#8 Ruud van Nistelrooy
The first of two Red Devils to feature on this list, Ruud van Nistelrooy is among the all-time greats. Nistelrooy was initially expected to move to England in the summer of 2000, but due to a knee injury, the transfer was postponed for a year, and he joined the Old Trafford club in 2001 for a (then) record fee of £19 million.
He instantly justified the high transfer fee by scoring a brace in his first league game against Fulham. At half-time, the scores were level at 1-1, when Fulham stole the lead, causing the Dutchman to step up his game.
Less than five minutes later, he had scored twice, and Manchester United were in the lead. His two goals were crucial for his team’s victory, and that makes the debut even more special.
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