Ruud van Nistelrooy and Martin Keown were reunited before Leicester City’s clash with Arsenal (TNT Sports)
Martin Keown issued an apology to Ruud van Nistelrooy over their infamous clashes during Arsenal’s historic Premier League rivalry with Manchester United.
Keown is responsible for one of the most iconic images of the Premier League era when he celebrated Van Nistelrooy’s missed penalty at Old Trafford in 2003.
Earlier in that game which ended goalless, Van Nistelrooy angered Arsenal’s players for his part in Patrick Vieira’ sent off’s red card.
After smashing the crossbar with his penalty, Keown clumped Van Nistelrooy on the head as soon as the final-whistle was blown, while Arsenal’s players then began pushing the Dutchman which sparked a brawl between both sets of players.
Keown and Van Nistelrooy were reunited over 21 years later ahead of Leicester City’s Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday, and the pair exchanged a lengthy handshake before addressing their rivalry on TNT Sports’ pre-game coverage.
‘After all these years… apologies for all the shenanigans that went on back in the day,’ Keown said.
Van Nistelrooy replied: ‘Ahh, no, what happens on the pitch. I’m happy that I have him in front of me and not in the back of me.
‘No, it was good, they were good rivalries, weren’t they?’
Keown then said: ‘Oh, great days.
‘I’m glad you’re standing there and not next to me because you loved to stamp on me.’
Van Nistelrooy replied: ‘I would like to block you out as well, and then fall over!’
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Martin Keown of Arsenal shows his feelings at Ruud Van Nistelrooy of Man Utd after he misses his penalty during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on September 21, 2003 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Martin Keown celebrated Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s penalty miss after Manchester United draw with Arsenal in 2003 (Getty)
When asked about his personal rivalry with Arsenal during his pre-match press conference, Van Nistelrooy added: ‘Back in 2003, I was gutted to miss the penalty.
‘That was the big thing. It was my responsibility to win the game for my team, and I didn’t do that.
‘Other than that, I wasn’t really bothered by what happened, as I was only focused on trying to help United win trophies.
‘Of course the competition was always fantastic and in 2004, in the same fixture, there was another penalty moment and that for me is what it’s about.
‘You step up again and this time you score. You can see in my emotion with the celebration after the second one that it meant a lot to me.’
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