First part:
Ruud van Nistelrooy
PSV supporter
BTW I translated this without a dictionary, so please don't give too many comments about my spellingmistakes, coz I hate prepositions...
A day with Ruud van Nistelrooy
'I will return to PSV'
Every boy dreams about being Ruud van Nistelrooy. He's a footballmillionair, drives a Mercedes Coupé, lives in the hills outside the city and is topscorer of Manchester United, the biggest club of the world. Van Nistelrooy enjoys it every day, for already one and a half year.
The taxidriver in front of the Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel in the citycentre of the more than 4 million citizens counting Manchester asks concerned if I have an appointment. Carrington, the brandnew trainingfacility of Manchester United, is according to him just like Colditz. Without an appointment it's an unsiegable settlement. As soon as he hears that I'm expected, he enthousiastly hits the gas pedal, because all over the world taxidrivers are fond of long drives. The classic black English cab leaves the skyline of Manchester behind it and dives into the country site, until the lever of a desolate kind of East-European landscape makes an end to the drive. The driver spits my name into the intercom and the lever goes up. Stared at by a group of jealous supporters we made our way to Carrington Trainingsground over a narrow track through nomansland. From the outside it just looks like a asylumwith fences around it, but from the inside the splendour and pomp glories.
Hostess Diana Law, daughter of ex-player Dennis Law, is already waiting for me. She displays an American looking warmth. 'Did you have a nice trip? Have a seat. A cup of tea? Ruud van Nistelrooy will be right there, he's still showering. (or as Libby said, with her in the pool, showing his chest hair)' A second later a fit eyeing topscorer enters the room. He clearly enjoys all the facilities of the worlds biggest club. Therefore he guides me through the complex with significant proud. Along the beautiful pitches which look like boljarttables and despite the frost still are as soft as butter, because the pitchwarming works perfectly. 'We can always train on a perfect ptich overhere' he says. 'But when the weather is bad we train in a hall.' It's not just a sportshall, but a megahall with a complete pitch and hypermodern artificial grass on which the players can train with regular football shoes. In the hallways is a footballatmosphere thanks to beautiful pictures of today's stars and legendary heroes from the illustrious past of the club.
Van Nistelrooy leads me through the doors that are normally closed for mediapeople. We end up at the swimming pool, where injured players aquajog each day. In the excellently facilled medical room, where lots of hospitals would be jealous about, work a doctor and five physiotherapist with a fulltime contract. The trainers in the gigantic fitness are also working on regular basis. Captain Roy Keane is working under surveillance of such a trainer a circuittraining. 'That's what we call reflextraining overhere' says Van Nistelrooy. And he continues the tour, alongside the studio's of Manchester United Television, sauna's, the offices of the press information service, the technical staff, the scouts, the manager and the players lounge. In a smaller sports hall is being tennissed, when in another hall the slightly injured players play a game of hockey against the medical staff.
In the staffrestaurant we meet René Meulensteen, the technical trainer who was recruited by Sir Alex Ferguson who teachs the Wiel Corver-method at Manchester United. In the Netherlands he was ignored, but when the Scottisch ex-international Dave MacKay saw him work in Qatar, he immediately told his friend Ferguson, who added him to his staff as a specialist. The Dutchman is having an extremely healthy lunch with French deffender Laurent Blanc. 'In the restaurant you can only get very healthy lunches' explains Van Nistelrooy. 'Our dietician is responsible for that, but he's also working on a regular basis.'
In the dressingroom Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are fitting themselves into casual clothes. No trendy, nervously cut costumes, no extremely expensive brand clothing, but the outfit of a man in the streets. The Mercedesses on the parking lot make clear we are talking about moneymakers, but the players of Manchester United profile themself remarkably modest as they are footballmillionairs. Giggs and Scholes drink a sportsdrink and grab something out of the big fruit-dish, Van NIstelrooy studies the scheme on the notice board. Under the names of the local hospitals is a list of which players have to visit them. 'That's what we do every week, you have to, it's a tradition at this club. Other clubs do it too, but then the press is invited to placate the public opinion. Manchester United thinks that is not right, as players we do it anonymously, there is never a camera near us. But we can be found in the hospitals every week. Every time I drive to a hospital with my car filled with gifts and those ill children have the day of their lives.'
The players donate regularly. As a assessment of clubloyalty a player gets a testimonialmatch from the club for his loyalty. It's a kind of compensation for all the missed signingmoney they get when players change clubs. Giggs got somewhere around 2 million euro netto from his testimonial. He didn't keep the money, but gave it to charity. Very nobel, but it says also something about the bankingsaldo of these players.
How's living in Manchester?
Van Nistelrooy: 'Leontien and I were a lot on our own in the beginning. It was clearly different than in Holland. We intentionally chose an appartment, while other players live in big villa's. We didn't like such a big house with such a big garden. I'm away quite often, an appartment gives a safer feeling. We live just outside Manchester, on the southern side, nice and calm. From the balkony we look into the green hills. We have an excellent contact with our neighbours. When we arrived, they immediately were there: if they could help with something. That was very nice of them, because after all you are in a strange country. But from the first day everything went by itself. I'm on a photography-course now, in this way I can meet people from outside Manchester United too.'
Do you have any privacy as a starplayer of Manchester United?
'People overhere are much politer than in Holland. When we are having dinner somewhere, everybody leaves you alone (except for Libby of course). As soon as you pay the bill, they ask come and ask for an autograph. I can go to a restaurant or to the cinema. But sometimes we have to go into the city, that's a bit of a problem. Then you never have any peace. For me that's a reason to just not go into the city.'
Do you watch Dutch or Englisch television at night?
'I normally watch only Dutch televison. We've got a satelite, so I can get every Dutch channel, Canal+ and even all radiochannnels. It's just great. The radio is switched on the whole day. Especially the news is of another value when you're in another country. I hardly watch any Englisch television. Sometimes the football at ITV, but RTL5 broadcasts the games too. I see more Englisch football on Dutch television than on English.'
What do you miss in the supermarket?
'Fresh bread. The Netherlands is a real bread-country, with fresh breadrolls from the 'warme bakker'. England is more of a toastcountry. Put a slice of bread in the toaster and it's fresh again. Except that I can find everything overhere, except for the things I put on my bread, that's always brought with by my family from the Netherlands. Nice Dutch cheese, peanutbutter and HAGELSLAG.'
How's the weather?
'Clearly different than in Holland. The winters are softer and the summers less hot. I kind of like that. But it rains more than in Holland. But that's what Manchester is famous about, even for English standards it rains a lot overhere.'
Are the trainingfacilities better than the ones in the Netherlands?
'Carrington is a paradise. According to our manager this is the best trainingscentre in the world. I don't know, but I don't think it can be any better. I feel great overhere, because I live as a professional. Every day I can work on my own prestations. Extra powertraining, speedtraining, technical training; for each discipline the club has trainers. I live very seriously and aware. I watch my food, I don't drink, I keep myself fit. You have to have that discipline to perform on a weekly basis. Rest is also very important. We normally play three matches a week, than rest is almost as important as training. There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders, the media pay a lot of attention to Manchester United. You have to cope with that too between all those games. And at the moment you're injured there is a complete medical team there for you.'
Is the training different than in the Netherlands?
'Yes, but that's also because we play lots of games. Besides that they think you should be okay at some disciplines for you're a player of Manchester United. We don't train passing and kicking the ball. There is only very realistic training, both technics and tactics. In the Netherlands we do things which they skip overhere. Passing, bouncing, openings, all that kind of work. They think it's too simple overhere. In the Netherlands you have to train much harder. Overhere you train only 20 minutes of the whole training at 100 %. But you always just had a game and the next one is coming up real soon.'
Ruud van Nistelrooy
PSV supporter
BTW I translated this without a dictionary, so please don't give too many comments about my spellingmistakes, coz I hate prepositions...
A day with Ruud van Nistelrooy
'I will return to PSV'
Every boy dreams about being Ruud van Nistelrooy. He's a footballmillionair, drives a Mercedes Coupé, lives in the hills outside the city and is topscorer of Manchester United, the biggest club of the world. Van Nistelrooy enjoys it every day, for already one and a half year.
The taxidriver in front of the Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel in the citycentre of the more than 4 million citizens counting Manchester asks concerned if I have an appointment. Carrington, the brandnew trainingfacility of Manchester United, is according to him just like Colditz. Without an appointment it's an unsiegable settlement. As soon as he hears that I'm expected, he enthousiastly hits the gas pedal, because all over the world taxidrivers are fond of long drives. The classic black English cab leaves the skyline of Manchester behind it and dives into the country site, until the lever of a desolate kind of East-European landscape makes an end to the drive. The driver spits my name into the intercom and the lever goes up. Stared at by a group of jealous supporters we made our way to Carrington Trainingsground over a narrow track through nomansland. From the outside it just looks like a asylumwith fences around it, but from the inside the splendour and pomp glories.
Hostess Diana Law, daughter of ex-player Dennis Law, is already waiting for me. She displays an American looking warmth. 'Did you have a nice trip? Have a seat. A cup of tea? Ruud van Nistelrooy will be right there, he's still showering. (or as Libby said, with her in the pool, showing his chest hair)' A second later a fit eyeing topscorer enters the room. He clearly enjoys all the facilities of the worlds biggest club. Therefore he guides me through the complex with significant proud. Along the beautiful pitches which look like boljarttables and despite the frost still are as soft as butter, because the pitchwarming works perfectly. 'We can always train on a perfect ptich overhere' he says. 'But when the weather is bad we train in a hall.' It's not just a sportshall, but a megahall with a complete pitch and hypermodern artificial grass on which the players can train with regular football shoes. In the hallways is a footballatmosphere thanks to beautiful pictures of today's stars and legendary heroes from the illustrious past of the club.
Van Nistelrooy leads me through the doors that are normally closed for mediapeople. We end up at the swimming pool, where injured players aquajog each day. In the excellently facilled medical room, where lots of hospitals would be jealous about, work a doctor and five physiotherapist with a fulltime contract. The trainers in the gigantic fitness are also working on regular basis. Captain Roy Keane is working under surveillance of such a trainer a circuittraining. 'That's what we call reflextraining overhere' says Van Nistelrooy. And he continues the tour, alongside the studio's of Manchester United Television, sauna's, the offices of the press information service, the technical staff, the scouts, the manager and the players lounge. In a smaller sports hall is being tennissed, when in another hall the slightly injured players play a game of hockey against the medical staff.
In the staffrestaurant we meet René Meulensteen, the technical trainer who was recruited by Sir Alex Ferguson who teachs the Wiel Corver-method at Manchester United. In the Netherlands he was ignored, but when the Scottisch ex-international Dave MacKay saw him work in Qatar, he immediately told his friend Ferguson, who added him to his staff as a specialist. The Dutchman is having an extremely healthy lunch with French deffender Laurent Blanc. 'In the restaurant you can only get very healthy lunches' explains Van Nistelrooy. 'Our dietician is responsible for that, but he's also working on a regular basis.'
In the dressingroom Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are fitting themselves into casual clothes. No trendy, nervously cut costumes, no extremely expensive brand clothing, but the outfit of a man in the streets. The Mercedesses on the parking lot make clear we are talking about moneymakers, but the players of Manchester United profile themself remarkably modest as they are footballmillionairs. Giggs and Scholes drink a sportsdrink and grab something out of the big fruit-dish, Van NIstelrooy studies the scheme on the notice board. Under the names of the local hospitals is a list of which players have to visit them. 'That's what we do every week, you have to, it's a tradition at this club. Other clubs do it too, but then the press is invited to placate the public opinion. Manchester United thinks that is not right, as players we do it anonymously, there is never a camera near us. But we can be found in the hospitals every week. Every time I drive to a hospital with my car filled with gifts and those ill children have the day of their lives.'
The players donate regularly. As a assessment of clubloyalty a player gets a testimonialmatch from the club for his loyalty. It's a kind of compensation for all the missed signingmoney they get when players change clubs. Giggs got somewhere around 2 million euro netto from his testimonial. He didn't keep the money, but gave it to charity. Very nobel, but it says also something about the bankingsaldo of these players.
How's living in Manchester?
Van Nistelrooy: 'Leontien and I were a lot on our own in the beginning. It was clearly different than in Holland. We intentionally chose an appartment, while other players live in big villa's. We didn't like such a big house with such a big garden. I'm away quite often, an appartment gives a safer feeling. We live just outside Manchester, on the southern side, nice and calm. From the balkony we look into the green hills. We have an excellent contact with our neighbours. When we arrived, they immediately were there: if they could help with something. That was very nice of them, because after all you are in a strange country. But from the first day everything went by itself. I'm on a photography-course now, in this way I can meet people from outside Manchester United too.'
Do you have any privacy as a starplayer of Manchester United?
'People overhere are much politer than in Holland. When we are having dinner somewhere, everybody leaves you alone (except for Libby of course). As soon as you pay the bill, they ask come and ask for an autograph. I can go to a restaurant or to the cinema. But sometimes we have to go into the city, that's a bit of a problem. Then you never have any peace. For me that's a reason to just not go into the city.'
Do you watch Dutch or Englisch television at night?
'I normally watch only Dutch televison. We've got a satelite, so I can get every Dutch channel, Canal+ and even all radiochannnels. It's just great. The radio is switched on the whole day. Especially the news is of another value when you're in another country. I hardly watch any Englisch television. Sometimes the football at ITV, but RTL5 broadcasts the games too. I see more Englisch football on Dutch television than on English.'
What do you miss in the supermarket?
'Fresh bread. The Netherlands is a real bread-country, with fresh breadrolls from the 'warme bakker'. England is more of a toastcountry. Put a slice of bread in the toaster and it's fresh again. Except that I can find everything overhere, except for the things I put on my bread, that's always brought with by my family from the Netherlands. Nice Dutch cheese, peanutbutter and HAGELSLAG.'
How's the weather?
'Clearly different than in Holland. The winters are softer and the summers less hot. I kind of like that. But it rains more than in Holland. But that's what Manchester is famous about, even for English standards it rains a lot overhere.'
Are the trainingfacilities better than the ones in the Netherlands?
'Carrington is a paradise. According to our manager this is the best trainingscentre in the world. I don't know, but I don't think it can be any better. I feel great overhere, because I live as a professional. Every day I can work on my own prestations. Extra powertraining, speedtraining, technical training; for each discipline the club has trainers. I live very seriously and aware. I watch my food, I don't drink, I keep myself fit. You have to have that discipline to perform on a weekly basis. Rest is also very important. We normally play three matches a week, than rest is almost as important as training. There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders, the media pay a lot of attention to Manchester United. You have to cope with that too between all those games. And at the moment you're injured there is a complete medical team there for you.'
Is the training different than in the Netherlands?
'Yes, but that's also because we play lots of games. Besides that they think you should be okay at some disciplines for you're a player of Manchester United. We don't train passing and kicking the ball. There is only very realistic training, both technics and tactics. In the Netherlands we do things which they skip overhere. Passing, bouncing, openings, all that kind of work. They think it's too simple overhere. In the Netherlands you have to train much harder. Overhere you train only 20 minutes of the whole training at 100 %. But you always just had a game and the next one is coming up real soon.'
