Van Nistelrooy regrets 'blind rage' outburst at Ferguson that ended his Man Utd career

Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed he harbours lasting regret over the furious outburst directed at Sir Alex Ferguson that effectively ended his Manchester United career in 2006, admitting the words he used were ‘completely out of order’ and something he remains ashamed of to this day.

The Dutch striker, who scored 150 goals for United after joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2001, was left as an unused substitute during the 4-0 League Cup final victory over Wigan at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. The snub proved the breaking point in his relationship with Ferguson.

“In a blind rage I shouted at him,” Van Nistelrooy told Eleven Sports in 2019. “I called him something. I called him a number of things in a blind rage. Cocky and stubborn as I was, I couldn’t snap out of that for some time after. That’s how it all crashed.”

The situation deteriorated further over the following weeks. Van Nistelrooy remained a substitute for United’s next six Premier League fixtures before returning to the starting XI, but when he was told he would play no part in the final game of the season against Charlton, he walked out of Old Trafford three hours before kick-off. Ferguson subsequently accused him of undermining team morale, and Van Nistelrooy departed for Real Madrid that summer.

Despite the bitterness of the split, Van Nistelrooy said he eventually made the first move to repair the relationship. “It was me who took the first step to make it okay again. I called him. A few times a year I felt bad about what I had done to him,” he said. “It was just really disrespectful — there were lots of other people there. It wasn’t all that outrageous in terms of words but it was completely out of order. Not done. I wasn’t proud of it, still am not.”

He acknowledged the pain ran both ways, describing the end of a partnership that had produced five prolific seasons and a deep mutual respect. “It was very harsh, both ways,” he said. “Especially after five years of having such a strong bond. I learned so much from him, and in all modesty: he from me too. And yet the end was ruthless.”

After spells at Real Madrid, Hamburg and Malaga, Van Nistelrooy retired in 2012 and moved into coaching with PSV. He returned to Old Trafford as assistant manager under Erik ten Hag in 2024 and briefly served as interim head coach before Ruben Amorim’s appointment. He is currently assistant coach of the Netherlands national team.