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Ruud van Nistelrooy Retires from International Football
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has played his last game for the Oranje football team.
The Real Madrid star has said that, after reviewing the schedules for club and country, he can no longer maintain availability for both. Van Nistelrooy has chosen to continue his club career and retire from international football.
Van Nistelrooy made his debut for The Netherlands in 1998, and in his ten-plus years for the Oranje accumulated 64 caps and 33 goals. He was the first choice striker for Marco van Basten’s squad at Euro 2008, scoring the club’s first goal of the tournament in their proclaming, opening match against Italy. He also featured for The Netherlands in Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
Van Nistelrooy briefly retired from international football after that World Cup, having been substituted for in each of his team’s opening round matches. After The Netherlands advanced, he did not appear in their Round of 16 match against Portugal. A rift formed between he and van Basten, though the two were able to reconcile in time for this summer’s European Championships. It is a subtle irony that despite a midly contentious relationship between coach and player, The Netherlands’ quarter final loss to Russia in Euro 2008 will be both van Basten and van Nistelrooy’s last match in their roles with the national team.
Van Nistelrooy’s 33 goals for the Oranje ranks fourth all-time, seven behind Patrick Kluivert. He finishes with as many goals for the national team as the great Johan Cruijff, albeit in sixteen more appearances.
The Dutch are unlikely to miss a beat in van Nistelrooy’s retirement, less a comment on Ruud’s skill than a nod towards The Netherlands’ depth at striker. Waiting in the wings is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, van Basten’s current captain at Ajax. Huntelaar scored on goal at Euro 2008, starting in place for van Nistelrooy in The Netherlands’ third, meaningless group stage match. A player very much in the mold of the man he will replace on the national team, Huntelaar is a poacher who natural sense for the game has already led him to eight goals in 13 appearances. At 24 years old, he is one of a series of similarly aged players who will form the squad which, along with Spain, is expected to be a favorite for World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie, Rafael van der Vaart, Nigel de Jong, Wesley Sneijder, and John Heitinga are all between 23 or 25 years old and will be in their primes for the next World Cup.
Van Nistelrooy represents the previous generation, the group groomed in the wake of The Netherlands’ 1988 European Championship team. Van Nistelrooy never tasted such glory, but his was a stand-out international career for a national team that was always respected. Still one of the top strikers in La Liga, he leaves the international stage near the top of his game, coming out of a Euro 2008 tournament that left all football fans with fond memories of his Dutch team.
Quotes
“I’m taking no chances, and after the enjoyable EURO 2008 finals I can look back upon (my decision) with a good feeling.” - van Nistelrooy
“After studying the schedule of Real Madrid and the Dutch team I realised … playing for both teams would mean too tough a physical load for me and therefore I made this choice.” - van Nistelrooy
“I had a comprehensive conversation with Ruud and I can do nothing but respect his decision.” - Bert van Marwijk, manager, The Netherlands men’s national team
“I regret that I can’t use his quality and experience when I compose my squad, but I wish him all the best at Real Madrid.” - van Marwijk
“It’s very tough to play Champions League, national cup, national competition and play for your country. I’m at the age that I’m no longer physical capable of playing that much matches.” - van Nistelrooy
Links
Van Nistelrooy quits national side
Van Nistelrooy calls it a Dutch day
Van Nistelrooy quits international scene
Van Nistelrooy retires from Dutch national team
Van Nistelrooy retires from Oranje duty
Van Nistelrooy retires from Netherlands team
The future’s not Oranje for Ruud
Ruud Van Nistelrooy quits the Dutch team
Van Nistelrooy quits Dutch set-up
Ruud Van Nistelrooy Retires From Oranje
Van Nistelrooy retires from international football
Van Nistelrooy quits international arena
Van Nistelrooy no longer available for Dutch team
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