Leicester City Football Club have hired Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij, better known as Ruud van Nistelrooy, as their new first-team men’s manager. His contract extends through the 2026-27 season. He will take charge of the club for the 3 December match against West Ham United. First Team coach Ben Dawson will lead the club for tomorrow’s match against Brentford.
Manchester United FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League I’m a big fan of his fashion sense and his stubble.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Van Nistelrooy has extensive Premier League experience with 150 matches under his belt. That’s as a player, mind you. He’s only managed four matches in Englands top flight, with two of those being against Leicester City (he thrashed us both times). He did lead PSV Eindhoven during the 2022/23 season in the Eredivisie, winning 33 of his 51 matches and seeing the Boerens finish second in the league.
Manchester United v PAOK FC - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 Think of him as sort an Olivier Giroud knock-off.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
That said, his resume isn’t especially long and it offers little insight into what kind of a manager he’ll be. So, there’s really not much point in talking about it, is there? Instead, let’s tackle the big questions: Is he the handsomest Leicester City manager? I think you could make that argument. He’s got glorious hair, great facial hair (the two don’t always go together), and just the right amount of silver to give him a little gravitas. Add that to a solid sense of fashion and he’s a very strong candidate.
Dutch Soccer - PSV Eindhoven The young Van Nistelrooy. You can see the potential already.
Photo by John Marsh/EMPICS via Getty Images
I would really prefer to be writing about what I think of him as a manager, but the honest answer is: I don’t know. I don’t know his preferred tactics, his man-management style, his motivational skills. I hope he’s brilliant. He’s certainly been successful in the limited amount of time he’s been in charge of clubs. I am hopeful that he’s the right man for the job; I just don’t have enough information to upgrade that from “hope” to “expect.”
Leicester City Unveil Their New Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy Huge points to the photographer for the brilliant depth of field (unless they used a filter-that’s cheating).
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
If the players are on board, that’s 90% of the gig. You never had the sense that the players bought into Cooper’s vision. Just getting everyone pulling in the same direction is probably enough to stave off relegation. If nothing else, restoring a little positivity to the King Power would be a welcome change. Let’s hope that 3 December is the start of something special. What do you think of van Nistelrooy?
Poll
What Do You Think About New Leicester City Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy
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He’s dreamy!
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Good looking, but not top tier.
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Just an average-looking guy.
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Oof...you need better glasses.
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Dude, this bit didn’t work at all. Go back to writing about Pokemon or something.
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