 qualification playoffs, ensuring a place in the finals with a 6–1 aggregate win.[99] At the finals in Portugal, he scored in a draw with Germany, a loss to theCzech Republic and twice in a 3–0 win overLatvia, to become the only player other than CzechMilan Baroš to net in all three group games at the tournament.[100]
During a2006 World Cup qualifying match, he scored in the Dutch's 4–0 win over bottom-placedAndorra and was yellow-carded for going to Andorra playerAntoni Lima and celebrating in front of him, following an incident six minutes before when Van Nistelrooy missed a penalty and Lima laughed at him.[101] He was a part of coachMarco van Basten's squad for the2006 World Cup finals, for which he served as the official FIFA/SOS ambassador.[102] He started, and was substituted, in all of the Netherlands' group stage matches, and scored his lone goal against theIvory Coast. Van Nistelrooy was dropped to the bench by Van Basten without an explanation for the Netherlands' second round match, which saw them again eliminated by Portugal.[103]
Van Nistelrooy (front) with Robin van Persie in 2008
Van Basten left the striker out of the squad for a friendly against the Republic of Ireland on 16 August 2006,[104] andDirk Kuyt replaced him in their next match against Portugal in September.[105] AfterKlaas-Jan Huntelaar was unavailable forEuro 2008 qualifiers againstBulgaria andBelarus due to injury, Van Nistelrooy refused Van Basten's request to take his place on the team.[106]
On 23 January 2007, Van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from international football following continued disputes with Van Basten, which had started back in 2006 during the course of the World Cup finals matches.[107] After several phone conversations and at the persuasion of veteran goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar, however, both player and coach put aside their differences. Van Basten announced four months later that Van Nistelrooy was returning to theOranje.[108][109] On 8 September, Van Nistelrooy filled Huntelaar's spot, as previously requested, for the qualifier against Bulgaria, scoring in a 2–0 victory,[110] and scored the winning goal four days later in injury time of the Netherlands' win overAlbania.[111]
AtEuro 2008, Van Nistelrooy scored for the Netherlands in their decisive 3–0 victory overItaly in the group stage, and scored the equaliser in their eventual 3–1 loss toRussia in the quarter-finals. On 4 August, he again announced his retirement from international competition.[112][113]
During the buildup to the2010 World Cup, Van Nistelrooy again made himself available, but was left out by the Netherlands' new coachBert van Marwijk.[114] After being left out for the World Cup, Van Nistelrooy said he had no choice but to face the fact that his international career is finished.[115]
After main strikerRobin van Persie suffered an injury during a match with his club Arsenal, Van Marwijk gave Van Nistelrooy a chance to reclaim his position as the main striker of the Netherlands' national team. Van Nistelrooy was invited to two Netherlands' Group E qualification matches forEuro 2012 againstSan Marino andFinland.[116] He scored in the 5–0 victory against San Marino on 3 September 2010.[117]
Van Nistelrooy was again recalled to the squad in March 2011 for two Euro 2012 qualification games withHungary, after injuries to strikers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar,Arjen Robben andTheo Janssen.[118] In the away game on 25 March, he appeared as a late substitute for Dirk Kuyt[119] while in the return game inAmsterdam four days later, he came off the bench to score his 35th international goal.[120] adding it is "wonderful to be able to add something to this Oranje team", as he told Berend Scholten.[121]
A highly prolific goalscorer, Van Nistelrooy was known for being extremely clinical and opportunistic in front of goal, and stood out throughout his career for his outstanding striking ability and finishing ability with either foot as well as his head, which earned him a reputation as one of the best strikers of his generation.[122][123][124][7][125][126][127][128] Due to his excellent positional sense, quick reactions and intelligent offensive movement, he excelled at finding space in the penalty area and at anticipating his opponents movement to the ball. He was also known for his ability to time his runs to lose his markers, beat theoffside trap, and get on the end of his teammates' passes; his tendency to be in the right place at the right time in the box saw him occasionally labelled as a "poacher" in the media.[123][124][7][125][129][130][131]
A well-roundedcentre-forward, in addition to his eye for goal, Van Nistelrooy was gifted with pace, physical strength, and shooting power, as well as excellent technical skills, and an ability to hold up the ball with his back to goal and link-up with his teammates or provide them withassists, due to his ability to read the game.[34][122][123][7][132] He was also an accuratepenalty taker.[133] In spite of his talent and goalscoring ability, however, at times he drew criticism from managers, players and pundits for his controversial behaviour, as well as for having a tendency to be selfish, overly flamboyant, or for his penchant forsimulation.[124]
On 22 June 2013, Van Nistelrooy joined PSV as a coaching intern working with the under-17s.[134] He was revealed as the new striker coach of the under-17s, 19s and the reserve team in February 2016.[135]
On 25 June 2018, Van Nistelrooy became the new manager of the PSV under-19s, taking overMark van Bommel, who left his role for the senior team.[137]
In December 2019 it was confirmed, that Van Nistelrooy beside his position at PSV, also had been added toRonald Koeman's Netherlands backroom staff as an assistant manager together withMaarten Stekelenburg ahead of theEuro 2020, afterKees van Wonderen recently had left the position.[138]
In March 2022, Van Nistelrooy was appointed as the replacement for the outgoingRoger Schmidt as PSV's head coach. He signed a three-year contract beginning with the 2022–23 season.[139] After winning the2022 Johan Cruyff Shield and2022–23 KNVB Cup, he resigned with one match remaining in the2022–23 Eredivisie season, citing a lack of support.[140]
On 11 July 2024, Van Nistelrooy was appointed as an assistant coach for Premier League clubManchester United on a two-year contract. He was originally tasked to work alongsideErik ten Hag, however following the sacking of the latter on 28 October, he was appointed as interim head coach.[141] Two days later in his first game, he led Manchester United to a 5–2 win overLeicester City in theEFL Cup.[142] On 7 November, Van Nistelrooy led his club to their first European win in 13 months in a 2–0 win againstPAOK.[143] In what would be his final game in charge, he oversaw a 3–0 league win, again over Leicester City.[144] Upon the arrival of new head coachRuben Amorim, Van Nistelrooy departed the club. He finished his tenure as interim manager with three wins and one draw in four matches.[145]
On 29 November 2024, Van Nistelrooy was appointed manager of Premier League clubLeicester City on a two-and-a-half-year deal running until June 2027 replacingSteve Cooper.[146] On 3 December 2024, he got his first win as a Premier League manager, in his home debut game and winning 3–1 againstWest Ham United.[147][148] Leicester then followed up the win by drawing 2–2 withBrighton at home on 8 December 2024.
Following the draw with Brighton, Leicester began an awful run of form of only one win in 17 games, with a 4–0 away defeat toNewcastle United on 14 December 2024, then a 3–0 loss at home to relegation rivalsWolverhampton Wanderers. The defeat to Wolves began a run of eight losses in a row at home for the foxes without scoring, which was a new record in English football. On 26 January 2025, he won his first away game atTottenham Hotspur 2–1, and that saw the Foxes end a run of eight games without a win.
On 20 April 2025, Leicester were relegated to theChampionship after losing 1–0 at home to league leadersLiverpool.[149] This left the Foxes 18 points off safety with five games to play and extended their run of home losses without scoring to nine games, also giving Leicester the record of the first team in top flight history to go nine games without scoring at home.[150]
On 27 June 2025, van Nistelrooy left Leicester by mutual consent.[151]
Van Nistelrooy married his girlfriend and former professional cyclist, Leontien Slaats, in July 2004.[152] The couple have a daughter and a son.[153][154][155] Van Nistelrooy is aRoman Catholic.[156][157]
Van Nistelrooy and his wife are both heavily involved with the charity organizationSOS Children's Villages. The organization has been around since 1949 and is an international development charity which serves to protect the interests and rights of children. Van Nistelrooy was officially appointed "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" Ambassador in the Netherlands on 1 September 2001.[158]
On 17 November 2009, Van Nistelrooy and his wife hosted SOS atCiudad Real Madrid. The purpose of the event was to help create a calendar which would be sold to benefit the organization.[159]
^Van Nistelrooy's appointment was announced on 29 November 2024, he was in the stand and not in charge of the game on 30 November as Leicester lost 4–1 againstBrentford, which was taken by first team coachBen Dawson.[170] Van Nistelrooy's first match in charge was a 3–1 win overWest Ham on 3 December.
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