Allo!
Hello, have you had lunch? No? Then, we will go there together.
You speak French?
(In French) A little. I learned it for two years at school, but then I chose German. I came from the Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands, not far from the Germans border. And it is a language close to Dutch, therefore it was rather easy for us to learn.
It is said in the Netherlands that people from the Brabant are more Belgian than Dutch. Is it true?
(In English now) It is true, we are called "Burgundies", Bourguignon. We are more relaxed in the south than in the rest of the country. We like the family life and we are also more open to our neighbours. We often communicate with one another, our doors are always open and we like to have a drink with one another.
How were you brought up?
I have always been taught to remain being humble whatever the circumstances are. Most of the people from this area are of rural origin. They are mostly farmers. This country is with many farms and one has to work hard to earn a living.
So are you from a family of farmers as well?
My grandfather was a stockbreeder of bovines. He still lives in his farm. He is 83 years old now and my grandmother is 80 years old. Neither one of them want to leave the place. Though they do not look after animals anymore, they still want to keep their lands. They like the huge horizons, as they feel free.
So do you feel that you are somewhat different from the "show biz" players who pullulate the football world today?
No, not at all. In fact when I was 13 or 14 years old, I left the countryside for college. I opened my mind to different types of mentalities. And I reckoned that this new life appealed to me. It gave me the desire of leaving to discover the outside world.
In spite of the money and fame, you never turn to the world of contempt and arrogance...
I believe that's something inside of me. I am surrounded with people who work hard and lead a simple life. If I were to start doing silly things, they would tell me: "Hey Ruud! What are you doing? Who do you think you are?" I had lived with my girlfriend for 8 years, she did not know me as the "rich and famous" van Nistelrooy of Manchester United. She knew me when I was just a student in Den Bosch.
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"I need to make sure that the ball really went in or that the goal is well granted..." |
Let's talk a little about football now shall we? Do you still remember the last goal which you scored outside the penalty box?
(He laughs) No. It was definitely not in England. The last one was with PSV Eindhoven, against Roda. Bobby Robson was the coach of the club then. I scored from the center of the field. I tracked back to defend and we won back the ball, someone passed it to me and I was 2 meters into the Roda half. I saw the goalkeeper off his goal line and I took a shot. The ball did not leave with spin, but straight like a bullet from a gun. It was a close shot. I don't think I will ever succeed scoring another goal with such power, accuracy and precision. Moreover, it went straight into the top corner! Incredible!
It is said that although you have surprisingly broad feet, your control of the ball remains higher than the average players.
In fact, I have the feet that are slightly apart, a little more open than the average. Foppe de Haan, my coach from Heerenveen during 1997-98, said that my sensitivity of the feet is similar to my hands' which make the ball sticks to me. I don't compare myself with others and I do not know if I have the "extra touch ". But one thing that I'm sure is that I feel at ease with the ball at my feet.
Alex Ferguson, your current coach in Manchester United, also said that you are extremely flexible and sharp despite of your large built.
I am tall but rather light (1,88 m, 80 kg), a little bit like Thierry Henry. He is just as tall as me. But he is the fastest player in football today.
Is it true that you like to hear the sound of the ball when it hits the net?
(He laughs) Absolutely. When I was young, I hate to play matches on grounds where the goals did not have net. It was the worst punishment that someone could do to me, scoring in a goal without net. When the ball hits the net, it makes "tchouuuuuu" sound. That is a goal!
When you score, you often remain a second in space, as if a hunt dog preying. How do you feel during this moment?
I like the moment. Perhaps this is because I need to make sure that the ball really went in or that the goal is well granted.
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"We are the favorites. And if we take advantage of our qualities, we will get through it." |
In the one issue of "Manchester United Magazine", Mikael Silvestre joked you celebrated a goal that he scored against Panathinaïkos last September. You have "ruined him" his celebration, he said.
(He laughs) Honestly, I believed that I scored. I was back facing the goal and I deviated the ball. When I turned around, it was in the net and I really thought that it was a goal scored by me. I said to myself"Hold on! What happened?" Later when I saw the action on TV, It was not me in fact who had scored as Mikael had touched the ball after me. I thought I looked stupid then.
The Netherlands are facing Scotland on November 15th and 19th in the play-offs for the Euro 2004, it is a rather good tie, isn't it?
Absolutely. When we play first in Scotland, it is perfect. We are the favorites. And if we take advantage of our qualities, we will get through it.
It is anyway surprising to see the Netherlands having to play the play-offs to qualify.
It is not usual, in fact. I often thought of it. And by looking back to the history of our football, we can notice that it has the tendency to be repeated.
Can you say that the Netherlands have been dominated by the current best team in Europe in their group, Czech Rep.
Ah, that is true! During the away match (1-1) we were better than them. During the home game which we lost 1-3, we were playing with 10 men as Davids was sent off. So I won't say Czech Rep is better than Holland.
