Tears of joy…

What a story it was… The man who was just not good enough (yet) for the 1998 squad of Hiddink, who missed the 2000 EC in Holland due to an injury, who missed the 2002 WC due to major coaching mistakes and who played a horrendous first match against S&M on this WC. Add to that the trouble Ruud is in with ManU’s coach Ferguson and there you have the ingredients for a pressure cooker scenario for Ruud van Nistelrooy. Fans and press wanted Kuyt upfront, ex-Oranje stars claimed he was over and done with, pundits thought he lost his touch… The pressure was on for Ruud.

And then there was that little pass in the 27th minute. Robben couldn’t get through, saw Ruud unmarked and the rest is history. One look at the goal, and the goalkeeper and the roar in the stadium confirmed what he already knew when he hit the ball: 2-0. Ruud’s on the score sheet. Tears filled his eyes and he enjoyed his solitary moment at the corner flag. Even the man of the assist, Robben, allowed him some time alone there. And when Ruud slowly jogged back to his own half, the 35.000 Oranje fans shouted and sang his name. Ruud van Nistelrooy… He pumped his fist in the air, closed his still wet eyes and smiled…

And how he must have felt the pressure, coming onto the pitch. His first contact was shocking, his second contact resulted in a counter-attack opportunity for Ivory Coast, but Ruud would grow into the match. Remembering coach van Basten’s advice: play simple, go back to basics, no frills… In that 27th minute, it was as if he passed some portal into a new dimension. Suddenly, the ball listened to Ruud’s feet. A few minutes into the 2nd half, he took a difficult ball out of thin air, controlled it and send a precision-pass to van Persie, who was 30 meters away.

He was replaced in the 73rd minute, for tactical reasons (midfielder Landzaat came on) and with a bag of ice on his knee, Ruud bit his nails like the rest of us.

After the last whistle, he jumped into van Basten arms and the two stood there for a couple of seconds. Eyes closed, no words were exchanged, but the bond became so much stronger…