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Purely business between Ruud and Marco

May 28th, 2008 | By: Jan | 7 Comments »

Half a year ago, he played his last game for Oranje. And not that long ago he had a huge row with Marco van Basten. But, if there’s one player next to Van der Sar with a guaranteed spot in the starting line up, it’s Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Madrid striker should actually embrace his coach for this confidende, but this type of bonding won’t be seen between the two.

When Ruud was still in Manchester, before the WC2006, Ruud allowed his food to get cold when he spoke about his connection with Marco. Strikers among strikers. He adored the Master of 1988. They understood eachother. And when Ruud had a problem with Sir Alex, which did occur every now and then, the team manager and him would call each other up. Discuss things over the phone. Right before the WC2006, it seemed their friendship would last forever. And then, it went bust. And how!

It took a year for both proud sportsmen to bury the hatchet.

And now, Ruud is again the numero uno striker for Oranje. Van Basten says he has learned from the experience. Marco has grown, as he says himself. His critics don’t like to hear that. They like to see a manager who makes no mistake ever. With all the wisdom and experience. And with grey hair. Who will bury all his doubt deep in his inside pocket. Van Basten couldn’t care less.

Van Nistelrooy has also learned from the situation and understands that the team manager needs distance from his players. And vice versa. It’s easier that way for the manager to take unpopular decisions. But, it won’t stand in the way of a personal relationship.

Van Nistelrooy looks much more relaxed now then before the WC2006. He is totally independent, the champ of Spain. No decision whatsoever will affect the experienced striker. No euphoria, no anger. “It’s purely business between Van Basten and myself. We know what we’re after. We know each others objectives. And when we talk, we talk football and we can talk about other things, but now we can keep things separated. We needed that. I like it when Marco says there’s no discussion or doubt about the first striker. It gives me some peace and quiet. But it’s not an issue. Whether I play one match or three or whether I play one minute. I will give it my all. I prepare like I always do, and I will be ready.”

Tags: Euro 2008, Holland, Huntelaar, Oranje, Van Basten, van Nistelrooy

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Comments

By Miguel Rosado | May 28th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

I hope they keep it like that during the whole tournament.

By Alan | May 28th, 2008 at 10:21 pm

I can visualize the precariously weak link between the two.
Both men have compromised, yet only to fulfill the tenure of this EC.
What will happen after the tournament? I suppose Ruud, along with other heavyweight drop-outs such Seedorf, Davids and van Bommel, will bombard Basten.

By Jan | May 28th, 2008 at 11:54 pm

I actually read in between the lines here, that Ruud and Marco were very tight before the WC, also personally. And when they clashed (over football specific things), their clash ended up in the personal zone. They now decided to keep their work relationship exactly that: a working relationship and they try to keep their friendship at bay.

That’s how I interpreted the lines “we talk about football mainly and sometimes about other things” and “now we can keep things separated.”

So, what we experienced, was a huge fight of mates, in other words: emotional, personal. Not like Marco’s trouble with Mark or Clarence.

And apparently Ruud and Marco are still close, but they try to “forget” that when they’re working… Ruud also says he doesn’t mind (anymore) if the manager uses him 1 minute instead of 90…

Looks like someone matured…

In general: Marco’s status as top player was a benefit to him, but also a liability. Most players (Bommel, Nistelrooy) had Marco’s posters on the wall and to then have to experience that Van Basten is “just” a human being can be stressful for a relationship.

Posted from Australia

By Rob | May 29th, 2008 at 12:34 am

“Whether I play one match or three or whether I play one minute. I will give it my all. I prepare like I always do, and I will be ready.”

So why can Seedorf and Bommel not have this attitude? Because their unprofessional halfwits – that’s why. Seriously, if either of them have the gaul to come crawling back to Oranje I’ll be disgusted.

I’ve been surprised Van Basten’s proclaimed Ruud a definite to start – what sort of signal does that give to Huntelaar (who’s been doing very well in an orange shirt recently)?

In any case – a player of Van Nistelrooy’s calibre is due a great tournament and he’s been sparkling for Madrid all season. No-one’s talking about him amongst all the young-guns, but he might just be the best goalscorer at the Euros y’know.

Posted from Japan

By Jan | May 29th, 2008 at 1:27 am

@Rob: I understand your statement on Ruud vs Huntelaar… It is a bit weird, but on the other hand, I think Ruud is more than a great striker. I think he and Sar are the leaders on the pitch, on the training and in the dressing room. I also think Ruud is better than Hunter, what with all Ruud’s experience. It seems Van Basten protects Hunter a bit, still.

You are not going to like my left field idea for Oranje…

Posted from Australia

By Jan | May 29th, 2008 at 1:29 am

Dennis Bergkamp speaks:

In the AD today he said he thought Oranje has a good chance to astonish the world. “We have fantastic players and they are capable of playing fantastic football. The thing is: they sometimes do and sometimes they don’t…

But they’re still relatively young and that is part of their development.

Wise ol’ words from Dennis the Menace

Posted from Australia

By skeeter | May 29th, 2008 at 3:41 pm

i like van nistelrooy and as a portuguese i loved that he sat out in 06. so its great that hes back… only concern is dissention among the others with van persie and van nistelrooy seeming to have been favorites.

Posted from Canada