Ruud van Nistelrooy paid the ultimate tribute to one fellow Manchester United legend by claiming that he would “leave it” to him to step up on the big occasion.
The 48-year-old Manchester United legend had a magnificent spell at Old Trafford and is widely regarded as one of the best Premier League strikers of all time.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought Ruud van Nistelrooy to United in 2001 after he was signed from PSV Eindhoven for a British record transfer fee at the time of £19m.
Van Nistelrooy had initially been slated to move to Old Trafford in 2000, only for a failed medical to scupper the former United and Netherlands striker’s transfer.
During his five seasons at Old Trafford, the Dutchman scored an impressive 150 times in 219 matches for United under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Van Nistelrooy lifted a Premier League title, an FA Cup and a League Cup before his relationship with Ferguson fractured towards the end of his United spell.
The ex-Netherlands international left Old Trafford in 2006 and he signed for La Liga club Real Madrid, with injuries curtailing his spell in the Spanish capital.
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Leicester City Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy during a Leicester City press conference at Seagrave Training Complex on February 13, 2025 in Leicester,...
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
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Van Nistelrooy’s praise for ex-Man Utd star
Speaking to TNT Sports, Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy was asked who would he count on if he needed someone to take a penalty to save his life.
The Leicester City manager didn’t think twice about picking out Cristiano Ronaldo, who Van Nistelrooy played alongside at United and later at Real Madrid.
Van Nistelrooy was already at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson signed United legend Cristiano Ronaldo from Portuguese outfit Sporting CP in 2003.
However, the former PSV Eindhoven boss was reportedly involved in a United training bust-up with ex-Madrid and Red Devils teammate Ronaldo in 2006.
Van Nistelrooy has since played down the spat that the pair had during their time at Old Trafford and holds the 40-year-old Portuguese forward in high regard.
“To save my life?! There can only be one. Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said.
When asked if he would take the penalty himself, Van Nistelrooy added: “No. I leave it to Cristiano. Don’t worry. He will look after me.”
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Van Nistelrooy on Ronaldo bust-up at Man Utd
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly broke down in tears during his spat with Van Nistelrooy, with the United legend taking the Dutchman’s comments at face value.
Van Nistelrooy asked the Portugal legend if he was going to ‘complain to his daddy,’ with the former United assistant manager referring to Carlos Queiroz.
However, Ronaldo had thought that Van Nistelrooy made it personal about his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, who had passed away in 2005.
Van Nistelrooy later admitted that the incident with Ronaldo was “really blown up” and it was simply an “argument in training” between the pair.
“It got a bit out of hand with that situation,” he told Gary Neville on The Overlap in 2023.
“I think the way we are in a relationship Cristiano and I is fine, now, in general. It’s been really blown up. It was an argument in training.
“That’s the story, but in the end, we figured it out together and we moved on and the relationship is perfect.”