The goal machine

Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy chases the ball during the game against Deportivo La Coruna during the UEFA Champions League Group D match at Old Trafford in Manchester 11 December 2002. Nistelrooy scored an early goal for Manchester. AFP PHOTO Adrian DENNIS

Ruud van Nistelrooy is a one man goal machine, scoring at such a prolific rate for both Manchester United and Holland that he is widely perceived as one of the best strikers in the game today.

Manchester's Dutch player, Ruud Van Nistelrooy celebrates his goal during Champion's League quarter-final match Real Madrid vs Manchester United in Madrid, 08 April 2003. Real Madrid leads 3-1. AFP PHOTO Pierre-Philippe MARCOU

Since taking his place at the head of United's attack in 2001, when he joined from PSV Eindhoven, his goal rate has been around three for every four matches played, with more than a goal a game ratio in the all important Champions League.

Born in Oss in south-central Holland July 1, 1976, he started out his footballing life as a sweeper while also doing well at tennis and gymnastics. Dutch second division side Den Bosch provided the platform to move up a level and join first division SC Heerenveen in 1997 after four seasons and just 17 goals.

Coaches were unsure whether Van Nistelrooy was best suited as an attacking midfielder or a striker. One thing was sure, he knew where the goal was and after just one season in which he scored 13 goals, mighty PSV wrote a cheque for 6 million euros (then a Dutch record) to bring him to Eindhoven.

He was an immediate hit at PSV despite the inevitable criticism regarding his transfer fee and scored on his debut ironically against Heerenveen in 1998, before going on to score a remarkable 31 goals in that first season.

Injury delays United move

By this time, he had already made his first appearance for Holland, finished the year as second top scorer in Europe and won the accolade as Dutch player of the year.

Manchester Uniteds Ruud van Nistelrooy (L) heads the ball past Stuttgarts Timo Wenzel to score making it 1-nil during their UEFA Champions league clash at Old Trafford, Manchester, 09 December 2003. AFP PHOTO Paul Barker

PSV also won the Dutch championship in 2000.

Holland's Ruud van Nistelrooy (C) kicks the ball past Scotland's Neil McCann (R) as Lee Wilkie looks on during their Euro 2004 Play-off, first leg match 15 November, 2003 at Hampden Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland. AFP PHOTO/IAN STEWART

Manchester boss Alex Ferguson saw Van Nistelrooy as the ideal man to spearhead United's attack but with a move all but done and dusted in 2000, he suffered ruptured cruciate ligaments while training for PSV and the transfer was put on hold.

Back to 100 per cent, the deal finally went through in 2001 and the equine looking striker embarked on a meteoric rise to the very top of his art with United, scoring 36 goals in his first season.

In 2002-03, he plundered 44 goals as United swept to the Premiership title, skipping past Arsenal in the home stretch althouth there was Champions League disappointment as they were outgunned by Real Madrid 6-5 in the quarter-finals.

Now, after helping Holland reach the final stages of Euro 2004 scoring a hat-trick in the decisive 6-0 play-off win over Scotland, he should finally have a major international stage to provide further evidence of his abundant talent.