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Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, (; born 1 July 1976), is a Dutch association football who plays as a Forward (association football) for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the second-highest European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics All-time top goalscorers with 60 goals. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues.

Van Nistelrooy began Ruud Van Nistelrooy career with FC Den Bosch, before moving onto SC Heerenveen, eventually making a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven where Ruud Van Nistelrooy won two Eredivisie. Ruud Van Nistelrooy goalscoring record at PSV attracted attention from Manchester United F.C.; a deal was in place in the summer of 2000, but because of injury problems Ruud Van Nistelrooy move was secured a year later for a then British record fee of £19 million. Ruud Van Nistelrooy time at United was successful, winning the FA Premier League, FA Cup, Football 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy tenure. Real Madrid C.F. then secured Ruud Van Nistelrooy services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of Ruud Van Nistelrooy days with Madrid, Ruud Van Nistelrooy did win La Liga twice and the Supercopa de España before signing for Hamburger SV during the January transfer window in 2010. After a season-and-a-half with Hamburg, Ruud Van Nistelrooy moved back to Spain with Málaga in the summer of 2011.

Club career

Early career

Born in Oss, North Brabant, van Nistelrooy started Ruud Van Nistelrooy professional career in 1993 with Dutch second division side FC Den Bosch, where Ruud Van Nistelrooy was converted from a midfielder (football) to centre forward after playing part-time for Nooit Gedacht and Margriet. After netting 12 goals in 31 games in the 1996–97 campaign, Ruud Van Nistelrooy transferred for Euro360,000 to SC Heerenveen the next year, and scored 13 goals in 31 matches in Ruud Van Nistelrooy only season with the club. Ruud Van Nistelrooy was then signed by PSV Eindhoven the next season for €6.3 million, a then-record transfer sum between two Dutch teams.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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, Ruud Van Nistelrooy won Ruud Van Nistelrooy second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals. According to a 2001 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Manchester United F.C. coach Alex Ferguson said that Ruud Van Nistelrooy son Darren Ferguson, who was at tryouts for Eredivisie rival SC Heerenveen at the time, begged Ruud Van Nistelrooy father, "You've got to sign Van Nistelrooy right away, he's fantastic. We've been watching him." 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

Van Nistelrooy signed a five-year contract after passing Ruud Van Nistelrooy medical. Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy FA Premier League 2001–02, Van Nistelrooy scored 23 goals in 32 league games. Ruud Van Nistelrooy broke the record Ruud Van Nistelrooy shared with Mark Stein, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, by scoring in eight consecutive league games. Ruud Van Nistelrooy also scored 10 UEFA Champions League 2001–02 goals, and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

The following season, Ruud Van Nistelrooy finished as the top Premier League scorer with 25 in 34 games, including three hat-tricks, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy ended the season on another eight-game scoring streak. Ruud Van Nistelrooy started the FA Premier League 2003–04 by scoring twice in Ruud Van Nistelrooy first two league matches, which boosted Ruud Van Nistelrooy goals in consecutive games record to 10 matches in a row. Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored Ruud Van Nistelrooy 100th goal for the club in a 4–3 victory over Everton F.C. on 7 February 2004. Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored two goals, one a penalty, in United's victory over Millwall F.C. in the 2004 FA Cup Final.

Van Nistelrooy missed most of the 2004–05 FA Premier League due to injury, but nonetheless scored a UEFA Champions League 2004–05-best eight goals. One of them was Ruud Van Nistelrooy thirtieth career European goal, which Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored in a 2–2 Champions League group stage draw with Olympique Lyonnais 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 A.C. Milan in the knockout stage after going scoreless in both legs.

At the start of the FA Premier League 2005–06 season, Van Nistelrooy scored in United's first four Premier League games. Ruud Van Nistelrooy finished as the second-highest league scorer with 21 goals, behind Arsenal F.C.'s Thierry Henry. By the end of Ruud Van Nistelrooy fifth season with United, Van Nistelrooy had amassed 150 goals in fewer than 200 starts.

Van Nistelrooy was benched for the 2006 Football League Cup Final against Wigan Athletic F.C., fuelling speculation of a rift between Ruud Van Nistelrooy and coach Alex Ferguson, which Van Nistelrooy denied. Ruud Van Nistelrooy was nonetheless left on the bench for six consecutive league matches, and though Ruud Van Nistelrooy then returned to the starting line-up and scored match-winners against West Ham United F.C. and Bolton Wanderers F.C., fresh doubt spread over Van Nistelrooy's future when Ruud Van Nistelrooy was benched for United's season finale win over Charlton Athletic F.C.. 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy and team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Van Nistelrooy allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of passing to Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 C.F. on 28 July, departing Old Trafford after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 220 appearances. With 38 goals, Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy had signed a three-year contract after being purchased for €24 million.

Van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick in Ruud Van Nistelrooy second league match against Levante UD and, on 12 November 2006, Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored all four of Real Madrid's goals in a 4–1 victory over CA Osasuna. Ruud Van Nistelrooy won the league's Pichichi Trophy award with 25 goals as Real Madrid took home the La Liga 2006–07, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy with Madrid until 2010, with the expiration date one day shy of Ruud Van Nistelrooy 34th birthday. Ruud Van Nistelrooy underwent ankle surgery in March, and returned for the El Clásico derby against FC Barcelona on 7 May, in which Ruud Van Nistelrooy netted a penalty two minutes after coming on as a substitute. Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 (anatomy) in Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy injury, Ruud Van Nistelrooy had 10 goals in 12 club appearances for the season. Following the injury, Ruud Van Nistelrooy was de-registered by Real Madrid for the rest of the 2008–09 season, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy shirt number was given to Daniel Parejo. On 24 August 2009, in the last preseason game before the start of La Liga 2009–10, van Nistelrooy stepped on the pitch for the first time since Ruud Van Nistelrooy injury and played the last fifteen minutes of the game against Rosenborg BK, substituting Kaká. Van Nistelrooy came on for Cristiano Ronaldo in the 80th minute against Xerez CD in Ruud Van Nistelrooy first La Liga match since recovering from Ruud Van Nistelrooy injury. In the 81st minute, Ruud Van Nistelrooy provided the assist for a Karim Benzema goal, following it with Ruud Van Nistelrooy own 88th minute goal. However, during Ruud Van Nistelrooy strike, Ruud Van Nistelrooy picked up a thigh injury. It was revealed by Real Madrid that Ruud Van Nistelrooy would be out from first team action for up to six weeks. On 27 October, van Nistelrooy made Ruud Van Nistelrooy second comeback of the season coming on as a substitute for Raúl González in the 71st minute against Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey.

Hamburger SV

On 23 January 2010, van Nistelrooy signed an 18-month contract with Hamburger SV with the German club until June 2011.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy made Ruud Van Nistelrooy first appearance for the club, coming off the bench in the last two minutes of Hamburg's 3–3 draw with 1. FC Köln on 6 February. Van Nistelrooy scored Ruud Van Nistelrooy first two goals for Hamburg on 13 February 2010 against VfB 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy first UEFA Europa League goal in the 40th minute of Hamburg's match against R.S.C. Anderlecht.

On 15 August 2010, van Nistelrooy scored Ruud Van Nistelrooy first competitive hat-trick with Hamburg, in a 5–1 win over Torgelower SV Greif during round 1 of the 2010–11 DFB-Pokal of the DFB-Pokal. On 21 August 2010, Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored a brace in the 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga against Schalke 04, which Hamburg won 2–1. During that match Ruud Van Nistelrooy played against Ruud Van Nistelrooy friend and former team-mate Raúl González, who made Ruud Van Nistelrooy Bundesliga debut. Van Nistelrooy scored 7 goals and made 2 assists in 25 appearances in Ruud Van Nistelrooy only full season with Hamburg.

Málaga

On 1 June 2011, van Nistelrooy arrived at Málaga CF to sign a one-year contract with the La Liga club on a free transfer.

On 1 October 2011, while playing against Getafe CF, Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored Ruud Van Nistelrooy first goal for Málaga. On 21 December, in Copa del Rey match against the same opponents, Ruud Van Nistelrooy opened the scoring with a volley in a 2−2 home draw 2011–12 Copa del Rey.

International career

Van Nistelrooy has 70 caps and 35 goals for the Netherlands national football team. Ruud Van Nistelrooy made Ruud Van Nistelrooy debut for the national team in a friendly match against Germany national football team on 18 November 1998. However, the Anterior cruciate ligament injury which postponed Ruud Van Nistelrooy transfer to Manchester United also ruled van Nistelrooy out of UEFA Euro 2000.

As the Dutch failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, van Nistelrooy did not make Ruud Van Nistelrooy tournament debut for the Netherlands until UEFA Euro 2004, where Ruud Van Nistelrooy and the Czech Republic national football team's Milan Baroš were the only players to score in all three group stage matches. During a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1, Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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. Ruud Van Nistelrooy was a part of coach Marco van Basten's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, for which Ruud Van Nistelrooy served as the official FIFA/SOS ambassador. Ruud Van Nistelrooy started, and was substituted, in all of the Netherlands' group stage matches, and scored Ruud Van Nistelrooy lone goal against the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. Van Nistelrooy was dropped to the bench for the Netherlands' second round match, which saw them eliminated by Portugal national football team.

Van Basten left the striker out of the squad for a friendly against Republic of Ireland national football team on 16 August 2006. Dirk Kuyt replaced Van Nistelrooy in their next match against Portugal in September. After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was unavailable for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying against Bulgaria national football team and Belarus national football team due to injury, van Nistelrooy refused van Basten's request to take Ruud Van Nistelrooy place on the roster.

On 23 January 2007, van Nistelrooy announced Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 national football team.

At UEFA Euro 2008, van Nistelrooy scored for the Netherlands in their decisive 3–0 victory over Italy national football team in the group stage, and scored the equaliser in their eventual 3–1 loss to Russia national football team in the quarter-finals. On 4 August, Ruud Van Nistelrooy again announced Ruud Van Nistelrooy retirement from international competition.

During the build up to the 2010 FIFA 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy club Arsenal F.C., van Marwijk gave van Nistelrooy a chance to reclaim Ruud Van Nistelrooy position as the main striker of the Netherlands' national team. Van Nistelrooy was invited to two Netherlands' Group E qualification matches for UEFA Euro 2012 against San Marino national football team and Finland national football team. Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored in the 5–0 victory against San Marino national football team on 3 September 2010.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy was again recalled to the squad in March 2011 for two Euro 2012 qualification games with Hungary national football team, after injuries to strikers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben and Theo Janssen. In the away game on 25 March Ruud Van Nistelrooy appeared as a late substitute for Dirk Kuyt while in the return game in Amsterdam four days later Ruud Van Nistelrooy came off the bench to score Ruud Van Nistelrooy 35th international goal. adding it is 'wonderful to be able to add something to this Oranje team', as Ruud Van Nistelrooy told Berend Scholten.

Personal life

Family

Van Nistelrooy married Ruud Van Nistelrooy 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 Ruud Van Nistelrooy wife are both heavily involved with the charity organization SOS 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.

On 17 November 2009, van Nistelrooy and Ruud Van Nistelrooy wife hosted SOS at Ciudad Real Madrid. The purpose of the event was to help create a calendar which would be sold to benefit the organization.