RUUD VAN NISTELROOY

Never mind the over-the-top tackle, it was the over-the-top celebration when converting his penalty last Sunday at Old Trafford that made the Dutch sporting public cringe with embarrassment for their countryman Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutch generally prefer to savour their moments of triumph with a touch of nonchalance rather than such an unashamed show of emotion. But if the Manchester United striker's demeanour was slightly foreign to them, post-match observations on his behaviour by the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger were unrecognisable.

While in England, Van Nistelrooy is earning a reputation, rightly or wrongly, as a cheat and a thug - a sort of cross between the worst of Jurgen Klinsmann and the regular Vinnie Jones - in his native country, however, he is loved and respected, not least, curiously, because he is regarded as 'typically English'. After years of under-achievement in the international game, the Dutch are ready to swap their philosophy of Total Football for Total Commitment.

As for Wenger's criticism, the Dutch find it a mite hypocritical, reluctantly pointing out that the Arsenal manager has a player in his own team who is equally guilty of such malevolence - namely Dennis Bergkamp, another of their countrymen. Has Wenger never seen Bergkamp - who, it should not be forgotten, is named after another illustrious United striker Denis Law - stamp on an opponent, they ask. Knowing how Wenger suffers from random attacks of myopia, probably not. "In Holland we have Marco van Basten and he was considered a technician and a great footballer, but we also remember him for his evil side, and Van Nistelrooy and Bergkamp are the same," said one Dutch journalist.

According to Jaap de Groot, of De Telegraaf, who has known Van Nistelrooy for many years, he would not even recognise his own wife standing right in front of him when he is 'in the zone'.

De Groot said: "I asked him in the tunnel after the game, 'Hey, what was all that with Cole?' and he just looked at me puzzled and said, 'What are you talking about?'. I really think he's in a kind of a trance during a game. It was the same with the penalty. Both Thierry Henry and Jens Lehmann spoke to him, trying to put him off, but he said he never heard them.

"He's not like Bergkamp, Bergkamp's an artist. Van Nistelrooy's a warrior and he'll do anything to win. I wouldn't mind betting, though, Arsenal would love to have a warrior like him in their attack."

Not everyone back home in Holland felt embarrassed for Van Nistelrooy because of his ecstatic celebration. Wim Kieft, the former Dutch international who writes a column in De Telegraaf, has already named it his Sporting Moment of 2004 because it encapsulated the commitment that all athletes should have but which only the truly dedicated possess.

Thanks to his diligence, he has overtaken Kluivert in the national team's pecking order, which boasts an impressive array of strikers, including Roy Makaay, whom the new coach Van Basten originally named as his No 1. Even when he was suspended for the World Cup qualifier against Macedonia earlier this month he insisted on joining up with the squad. Although roughly the same age as some of the old guard in whom the Dutch public have lost their patience, Van Nistelrooy is regarded as the front man of the new generation and that is largely down to his English-style enthusiasm for the game.

"It's a pity the English public don't know him better because he's an interesting guy, intelligent like Bergkamp but a little warmer," said another Dutch journalist. "He also loves England, its countryside and its passion for football. He's a real student of the game. When you talk about players who love the sport - I mean really love the sport - then you talk about the likes of Van Nistelrooy. That's why we love him - and you would, too, if you gave him a chance."