Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United striker and club legend, has opened up about the lowest point in his footballing career. Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet, Van Nistelrooy revealed how his initial attempt to join the Red Devils collapsed due to a knee injury.
Van Nistelrooy was set to sign for United in 2000 and was excited about the move before he received a phone call from the club saying that he was going to fail his medical. “My first attempt signing for Manchester United was the most anxious moment in my career,” he said. “I did the whole medical in Manchester and we were driving up to Old Trafford to do the press conference to sign, and the phone rang.”
The orthopaedic surgeon from United who saw the MRI told Van Nistelrooy that his knee was not right and that he would not pass a medical. “We turned the car around and I was seeing Old Trafford right in front of me,” he said. “Once I got back to the hotel, the news already went out quickly to the press and there were photographers everywhere.”
Van Nistelrooy had to close the curtains to avoid the paparazzi outside his room. “I said, ‘what the freak is happening to me now’ – it felt like I was in a movie,” he said. “They said they’ll call me in an hour and confirmed that I could not go through with the transfer, so I had to go back to PSV Eindhoven, and we kept on going with my training, then I collapsed.”
The Dutchman messed up his whole knee during an exercise with heading the ball, which was live on Sky. “When you’re so close to something so huge that you’ve worked your whole life for, and it’s not happening, you feel the lowest,” he said.
Van Nistelrooy eventually completed his move to Old Trafford a year later in 2001 when his injury had improved. He scored 150 goals across his five years in England and won one Premier League title, an FA Cup and a League Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson. He also won the club’s player of the year award in his first season.
Van Nistelrooy is now coaching Dutch side PSV and has fond memories of his time at United. “It was amazing,” he said. “I was so happy to be there and to play for that club. It was a dream come true.”