Another page of the very long interview with Ruud.
The Manchester United-players are steering there cars towards the lever.They all have to go to Old Trafford, where the supportersclub for invalid people have organised the anual newyearparty. At the lever there is a group fans, both young and old, waiting. Van Nistelrooy answers teh begging looks of little children, stops and gives away some signatures. Before every signature he asks to whom he can dedicate it. Till there is an adult who pushes a clubshirt through the open window. He just wants a signature on the shirt, no name. Van Nistelrooy is suddenly very decided. 'Sorry, no autograph then.' he says. Van Nistelrooy hits the gaspedal and leaves the man stunned.
'That was a cheater' he says. 'People who want a signature, like to see their names added. But there are also lots of merchants every day who asking for autographs on shirts and other attributes and sell them on the internet for lots of money. Just the other day I saw on the internet a shirt of mine for one thousand euro. Those people earn their living with it. The saddest part is that they are standing between the real fans. You've really got to pick them out of the crowd.'
Van Nistelrooy is manoeuvring his car, with the steeringwheel on the left (THE RIGHT
) side, through the English traffic. 'I bought this car when I was still in Holland, that's why the steeringwheel is on the left side. It's not a problem, it's fine by me. In the beginning it was a little awquard. WHen I was turning or circling a roundabout I had to think a lot. But that's over now. The people are a lot more polite in the traffic overhere.' As we have to stop for a citycoach, Ruud starts laudhing out loud. From the side of the bus Roy Keane looks at us with a piercing sight, accompanied with the text 'Keane the autobiography'. 'That book has caused a tremendous riot overhere.' he says. 'It caused a lot more publicity than the book Jaap Stam wrote. Keane is very pleased by that, this morning he was telling with a shining face that his book was number one, the best sold book in England. There has also been released a DVD about him. The books of Stam and Keane where a reason for the manager to forbid books for now. It doesn't really matter to me, I'm not ready for a book yet. Maybe when I'll end my career, but not for a while.
The Mercs of the players race through the realistic decor of Coronation Street. Around most of the stadiums in England you can still find the traditioinal working-class areas. Van Nistelrooy is very up to date about the things which happen in the Netherlands. And he follows the soap-opera in Barcelona. He still doesn't understand why bondscoach at that time Louis van Gaal ignored him just before the international friendly against Denmark, but according to van Gaal it was because he didn't train very sharp. When the striker ignored the shirt which indicates you're a substitute and dropped it on the ground when the bondscoach gave it to him, van Gaal really flipped. Shouting and yelling he tried to make clear to Van Nistelrooy that he shouldn't think he is a superstar and that he had to work very hard. The down-to-earth Brabander stayed calm and answered van Gaal didn't need to shout, because he was not deaf.'I didn't understand that incident.'he says, while he parks his car in front of Old Trafford. 'A day before the game he put me out of the team, as to my opinion there wasn't trained very badly. Van Gaal is a good trainer, but the way Advocaat and Van Hanegem do things appeals to me more.'
The kingsize supermarket in front of the stadium is going very well. From every corner of the world Manchester United-supporters buy the expensive Manchester United merchandise. Books, video's, shirts, jackets, paintings, footprints (??? Jeez...), scarfs, sweaters, underwear, watches, you can't think of anything they don't have. The clubs earns a fortune because of it. 'The profit is for the club.'says van Nistelrooy. 'That's how it is dealed with very correctly in the players contracts. As soon as you are wearing a Manchester United shirt, the profit is for the club. We have the freedome to do private commercial things too, but not in a Manchester United-outfit.'
Inside the big party has started.Long table with cold and warm buffet and a room filled with round table and only people in wheelchairs. The speaker welcomes all the players one by one. David Beckham is the most striking one. He is wearing the oversized parka in which trendy Spice Girl Victoria send him to work, and he's wearing, even inside, a striking icebonnet over his ears. Sometimes you have an other view of a player, which turns out to be very different in reality. So does Juan Veron turn out to be a very charismatic man and though-boys Nicky Butt, Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea turn out to be very good with children. The players go from table to table, pose very patiently for photographing familymembers and give the disabled people a wonderful day. Finally the disabled supporters choose the PLayer of the Year. And the winner is... Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutchman cheerfully accepts the kitschy bocal and thanks the people who are there with a very nice speech.
