Ruud van Nistelrooy
Encyclopedia
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, (ryt vɑn ˈnɪstəlroːi̯; born 1 July 1976), is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF
in Spain's La Liga
. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues.
Van Nistelrooy began his career with Den Bosch, before moving onto Heerenveen, eventually making a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven where he won two Dutch leagues
. His goalscoring record at PSV attracted attention from Manchester 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 the Premier League
, FA Cup
, League Cup
and FA Community Shield
, along with winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year
twice. Van Nistelrooy hit 150 goals in just 219 games for United, as well as being their all time European record goalscorer, but fell out of favour towards the end of his tenure. Real Madrid
then secured his services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of his days with Madrid, he did win La Liga
twice and the Supercopa de España
before signing for Hamburg
during the January transfer window in 2010. After a season-and-a-half with Hamburg, he moved back to Spain with Málaga CF
in the summer of 2011.
, North Brabant
, van Nistelrooy started his professional career in 1993 with Dutch second division side Den Bosch, where he was converted from a central defender
to centre forward after playing part-time for Nooit Gedacht and Margriet. After netting 12 goals in 31 games in the 1996–97 campaign, he transferred for €
360,000 to Heerenveen the next year, and scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his only season with the club. He was then signed by PSV Eindhoven the next season for €6.3 million, a then-record transfer sum between two Dutch teams.
He scored 31 goals in 34 matches, the highest season total in the Eredivisie
and second-highest in Europe overall, in addition to scoring all three of PSV's goals in a Champions League match against HJK Helsinki
on 25 November 1998. Van Nistelrooy capped off the year by winning the Dutch Player of the Year award. The next season, he won his second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals. According to a 2001 interview with The Telegraph
, Manchester United
coach Alex Ferguson
said that his son Darren
, who was at tryouts 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." Ferguson sent team representatives to PSV's next league game and signed Van Nistelrooy the next day.
Van Nistelrooy looked set to complete an £
18.5 million transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2000. A press conference had been called to confirm Van Nistelrooy's arrival, but instead this was used to announce that the transfer had been delayed over concerns about his fitness. Days later, he suffered ruptured cruciate knee ligaments during a training session and the deal was axed. When the transaction was completed in April 2001, United were forced to pay PSV an additional £500,000 for the player's services due to the change in exchange rates between Euro and Sterling.
Van Nistelrooy signed a five-year contract after passing his medical. 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." During his first season, Van Nistelrooy scored 23 goals in 32 league games. He broke the record he shared with Mark Stein
, Alan Shearer
and Thierry Henry
, by scoring in eight consecutive league games. He also scored 10 Champions League goals, and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year
.
The following season, he finished as the top Premier League scorer with 25 in 34 games, including three hat-tricks, and he ended the season on another eight-game scoring streak. He started the 2003–04 season by scoring twice in his first two league matches, which boosted his goals in consecutive games record to 10 matches in a row. He scored his 100th goal for the club in a 4–3 victory over Everton
on 7 February 2004. He scored two goals, one a penalty, in United's victory over Millwall
in the 2004 FA Cup Final.
Van Nistelrooy missed most of the 2004–05 season due to injury, but nonetheless scored a Champions League-best eight goals. One of them was his thirtieth career European goal, which he scored in a 2–2 Champions League group stage draw with Lyon
on 16 September 2004, overtaking Denis 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." Manchester United were eliminated by eventual finalists Milan
in the knockout stage after going scoreless in both legs.
At the start of the 2005–06 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
. By the end of his fifth season with United, Van Nistelrooy had amassed 150 goals in fewer than 200 starts.
Van Nistelrooy was benched for the League Cup Final against Wigan Athletic
, fuelling speculation of a rift between him and coach 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 against West Ham United
and Bolton 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. On 9 May 2006, Setanta Sports
reported that Van Nistelrooy's exclusion from the squad was due to a training session fight between him and team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo
. Van Nistelrooy allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of passing to his team-mates, which sparked the fight, after which Van Nistelrooy remarked, "Go crying to your daddy." The article claimed that this was not a reference to Ronaldo's father (who had died earlier in the season), but to United's Portuguese assistant coach Carlos Queiroz
.
Van Nistelrooy signed with Spanish La Liga
side Real Madrid
on 28 July, departing Old Trafford
after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 220 appearances. With 38 goals, he is also the club's all-time European top goalscorer.
Van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick
in his second league match against Levante
and, on 12 November 2006, he scored all four of Real Madrid's goals in a 4–1 victory over Osasuna
. He won the league's Pichichi award with 25 goals as Real Madrid took home the 2006–07 title, and he also equalled the longest consecutive scoring streak in La Liga history with seven straight matches, tying a league record shared by Hugo Sánchez
.
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. He underwent ankle surgery in March, and returned for the El Clásico
derby against Barcelona
on 7 May, in which he netted a penalty two minutes after coming on as a substitute. He finished the season with 20 goals in 33 appearances.
In November 2008, Real Madrid announced that van Nistelrooy would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season after exploratory arthroscopic surgery revealed a partially torn meniscus
in his right knee, with an expected recovery time of six to nine months following a second operation to repair the damage. Van Nistelrooy travelled to the United States
to see specialist Richard 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. Following the injury, he was de-registered by Real Madrid for the rest of the 2008–09 season, and his shirt number was given to Dani Parejo. On 24 August 2009, in the last preseason game before the start of La Liga, van Nistelrooy stepped on the pitch for the first time since his injury and played the last fifteen minutes of the game against Rosenborg, substituting Kaká
. Van Nistelrooy came on for Cristiano Ronaldo
in the 80th minute against Xerez
in his first La Liga match since recovering from his injury. In the 81st minute, he provided the assist for a Benzema
goal, following it with his own 88th minute goal. However, during his strike, he picked up a thigh injury. It was revealed by Real Madrid that he would be out from first team action for up to six weeks. On 27 October, van Nistelrooy made his second comeback of the season coming on as a substitute for Raúl
in the 71st minute against Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey
.
with the German club until June 2011.
He made his first appearance for the club, coming off the bench in the last two minutes of Hamburg's 3–3 draw with Cologne
on 6 February. Van Nistelrooy scored his first two goals for Hamburg on 13 February 2010 against Stuttgart
in the 75th and 77th minutes of a 3–1 win, after entering the game just a few minutes prior. On 11 March 2010, van Nistelrooy scored his first Europa League goal in the 40th minute of Hamburg's match against Anderlecht
.
On 15 August 2010, van Nistelrooy scored his first competitive hat-trick
with Hamburg, in a 5–1 win over Torgelower SV Greif
during round 1 of the 68th season
of the DFB-Pokal
. On 21 August 2010, he scored a brace in the season opener
against Schalke 04, which Hamburg won 2–1. During that match he played against his friend and former team-mate Raúl
, who made his Bundesliga debut. Van Nistelrooy scored 7 goals and made 2 assists in 25 appearances in his only full season with Hamburg.
to sign a one-year contract with the La Liga club on a free transfer.
On 1 October 2011, while playing against Getafe
, he scored his first goal for Málaga.
. He made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Germany
on 18 November 1998. However, the cruciate ligament
injury which postponed his transfer to Manchester United also ruled van Nistelrooy out of Euro 2000.
As the Dutch failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup
, van Nistelrooy did not make his tournament debut for the Netherlands until Euro 2004, where he and the Czech Republic
's Milan Baroš
were the only players to score in all three group stage matches. During a 2006 World Cup qualifying match
, he scored in the Dutch's 4–0 hammering of bottom-placed Andorra and was yellow-carded for going to Andorra player Antoni Lima and celebrating in front of him, following an incident six minutes before when van Nistelrooy missed a penalty and Lima laughed at him. He was a part of coach Marco van Basten's squad for the 2006 World Cup
finals, for which he served as the official FIFA/SOS ambassador. He started, and was substituted, in all of the Netherlands' group stage matches, and scored his lone goal against the Côte d'Ivoire
. Van Nistelrooy was dropped to the bench for the Netherlands' second round match, which saw them eliminated by Portugal
.
Van Basten left the striker out of the squad for a friendly against Ireland
on 16 August 2006. Dirk Kuyt
replaced Van Nistelrooy in their next match against Portugal in September. After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was unavailable for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Bulgaria
and Belarus
due to injury, van Nistelrooy refused van Basten's request to take his place on the roster.
On 23 January 2007, van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from international football following some disputes with coach Marco van Basten. However, after several phone conversations and at the persuasion of veteran Edwin van der Sar
, both player and coach put aside their differences. Van Basten announced four months later that van Nistelrooy was returning to the Oranje. On 8 September, Van Nistelrooy filled Huntelaar's spot, as previously requested, for the qualifier against Bulgaria, scoring in a 2–0 victory, and scored the winning goal four days later in injury time of the Netherlands' win over Albania
.
At Euro 2008, van Nistelrooy scored for the Netherlands in their decisive 3–0 victory over Italy
in the group stage, and scored the equaliser in their eventual 3–1 loss to Russia
in the quarter-finals. On 4 August, he again announced his retirement from international competition.
During the build up to the 2010 World Cup
van Nistelrooy again made himself available, but was left out by van Marwijk, the Dutch team coach.
After main striker Robin 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 for Euro 2012 against San Marino
and Finland
. He scored in the 5–0 victory against San Marino
on 3 September 2010.
He was again recalled to the squad in March 2011 for two Euro 2012 qualification games with Hungary
, after injuries to strikers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben
and Theo Janssen
. In the away game on 25 March he appeared as a late substitute for Dirk Kuyt while in the return game in Amsterdam four days later he came off the bench to score his 35th international goal. adding it is 'wonderful to be able to add something to this Oranje team', as he told Berend Scholten.
. The organisation 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.
On 17 November 2009, van Nistelrooy and his wife hosted SOS at Real Madrid City
. The purpose of the event was to help create a calendar which would be sold to benefit the organization.
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
in Spain's La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues.
Van Nistelrooy began his career with Den Bosch, before moving onto Heerenveen, eventually making a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven where he won two Dutch leagues
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
. His goalscoring record at PSV attracted attention from Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
; 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 the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
and FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
, along with winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year
The Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, previously known as the MUFC Members Player of the Year , is an award presented to the Manchester United fans' player of the season. It is named after former Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby, who managed the club in two spells, from 1945 to 1969 and...
twice. Van Nistelrooy hit 150 goals in just 219 games for United, as well as being their all time European record goalscorer, but fell out of favour towards the end of his tenure. Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
then secured his services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of his days with Madrid, he did win La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
twice and the Supercopa de España
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
before signing for Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
during the January transfer window in 2010. After a season-and-a-half with Hamburg, he moved back to Spain with Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
in the summer of 2011.
Early career
Born in OssOss
Oss is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands, in the province of Noord Brabant.- Population centres :-Transportation:* Railway stations: Oss, Oss West, Ravenstein- The city of Oss :...
, North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, van Nistelrooy started his professional career in 1993 with Dutch second division side Den Bosch, where he was converted from a central defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
to centre forward after playing part-time for Nooit Gedacht and Margriet. After netting 12 goals in 31 games in the 1996–97 campaign, he transferred for €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
360,000 to Heerenveen the next year, and scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his only season with the club. He was then signed by PSV Eindhoven the next season for €6.3 million, a then-record transfer sum between two Dutch teams.
He scored 31 goals in 34 matches, the highest season total in the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
and second-highest in Europe overall, in addition to scoring all three of PSV's goals in a Champions League match against HJK Helsinki
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki...
on 25 November 1998. Van Nistelrooy capped off the year by winning the Dutch Player of the Year award. The next season, he won his second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals. According to a 2001 interview with The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
coach Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
said that his son Darren
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson is a Scottish football manager and former player, currently in his second spell as the manager of Peterborough United...
, who was at tryouts 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." Ferguson sent team representatives to PSV's next league game and signed Van Nistelrooy the next day.
Van Nistelrooy looked set to complete an £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
18.5 million transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2000. A press conference had been called to confirm Van Nistelrooy's arrival, but instead this was used to announce that the transfer had been delayed over concerns about his fitness. Days later, he suffered ruptured cruciate knee ligaments during a training session and the deal was axed. When the transaction was completed in April 2001, United were forced to pay PSV an additional £500,000 for the player's services due to the change in exchange rates between Euro and Sterling.
Manchester United
Mark Stein
Earl Mark Sean Stein , known as Mark Stein, is a South African-born English former footballer who played for numerous English clubs as a striker...
, Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
and Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, by scoring in eight consecutive league games. He also scored 10 Champions League goals, and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year
PFA Players' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...
.
The following season, he finished as the top Premier League scorer with 25 in 34 games, including three hat-tricks, and he ended the season on another eight-game scoring streak. He started the 2003–04 season by scoring twice in his first two league matches, which boosted his goals in consecutive games record to 10 matches in a row. He scored his 100th goal for the club in a 4–3 victory over Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 7 February 2004. He scored two goals, one a penalty, in United's victory over Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in the 2004 FA Cup Final.
Van Nistelrooy missed most of the 2004–05 season due to injury, but nonetheless scored a Champions League-best eight goals. One of them was his thirtieth career European goal, which he scored in a 2–2 Champions League group stage draw with Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
on 16 September 2004, overtaking Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
'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." Manchester United were eliminated by eventual finalists Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the knockout stage after going scoreless in both legs.
At the start of the 2005–06 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
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
's Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
. By the end of his fifth season with United, Van Nistelrooy had amassed 150 goals in fewer than 200 starts.
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, fuelling speculation of a rift between him and coach Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, 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 against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
and Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, fresh doubt spread over Van Nistelrooy's future when he was benched for United's season finale win over Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
. Ferguson claimed that Van Nistelrooy was angry at the decision and left the stadium three hours before kick-off. On 9 May 2006, Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
reported that Van Nistelrooy's exclusion from the squad was due to a training session fight between him and team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
. Van Nistelrooy allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of passing to his team-mates, which sparked the fight, after which Van Nistelrooy remarked, "Go crying to your daddy." The article claimed that this was not a reference to Ronaldo's father (who had died earlier in the season), but to United's Portuguese assistant coach Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
.
Van Nistelrooy signed with Spanish La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
on 28 July, departing Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 220 appearances. With 38 goals, he is also the club's all-time European top goalscorer.
Real Madrid
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 €24 million.Van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in his second league match against Levante
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
and, on 12 November 2006, he scored all four of Real Madrid's goals in a 4–1 victory over Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
. He won the league's Pichichi award with 25 goals as Real Madrid took home the 2006–07 title, and he also equalled the longest consecutive scoring streak in La Liga history with seven straight matches, tying a league record shared by Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez , popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid. Sanchez is considered the first highly talented Mexican player. He was also a member of the Mexico national team, and...
.
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. He underwent ankle surgery in March, and returned for the El Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
derby against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
on 7 May, in which he netted a penalty two minutes after coming on as a substitute. He finished the season with 20 goals in 33 appearances.
In November 2008, Real Madrid announced that van Nistelrooy would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season after exploratory arthroscopic surgery revealed a partially torn meniscus
Meniscus (anatomy)
In anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
in his right knee, with an expected recovery time of six to nine months following a second operation to repair the damage. Van Nistelrooy travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to see specialist Richard Steadman
Richard Steadman
J. Richard Steadman, M.D. is a specialist knee surgeon, practising in Vail, Colorado and a Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He is best known medically for his work in the area of microfracture surgery, and publicly for treating injured...
, 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. Following the injury, he was de-registered by Real Madrid for the rest of the 2008–09 season, and his shirt number was given to Dani Parejo. On 24 August 2009, in the last preseason game before the start of La Liga, van Nistelrooy stepped on the pitch for the first time since his injury and played the last fifteen minutes of the game against Rosenborg, substituting Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
. Van Nistelrooy came on for Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
in the 80th minute against Xerez
Xerez CD
Xerez Club Deportivo, S.A.D., usually just Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia...
in his first La Liga match since recovering from his injury. In the 81st minute, he provided the assist for a Benzema
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is a French international footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga. He primarily plays as a striker whose influence can extend out to the wings and is known for his technical ability, powerful style of play, and vast goal-scoring ability...
goal, following it with his own 88th minute goal. However, during his strike, he picked up a thigh injury. It was revealed by Real Madrid that he would be out from first team action for up to six weeks. On 27 October, van Nistelrooy made his second comeback of the season coming on as a substitute for Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
in the 71st minute against Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
.
Hamburger SV
On 23 January 2010, van Nistelrooy signed an 18-month contract with HamburgHamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
with the German club until June 2011.
He made his first appearance for the club, coming off the bench in the last two minutes of Hamburg's 3–3 draw with Cologne
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
on 6 February. Van Nistelrooy scored his first two goals for Hamburg on 13 February 2010 against Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
in the 75th and 77th minutes of a 3–1 win, after entering the game just a few minutes prior. On 11 March 2010, van Nistelrooy scored his first Europa League goal in the 40th minute of Hamburg's match against Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
.
On 15 August 2010, van Nistelrooy scored his first competitive hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
with Hamburg, in a 5–1 win over Torgelower SV Greif
Torgelower SV Greif
Torgelower SV Greif is a German football club from the city of Torgelow in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The football team is part of a sports club which also has departments for women's sport, table tennis, and handball.- History :...
during round 1 of the 68th season
2010–11 DFB-Pokal
The 2010–11 DFB-Pokal was the sixty-eighth season of the annual German football cup competition. It commenced on the weekend around 14 August 2010 with the matches of Round 1 and concluded on 21 May 2011 with the final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin...
of the DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
. On 21 August 2010, he scored a brace in the season opener
2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on the weekend of 21 August 2010 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions and ended with the last games on 14 May 2011. The winter...
against Schalke 04, which Hamburg won 2–1. During that match he played against his friend and former team-mate Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
, who made his Bundesliga debut. Van Nistelrooy scored 7 goals and made 2 assists in 25 appearances in his only full season with Hamburg.
Málaga
On 1 June 2011, van Nistelrooy arrived to Málaga CFMálaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
to sign a one-year contract with the La Liga club on a free transfer.
On 1 October 2011, while playing against Getafe
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
, he scored his first goal for Málaga.
International career
Van Nistelrooy has 70 caps and 35 goals for the NetherlandsNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
. He made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
on 18 November 1998. However, the cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
injury which postponed his transfer to Manchester United also ruled van Nistelrooy out of Euro 2000.
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, van Nistelrooy did not make his tournament debut for the Netherlands until Euro 2004, where he and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
's Milan Baroš
Milan Baroš
Milan Baroš is a Czech footballer who plays as a striker for Galatasaray and the Czech national football team.In the 2008–09 season, Baroš scored 20 goals in Turkish Süper Lig, the highest total in the league...
were the only players to score in all three group stage matches. During a 2006 World Cup qualifying match
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1
The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 1 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Andorra, Armenia, Czech Republic, Finland, Macedonia and Netherlands, and Romania....
, he scored in the Dutch's 4–0 hammering of bottom-placed Andorra and was yellow-carded for going to Andorra player Antoni Lima and celebrating in front of him, following an incident six minutes before when van Nistelrooy missed a penalty and Lima laughed at him. He was a part of coach Marco van Basten's squad for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
finals, for which he served as the official FIFA/SOS ambassador. He started, and was substituted, in all of the Netherlands' group stage matches, and scored his lone goal against the Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
. Van Nistelrooy was dropped to the bench for the Netherlands' second round match, which saw them eliminated by Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
.
Van Basten left the striker out of the squad for a friendly against Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
on 16 August 2006. Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
replaced Van Nistelrooy in their next match against Portugal in September. After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was unavailable for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
and Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
due to injury, van Nistelrooy refused van Basten's request to take his place on the roster.
On 23 January 2007, van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from international football following some disputes with coach Marco van Basten. However, after several phone conversations and at the persuasion of veteran Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
, both player and coach put aside their differences. Van Basten announced four months later that van Nistelrooy was returning to the Oranje. On 8 September, Van Nistelrooy filled Huntelaar's spot, as previously requested, for the qualifier against Bulgaria, scoring in a 2–0 victory, and scored the winning goal four days later in injury time of the Netherlands' win over Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
.
At Euro 2008, van Nistelrooy scored for the Netherlands in their decisive 3–0 victory over Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in the group stage, and scored the equaliser in their eventual 3–1 loss to Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
in the quarter-finals. On 4 August, he again announced his retirement from international competition.
During the build up to the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
van Nistelrooy again made himself available, but was left out by van Marwijk, the Dutch team coach.
After main striker Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
suffered an injury during a match with his club Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, 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 for Euro 2012 against San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
and Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
. He scored in the 5–0 victory against San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
on 3 September 2010.
He was again recalled to the squad in March 2011 for two Euro 2012 qualification games with Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
, after injuries to strikers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben is a Dutch footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards as a winger, and he is also known for his dribbling skills...
and Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen is a Dutch footballer who currently plays in midfield for AFC Ajax. Before signing with Ajax he was a key player at FC Twente for three seasons and helped them win the Eredivisie and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Prior to joining Twente he was...
. In the away game on 25 March he appeared as a late substitute for Dirk Kuyt while in the return game in Amsterdam four days later he came off the bench to score his 35th international goal. adding it is 'wonderful to be able to add something to this Oranje team', as he told Berend Scholten.
Family
Van Nistelrooy married his girlfriend, Leontien Slaats, in July 2004. The couple had their first child, a girl named Moa Annette, in September 2006, and a son named Liam in March 2008.Charity work
Van Nistelrooy and his wife are both heavily involved with the charity organization SOS Children's VillagesSOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental international development organisation which has been working to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children since 1949. It was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Imst, Austria...
. The organisation 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.
On 17 November 2009, van Nistelrooy and his wife hosted SOS at Real Madrid City
Ciudad Real Madrid
The Ciudad Real Madrid is the name given to Real Madrid's training facilities located outside Madrid in Valdebebas near Barajas airport. It replaces the old Ciudad Deportiva , which until 2003 was the training ground of the club...
. The purpose of the event was to help create a calendar which would be sold to benefit the organization.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||||
| Den Bosch | 1993–94 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1994–95 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 17 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 1995–96 | 21 | 2 | – | – | 21 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1996–97 | 31 | 12 | – | – | 31 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 69 | 17 | 2 | 3 | |– | 71 | 20 | |||||||||||
| Heerenveen | 1997–98 | 31 | 13 | 5 | 3 | – | – | 36 | 16 | |||||||||
| Total | 31 | 13 | 5 | 3 | |– | 36 | 16 | |||||||||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 1998–99 | 34 | 31 | 5 | 1 | – | 7 | 6 | 46 | 38 | ||||||||
| 1999–2000 | 23 | 29 | 2 | 0 | – | 8 | 3 | 33 | 32 | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 12 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Total | 67 | 62 | 9 | 4 | Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... | 2001–02 | 32 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 36 |
| 2002–03 | 34 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 44 | ||||||
| 2003–04 | 32 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 30 | ||||||
| 2004–05 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 16 | ||||||
| 2005–06 | 35 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 24 | ||||||
| Total | 150 | 95 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 47 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 219 | 150 | ||||||
| Real Madrid Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la... |
2006–07 | 37 | 25 | 3 | 2 | – | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 33 | ||||||
| 2007–08 | 24 | 16 | 1 | 0 | – | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 20 | |||||||
| 2008–09 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | |||||||
| 2009–10 2009–10 La Liga - Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|... |
1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | 68 | 46 | 6 | 2 | Hamburger SV Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department... | 2009–10 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010... |
11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on the weekend of 21 August 2010 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions and ended with the last games on 14 May 2011. The winter... |
25 | 7 | 1 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 10 | |||||||
| Total | 36 | 12 | 1 | 3 | Málaga Málaga CF Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares... | 2011–12 2011–12 La Liga The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012... |
11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Career total | 432 | 246 | 37 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 88 | 62 | 5 | 4 | 568 | 343 | |
International
| National team | Year | Friendlies | International Competition |
Total | Ratio | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | |||
| Netherlands Netherlands national football team The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands... |
1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2001 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 2002 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | ||
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2008 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 28 | 6 | 42 | 29 | 70 | 35 | ||
Club
PSV Eindhoven- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
(2): 1999–2000, 2000–01 - Johan Cruijff Shield (2): 1999, 2000
Manchester United
- Premier League (1): 2002–03
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(1): 2003–04 - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(1): 2005–06 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(1): 20032003 FA Community ShieldThe 2003 FA Community Shield was the 81st FA Community Shield, a football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...
Real Madrid
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
(2): 2006–07, 2007–08 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
(1): 20082008 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2008 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 17 August and 24 August 2008. It was contested by Valencia CF, who were Spanish Cup winners in 2007–08, and Real Madrid, who won the 2007–08 Spanish League. Real Madrid won 6–5 on aggregate for their eighth Supercopa...
Individual
- Eredivisie Topscorer: 1998–99, 1999–2000
- Dutch Players' Player of the Year: 1999, 2000
- Premier League Player of the MonthPremier League Player of the MonthThe Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
: December 2001, February 2002, April 2003 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Most Valuable Striker: 2001–02 - Barclaycard Player of the Year: 2002
- Sir Matt Busby Player of the YearSir Matt Busby Player of the YearThe Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, previously known as the MUFC Members Player of the Year , is an award presented to the Manchester United fans' player of the season. It is named after former Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby, who managed the club in two spells, from 1945 to 1969 and...
: 2001–02, 2002–03 - PFA Player of the YearProfessional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
: 2001–02 - UEFA Champions League Topscorer: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05
- Premier League Goal of the MonthGoal of the Month (England)The Goal of the Month is a monthly segment on BBC's Match of the Day television programme, in honour of the best goal scored each month. The segment has been featured on the programme since the 1970–71 season...
: March 2003 - UEFA Club Forward of the YearUEFA Club Football AwardsThe UEFA Club Football Awards are awards given by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season. The awards were presented in August each year at a special gala in Monaco ahead of the UEFA Super Cup. Since 2005, the awards are presented at the UEFA Champions League draw...
: 2002–03 - Premier League Golden BootPremier League Golden BootThe Premier League Golden Boot, known for sponsorship reasons as the Barclays Golden Boot, is an annual English association football award given to the top goalscorer at the end of the Premier League season, the top domestic league competition in club football in England, since its creation in 1992...
: 2002–03 - FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
- Pichichi Trophy: 2006–07