[reddwarf]

The man is a legend, who didn't want to leave.

He did want to leave. He handed in a transfer request before moving to Real Madrid and had reportedly handed in a transfer request 2 years before he left.

However, the man is one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of football, which is surely enough to grant him legendary status for us and all the other clubs he plays for.

 

[RedForceRising]

^ this would be news to me.

any sources?

 

[reddwarf]

^ this would be news to me.

any sources?

If you type van nistelrooy transfer request into Google the BBC, ESPN, Manchester Evening News and...manutdtalk.com ...news reports of him handing in a transfer request come up.

If you read the BBC report it actually has a quote from Fergie where he says...

"Ruud asked away before the Arsenal FA Cup final last year, then asked away through his representative, and has now asked away himself in writing"

...so I was slightly wrong, it was the previous year not 2 years prior to him leaving.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/5209074.stm

 

[scottsati]

the guy was and still continues to be a legend in football and goalscoring terms, whoever mentioned the word flop in the same breath as RVN should hang their head in shame as they know nothing about football

 

[RDJ]

150 goals from 219 matches with a goal ratio of 0.7 for Man Utd
55 goals from 83 matches with a goal ratio of 0.66 for R.Madrid
71 goals from 82 matches with a goal ratio of 0.87 for P.S.V

And that man is a flop!
What next? Richardson better that Ronaldo? God, give me strength!

 

[red_devils4life]

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Ruud is the best finisher this club has ever seen. One of the best ever in terms of pure goalscorers.

I'd rather you put it as 'Ruud's the most prolific striker for United', instead of 'Ruud's the best finisher this club has ever seen' as the former's a fact, while the latter is rather subjective & debatable. Personally, I think that the baby-faced guy in ur siggy is a better finisher than Ruud imo.

Remember this, a good finisher should never be judged by the amount of goals he scores alone. Instead, it should be on the way he creates space that separates him from his man-marker, the way he strikes the ball, the angle of the shot, the way he reads the goalie's actions, the timing of their shot, not only with power, but with placement as well & last but not least, how calm their minds are when they hit it and if they're able to make time stands still when they shoot, they are the best of the best.

Someone like Ole springs to mind instantly. Sorry for going off-topic...

Anyway, deffo' Ruud's a legend! A prolific hitman with deadly finishing ability, powerful physique, fantastic technique and great ability to score insane amount of goals.

Just take a look at his career

Started at Den Bosch (as a midfielder!) scored 12 goals in 13 club apps.

Signed for Heerenveen scored 13 goals in 31 club apps.

Signed for PSV and scored 60 goals in 57 club apps.

Alas! Signed for United and scored 150 goals in 219 club apps.

Signed for Real Madrid and scored 63 goals in 92 club apps.

Played for the Netherlands national football team and scored 33 goals in 64 apps.

All in all, 354 goals in 567 games in professional career. (0.624)

He is currently the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with sixty goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues.

How good was he as a player? For me, 19million pounds was an absolute bargain. He's able to score against anybody, from league minnows to european powerhouses.

People also say Ruud scores tap ins and not great goals, well if it's so easy to score tap in's why doesn't the rest of the premiership strikers do that week in week out then?? The fact remains is that Ruud is a sheer fox-in-the-box with incredible predatory instincts. At his prime, he is up there with the greatest ever strikers and I believe he has already written his name into United's folklore.

 

[RedForceRising]

^ Great post.

one thing though - shouldn't a great finisher just be judged on his finishing?

All the other aspects of his game - his positioning, awareness, speed, runs that he makes - are just tools of his craft that put him into a position to finish.

In any case, there are a lot of factors that come in to play when making statements like "so and so was the best of all time: ...

There were different times, different degrees of quality in the league, different qualities in the squad etc.

I'll definitely put Ruud, Denis Law and Solskjaer in the best finishers category, but would be reluctant to name any one of them "the best".

I didn't see Denis playing obviously, but George Best thought he was the best in the business

 

[tony smyth]

I would take Ruud over Berbatov any day of the week, any mont of the year. Berbs is good but he aint Ruud quality, not by a long shot.
(but I'm happy he's scoring of course)

 

[RED_TIDE]

Thanks for the replies, i was expecting a bit more , but i'm sure it will do.