Nistelrooy - not finished yet!. Review on Ruud van Nistelrooy

Van Nistelrooy, yes ! Who has not heard of ‘Van the Man’ – the goal scoring machine of an eccentric striker, Dutch by origin, passionate at heart and a forward who has left his mark as a prolific goalscorer in every club he has played for and majority of the times he has worn the Orange shirt was his nation. His ex-manager Alex Ferguson thinks he’s past his prime, so does his National coach. Do I concur with their thoughts? Not quite and that is exactly what I’m here to substantiate on.

NISTELROOY’S ROAD TO SUCCESS

Initial years of self discovery

Well, the remarkable thing is that he was actually a defender for his first club, FC Den Bosch where he played for 4 seasons. Then, he moved on to FC Heerenveen where he was given the role of a central midfielder.

Gold Studded days at PSV

But it was only his move to PSV Eindhoven in 1998 that he was able to realize his true potential as a scorer. He spent 2 seasons there, amassing 62 goals from 67 appearances with absolute disdain for the opposition. So, in the year 2000, pleasantly amused football giants, Manchester United proposed a move for him to their club. However, suffering from a cruciate knee injury he was unable to do so till a whole year.

Diamond Studded days at United

But even the squeamish Ferguson would wait for him and eventually when Ruud did wear the Manchester United shirt in 2001, it was a record fee of 19 million pounds, the record move to England back then. Since then as you and I know there was no looking back. He has emerged as one of the biggest threats of European as well as world football.He has gleaned a shocking 150 goals from only 219 appearances for this club, proving his mettle on more than one occasion in crunch situations. By the year 2006, when he left United for Real Madrid, he had also scored an unbelievable 43 Champions League goals from 54 appearances.

His contribution to International football

With Holland not qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, Ruud had to wait as long as 2004 Euros to play the first major tournament of his country where he made his mark with 4 great goals, being the highest scorer in the league stage. Although Holland exited in the semis, he had made a strong statement to the football fraternity. With 28 goals from 54 appearances for his country, we are clearly shown how influential his presence has been on the international front averaging a little more than a goal in every 2 matches. One might say he managed only 1 goal of 3 matches in the W’Cup ’06 but  then it was a combined sloppy performance by the Dutch. What could he have done if he didn’t get the adequate supply? Didn’t they miss his presence in the next round where they suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Portuguese? What Dutch coach Van Basten forgets while dropping all experience from his team is that it is experience, the biggest factor in big matches which pulls you through.

Strengths

Agility:This guy is just too lithe for words, stunning us time and again with his unprecedented twists and turns and his sudden bursts of energy finally culminating in some outstanding goalscoring maneuvers. In spite of being above 6 ft. in height he manages to be so, which is often credited to his early life as a gymnast.

Presence of mind:That is the singlemost factor which makes him great. I think the most apt term to use for him would be a ‘poacher’.The opposition is more often than not caught completely unawares when he storms into the Dee from any and everywhere at the slightest opportunity presented to wreak havoc amongst the opposition defenders.

Clinical Finishing:This is the factor which makes him a proud bearer of awesome stats. If he is at the end of an assist in the danger area, he is most likely to find a way to shove it in, be it the most unfathomable way one may think of.

Speed and rhythm:Needless to say he is extremely pacy but what is special about that is the fact that he knows exactly when and how to control his speed using it judiciously to come up with the goods as and when required. While a permanent threat with good crosses coming in, he can manufacture his own goals when he is on song being a highly rhythmic player. I guess it’s easy to see why he is often associated with 3 or 4 goals in a match.

Great control:All those passes and crosses would be redundant if he didn’t know how to receive them properly making use of them in the most appropriate manner. Ruud specializes in just that making the best of half chances and not so good passes with his fine shifting of bodyweight and position when needed.

Weakness: When things aren’t going too well tends to be a bit selfish as is characteristic of most prolific strikers, never too magnanimous in defeat.

What I think of his exit from United?

Well, it’s become a common sight now – removing key players has become a hobby for Sir Alex Ferguson. First Jaap Staam, Nicky But t, David Beckham, Roy Keane and now the latest victim – Nistelrooy. What was his fault ? Ruud criticized Ronaldo’s tendency to keep the ball rather than passing and then the 2 fought during a training session. And Ferguson couldn’t bear to see his newly adopted son’s humiliation. So, he started benching Ruud as punishment. And even though Ruud kept on scoring as a substitute ending the season with a second highest tally of 21 goals it was clear to him that Ferguson didn’t want him anymore and knew it was time to move. I mean, what was wrong with Ruud’s statement?Let’s face it – Ronaldo dances a lot on the right flanks, but how many of his moves end in a goal? What ratio? Not much, as any football lover will know. He can go on trying stunts on his own, but unless he does his primary work of assisting the strikers, not much good can come of his presence.There are specialists waiting to finish at the centre. The odds of him doing a solo from wide right may seem more fashionable but also less probable. That’s the prime reason I feel why United haven’t won anything ever since Becks left and Ronaldo came in.It’s a team game and Ronaldo should try to realize that as soon as possible.As for Ruud ,he'd have to move.

Nistelrooy – the Galactico

And move he did in style. He opened his account in Spain with typical aplomb notching up yet another hat-trick v Levante in La Liga. No less spectacular was his start in Champions League as a Galactico, netting a brace v Dyamo Kiev. He has already notched up 7 goals this season, pushing his Champions League tally to 46 from 58 appearances very close to his aging teammate Raul with 54,the all time leader at a much faster strike rate. He has always been an ominous presence for the opposition defense on the pitch which is why he’s found favour with coach Capello as a regular starter reducing greats like Ronaldo, Cassano and young prodigies like Robinho on the bench.

It’s a mistake to doubt his capabilities as he has proved again and again making critics bite dust so often. This 30-year old Oss born tough cookie is far from over. The fun’s only just begun. Do not make the mistake of missing what he has yet to offer to the world of football. You’ll only regret it!