Pranav Nair
Paul Scholes names Ruud van Nistelrooy as the best striker he has played with
According to the Man Utd Podcast (h/t Metro), Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has named former United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy as the best striker he has played with.
“There are some unbelievable goalscorers. But, to me, Ruud was the best, he was the best finisher.”
The Dutch marksman was United’s then-record signing for £18.5million in the summer of 2001. He quickly adjusted to life in England by doing what he does best – scoring buckets of goals.
He made 219 appearances in his five-year stay at the club and plundered in 150 goals and 22 assists. (h/t Transfermarkt)
A handful for opposition defenders, Nistelrooy broke the 20-goal barrier in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford. He enjoyed an incredible season in 2002-03 where he scored an astounding 44 goals and 6 assists in 52 games.
Although United only won the Premier League that season, the Dutchman was presented with a slew of awards including the Premier League Golden Boot and the UEFA Club Forward of the Year.
Paul Scholes has played alongside some of the best strikers in the Premier League. The likes of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Wayne Rooney, and Robin van Persie are some of the best to ever grace the competition.
The fact that he chose the Dutchman is an indictment of Nistelrooy’s ability to find the back of the net.
“He’s just a ruthless, ruthless goalscorer. He just lived for scoring goals.”
A bitter end!
Nistelrooy’s stay at United ended in acrimonious circumstances following a falling out with Ferguson and a bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo. (h/t Guardian)
He moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2006 and continued to plunder in goals at the Bernabeu.
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In spite of having played at United for just five seasons, he is the club’s second-highest goalscorer in Europe. A tally only bettered by Wayne Rooney.
Nistelrooy was one of the finest strikers to don the United shirt. Although his time at United came to a premature end, his talent and ability will never be forgotten by those fortunate to see him in a Red shirt.
