Ruud to use Hamburg as springboard to World Cup
Monday, January 25, 2010

Ruud van Nistelrooy has left Real Madrid for SV Hamburg with the aim of making the Dutch World Cup squad through good showings at the German Bundesliga club.

Dutch editorials on Monday agreed that a return of the 33-year-old veteran striker into the Oranje team for the summer World Cup in South Africa could boost the team which has had trouble scoring recently.

“Van Nistelrooy back to Oranje via HSV?” asked de Volkskrant daily.

Van Nistelrooy told Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk after Euro 2008 that he wanted to concentrate on his club football in Madrid. But he and his manager Rodger Linse have now confirmed that “Van the Man” is keen to return.

“I want to play good matches and want to be successful with the club. And then I hope that the national team coach (Bert van Marwijk) contacts me and that I can go to the World Cup,” said van Nistelrooy.

Linse told the Sportweek paper: “Ruud wants to go to the World Cup. That was the main reason why he made the step to join Hamburg. He could have stayed at Real but the team is playing without him for half a year. It would have been more difficult there.” It is widely believed that van Nistelrooy, who has scored 33 goals in 64 caps 1998-2008, could help the team which is yet lift the World Cup trophy. The Dutch have an abundance of talent but no deadly finisher at the moment.

The team qualified in record time for the World Cup with a perfect qualifying campaign of winning all eight games, but the last three friendlies ended in 0-0 draws.

“It is clear that the current Oranje team badly needs a striker of van Nistelrooy’s calibre. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is yet to be a regular starter at AC Milan, Robin van Persie is injured,” said an editorial in Dutch daily AD.

But AD also said that van Nistelrooy must send a signal to van Marwijk about his willingness to return in the Dutch team.

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