June 19, 2006
My first World Cup goal and the faith of Van Basten have restored my confidence, admits Ruud
By Mark Shail 19-06-06
Ruud van Nistelrooy says he is expecting a bruising encounter with his rugged Manchester United teammate Gabriel Heinze when Holland meet Argentina in Frankfurt on Wednesday night.
Heinze, who has only recently recovered from a long-term knee injury, plays in a central defensive role for his country, rather than his regular left back spot for United, and he will be in direct competition with the Dutch striker as the two teams battle it out for top spot in Group C.
Van Nistelrooy, who got off the mark in Holland's 2-1 victory against the Ivory Coast, says he is delighted to see Heinze back to full fitness but is aware the pair's club allegiance will count for nothing.
"I know Gaby well, I come up against him in training quite often and he's always a fierce defender. He said he'd kick Wayne Rooney if necessary, he wouldn't be any different for me."
Argentina have been installed as new tournament favourites following their scintillating 6-0 victory against Serbia and Montenegro and Van Nistelrooy added: "The way Gaby is playing is tremendous, but the way Argentina are playing, whoa! We saw the end of their 6-0 win against Serbia and were very impressed."
Meanwhile, Van Nistelrooy has thanked Holland coach Marco van Basten for lifting his spirits at the finals after a difficult domestic campaign at Old Trafford last season.
Despite having two-years left on his United contract, Van Nistelrooy has possibly played his last game for the club after a spat with boss Sir Alex Ferguson, and Bayern Munich, Spurs and Newcastle have all been linked with the 29-year-old goal poacher.
"The English season ended in a bad way for me and I was glad to take a step forward with Holland. It's amazing working with Van Basten because he was one of the greatest strikers the world has ever known. I still think of him as a player and forget he's my coach. It is strange, but I feel good and the spirit we have shown to reach the knock-out stages is tremendous."
After such a testing campaign in the Premiership, although he still found the net 25 times, Van Nistelrooy admitted the emotion that came over him following that strike against the Elephants almost reduced him to tears.
"It was very emotional to do something you have dreamed about as a kid. I have scored a lot of goals but that one was definitely the best."
Van Basten, who was a central figure in Holland's European Championship success in 1988, added: "You could see everyone was pleased for Ruud. This goal will give him a lot of confidence."
Ruud van Nistelrooy says he is expecting a bruising encounter with his rugged Manchester United teammate Gabriel Heinze when Holland meet Argentina in Frankfurt on Wednesday night.
Heinze, who has only recently recovered from a long-term knee injury, plays in a central defensive role for his country, rather than his regular left back spot for United, and he will be in direct competition with the Dutch striker as the two teams battle it out for top spot in Group C.
Van Nistelrooy, who got off the mark in Holland's 2-1 victory against the Ivory Coast, says he is delighted to see Heinze back to full fitness but is aware the pair's club allegiance will count for nothing.
"I know Gaby well, I come up against him in training quite often and he's always a fierce defender. He said he'd kick Wayne Rooney if necessary, he wouldn't be any different for me."
Argentina have been installed as new tournament favourites following their scintillating 6-0 victory against Serbia and Montenegro and Van Nistelrooy added: "The way Gaby is playing is tremendous, but the way Argentina are playing, whoa! We saw the end of their 6-0 win against Serbia and were very impressed."
Meanwhile, Van Nistelrooy has thanked Holland coach Marco van Basten for lifting his spirits at the finals after a difficult domestic campaign at Old Trafford last season.
Despite having two-years left on his United contract, Van Nistelrooy has possibly played his last game for the club after a spat with boss Sir Alex Ferguson, and Bayern Munich, Spurs and Newcastle have all been linked with the 29-year-old goal poacher.
"The English season ended in a bad way for me and I was glad to take a step forward with Holland. It's amazing working with Van Basten because he was one of the greatest strikers the world has ever known. I still think of him as a player and forget he's my coach. It is strange, but I feel good and the spirit we have shown to reach the knock-out stages is tremendous."
After such a testing campaign in the Premiership, although he still found the net 25 times, Van Nistelrooy admitted the emotion that came over him following that strike against the Elephants almost reduced him to tears.
"It was very emotional to do something you have dreamed about as a kid. I have scored a lot of goals but that one was definitely the best."
Van Basten, who was a central figure in Holland's European Championship success in 1988, added: "You could see everyone was pleased for Ruud. This goal will give him a lot of confidence."
