‘We have a big issue’: Van Nistelrooy jokes about scoring record in first meeting with Vardy

By: The Associated Press Posted: 9:32 AM CST Monday, Dec. 2, 2024

LEICESTER, England (AP) — Nine years later, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jamie Vardy have cleared the air.

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LEICESTER, England (AP) — Nine years later, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jamie Vardy have cleared the air.

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LEICESTER, England (AP) — Nine years later, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jamie Vardy have cleared the air.

It was Vardy who broke Van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games when he achieved 11 in a row for Leicester in 2015.

That was the obvious topic of conversation when the two met on Van Nistelrooy’s first day as Leicester manager.

New Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy with chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in the stands to watch the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Leicester City at the Gtech Community Stadium, in Brentford, England, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)

“It’s a problem, of course, that he broke my record,” Van Nistelrooy said with a smile on Monday. “That’s what I told him straight away – ‘Listen, we have a big issue that we’ve got to get out of the way before we can start together.’

“That was the first thing I actually said to him. I think I just beat him commenting on it.”

When Vardy scored the goal against Manchester United — Van Nistelrooy’s former club — to break the record, Van Nistelrooy posted a tweet to the striker: “You’re number one now and you deserved it.”

That appears to be the last time they were in contact. Van Nistelrooy was hired by Leicester nine years and a day later and will be relying on the 37-year-old Vardy to score the goals to get the team out of relegation danger in the Premier League.

His first match in charge is at home to West Ham on Tuesday. Leicester is in 16th place in the 20-team league, one point above the relegation zone.

“He’s somebody who has had a career for a long time, performing in all these seasons,” Van Nistelrooy said of Vardy, who is tied as Leicester’s top scorer in the league this season with four goals. “He has been fit all along, producing and helping all the teams he played in. And he still is.

“I think he’s a great striker and great to have him in the squad.”

Van Nistelrooy was hired on Friday and watched in the stands as Leicester lost 4-1 at Brentford on Saturday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer