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Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy hailed AC Milan’s defenders of the 2000s as the best he ever played against. In a five-year-old interview, Nistelrooy admitted that the likes of Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini completely neutralized him in the Champions League.
The Red Devils were pitted against a star-studded AC Milan in the round-of-16 of the Champions League in the 2004-05 season. Milan were a complete unit over the two legs and managed to bag a 2-0 aggregate victory over Nistelrooy’s Manchester United.
Chatting with Oxford Union in 2016, Nistelrooy recalled the last-16 second leg at the San Siro, stating he thought Milan defenders would kill him.
He said:
“The defence I played against [of] Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini. That was incredible. And then they had [Gennaro] Gattuso in front of them. I thought they'd kill me if I got the ball.
“Oh, and then they had [Andrea] Pirlo and [Clarence] Seedorf, the strongest man in football. That was a tough night. I didn't get near a shot.”
Nistelrooy joined Manchester United from PSV in the summer of 2001. The sharpshooter gradually upped his game during his time at Old Trafford, eventually emerging as one of their best-ever forwards.
Between 2001 and 2006, Nistelrooy netted 150 goals in 219 appearances for the Red Devils. His goals helped Manchester United to a Premier League title, an EFL Cup and an FA Cup.
Manchester United to face Atletico Madrid in Champions League round-of-16
Thanks to the controversial re-draw, Manchester United will now face Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League 2021-22. The round-of-16 draw first pitted Manchester United against Lionel Messi’s PSG, which, on paper at least, seemed to be a tougher tie for United.
After a clerical error was identified, the whole draw was redone, landing Manchester United in front of Atletico. Two-time Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid are also quite a capable bunch, but their form this season has hardly been impressive. The reigning champions are currently fifth in La Liga and are trailing crosstown rivals and league leaders Real Madrid by 17 points.
