Robinho: Jealous on Van Nistelrooy’s skills!

Master and Apprentice…

Johan Cruyff has said many many wise things in the past. Several lists have been published here and will be re-published in the weeks to come .

One thing he said, didn’t sit right with this blog though… Remember how he said “Ruud van Nistelrooy was technically limited”? And when this blog isn’t happy, watch out! Yes, even you JC!

Look at what Robinho said (courtesy VI.nl).

Robinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy seem to come from different planets, if you look at their playing styles. The Brazilian winger looks like an inconsistent dribbler, who hasn’t demonstrated his full potential yet, while the striker from Geffen has squeezed the max out of his career on the basis of commitment, hard work and focus.

Still, Van Nistelrooy is Robinho’s biggest idol. In an interview with English tabloid The Sun the Man City talks about his admiration for his former Madrid mate.

“As a kid I watched Man United play and I only had eyes for Ruud. He was my hero, because of his tremendous scoring ability. Any competition, any angle, any situation. From outside of the box, headers, smart dribbles… He is so smart… People don’t see it, but the way he uses space, or sees the game. And on top of that, his mental strength is just astonishing. I don’t think there’s many players who can come into a team like Man United, with no real pedigree yet, and do what he did. Then he repeated it at Madrid, just like that. He is awesome!”

“I know we’re different players, but I envy his technical skills. See, I can do fancy tricks, but it’s Ruud’s first touch that makes his the best. Always under pressure, always with at least one marker on his toes…”

Robinho can’t get enough: “He’s also a very generous and down-to-earth guy. When he came to Madrid he was very humble and he is important mentally for the team as well. I don’t think any one can really make him nervous or something like that. Very grounded.”

Royston Drenthe recently said similar things in an interview, calling Ruud his “second dad”. He talked about how Ruud takes care of the youngsters at Madrid, not just on the pitch, also of. “He’s been through so many things. Great wins, huge injuries, problems with Sir Alex Ferguson, many big games and big goals. When Ruud talks, I listen…”

Not a real news-item, this. But it does warm the cockles…