How good was Van Nistelrooy as a footballer?

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy was one of the best strikers during his playing career.

He was top scorer in three separate UEFA Champions League seasons, so far is the sixth-highest goalscorer in the history of UEFA Championships with 56 goals.

Who Is Ruud Van Nistelrooy?

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is a Dutch football coach and retired football player, who most recently managed PSV Eindhoven.

Born on July 1, 1976, in Oss, Netherlands, Rudd is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, judging from his highly successful playing career.

Rudd has played for several clubs in Europe and has been on the Dutch national team.

Rudd began in the 1990s with the Dutch club FC Den Bosch, and later played for Heerenveen, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Hamburg, Malaga, Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title in the 2006-2007 season.

He was also named the Dutch Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season.

For the Netherlands national team, Rudd earned 70 caps and scored 35 goals, during his participation in major tournaments such as the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup.

Ruud began coaching the PSV Under-17s in 2013.

In 2022, Ruud was selected as the head coach of PSV’s First Team, after a three-year contract.

However, he resigned in 2023, “after winning the 2023 Johan Cruyff Shield and 2022–23 KNVB Cup.”