Signed Ruud Van Nistelrooy Presentation

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Van Nistelrooy signed for a then British transfer record, and still the Dutch football transfer record of £19 million on 23 April 2001 from PSV. During his first season at Manchester United, he proved his worth by scoring 23 goals in 32 games, achieving a feat of scoring in a record eight consecutive Premier League games. He also scored ten Champions League goals capping an incredible debut season by being named the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

During the following year, the 2002–03 season, van Nistelrooy scored 25 Premier League goals (including a stunning goal which he started from the half way line against Fulham) and 12 goals in the Champions League (a tournament record) while leading Manchester United to the Premier League title. Overall he finished the season with 44 goals in all competitions.

Van Nistelrooy started off the 2003–04 season in spectacular fashion, scoring twice in his first two league games. Which added on to his run of form at the end of the previous season meant he equalled the all time top flight scoring in consecutive games record of 10 games. He also managed to score his 100th and 101st goals for the club against Everton at Goodison Park on 7 February 2004, as United earned a 4–3 Premiership victory. In that season he broke Denis Law's European goal scoring record for Manchester United. Van Nistelrooy was famously attacked by Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Bisan Lauren & Ashley Cole in a match against Arsenal, after missing a penalty against the London side for the third time, as well as signing a new contract which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2008 and the age of 32.

In 2004 in a survey on Manchester United's official website Ruud was voted "Ferguson's best bargain buy" by over 10,000 fans worldwide even beating the likes of Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Peter Schmeichel to the accolade.

Van Nistelrooy missed a large part of the 2004–05 Premiership season through injury, but was still the top goalscorer in the Champions League with 8 goals. He is currently the third most prolific scorer in European Cup/UEFA Champions League coming before Eusébio, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Andriy Shevchenko with 57 goals only behind Raúl and current leader Filippo Inzaghi

At the start of the 2005–06 season, van Nistelrooy returned to form, scoring in United's first four Premiership games. He went on to finish as the second-highest scorer in the Premiership with 21 goals, behind Thierry Henry of Arsenal.

A Manchester United Goal Scoring Legend