The cliche says that they don't make them like they used to and in the case of Ruud van Nistelrooy that's probably spot on. However the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker has named the man he thinks is his heir.
In a world of false nines, ball playing defenders, trequartistas and sweeper keepers- other Football Manager player roles are available- the traditional number nine, penalty area assassin is an almost forgotten breed.
Before Jamie Vardy the most games scored in a row record belonged to this man, one of the Premier League's greatest. Image: PA Images.
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Perhaps the last great of the traditional number nine poachers was Ruud van Nistelrooy. He didn't need to rely on pace or the ability to do a trick to get round a player, he simply had positioning, timing and a shooting ability better than most others.
Nistelrooy made a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven before recovering from a rupture in his cruciate ligament to sign for Manchester United. There he scored 95 Premier League goals in just 150 games before a move to Real Madrid following a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Dutchman was asked by UEFA's official website which current player most resembles his style and perhaps surprisingly named PSG striker Edinson Cavani:
"An out-and-out No9 would be Edinson Cavani. He's a very strong player with great movement in and out of the box. He also helps the team with his hold-up play and is a great No9."
Remember that time Cavani thought he'd knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League? Image: PA Images
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It's a little bit of a surprise as most people wouldn't consider the Uruguayan to be a traditional number nine in the sense that Van Nistelrooy was and maybe the closest player to that in the modern era would be Bayern Munich's Polish goal machine Robert Lewandowski.
The former Napoli man can often be quite frustrating when it comes to scoring crucial goals in big games (and even when he does score them, Neymar turns up and ruins his entire night in the last seven minutes) whereas that wasn't generally something that afflicted the PSV youth coach during his playing days.
The two strikers' scoring records are quite similar. In club competitions the former Manchester United striker bagged 347 goals at about a goal every 1.7 games whereas Cavani has scored 272 goals at just over a goal every 1.7 games.
Van Nistelrooy also named his toughest opponents saying, "One of my heroes in football, Paolo Maldini. The career he had, extending over 22 or 23 seasons, the trophies he won, and especially his personality. The best in his position ever, for me."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Edinson Cavani