Bolt: Van Nistelrooy Made Me A Red

Usain Bolt has revealed that legendary Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy inspired him to become a fan of the club.  

The recently retired Jamaican sprinter has been a huge Reds supporter for a number of years and watched from the stands at Old Trafford last weekend as United beat Leicester City 2-0 to maintain their winning start to 2017/18 in the Premier League.

Van Nistelrooy enjoyed a prolific five-year spell with the Reds, in which he won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup, as well as being named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year twice, before joining Real Madrid in 2006.

The striker will be back at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday as part of the United Legends team which will take on Barcelona, in aid of the Manchester United Foundation. Speaking to ManUtd.com ahead of the game, Bolt admitted his admiration for the Dutchman's talents led to him becoming an avid follower of the Reds.

"Ruud was the one who made me start supporting Manchester United," he said. "Just watching him play, a striker at the level he was, playing for United. It was like 'this guy is one of the best', you know what I mean, and, for me, he is why I started watching Manchester United. I never turned back and I've just seen great players after great players coming to United and doing a great job."

Van Nistelrooy, who hung up his boots in 2012 and currently manages his former club PSV Eindhoven's youth team, was a firm fans' favourite during his successful period at United and scored 150 goals in 219 appearances across all competitions for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

When asked what impressed him the most about Ruud, Bolt said: "Just the way he makes it look easy. I always said Zinedine Zidane is also one of my favourite players. I love the way they play and make football look really easy. It's just that – the way they score and make the game look easy."