I faced off with Ruud van Nistelrooy in tennis match on Man Utd tour – Sir Alex Ferguson had money on me to win

MANCHESTER UNITED caretaker brag Ruud van Nistelrooy made his sanction banging goals successful for the Red Devils betwixt 2001 and 2006.

The Dutchman, 48, scored 150 times successful 219 outings nether Sir Alex Ferguson's guidance.

While Van Nistelrooy proved to beryllium the acold greater United forward, his team-mate Diego Forlan had his fig connected the tennis court.

During a pre-season travel to Portland successful 2003, the brace faced disconnected astatine Nike HQ.

While Van Nistelrooy was by nary means a atrocious tennis player, Forlan had awesome pedigree successful the athletics having played arsenic a child.

Ever the wily figure, Ferguson knew of the Uruguayan's prowess, and is adjacent claimed to person stake connected him to bushed United's existent caretaker boss.

The Scot would not beryllium disappointed, with Forlan recalling successful a chat with ATP Media: "We played a tie-break.

"It was lone maine serving, truthful determination were immoderate treble faults, giving immoderate points to him. But I managed to win."

Forlan volition anticipation for a much coagulated serving show adjacent month, erstwhile helium makes his nonrecreational tennis debut aged 45 astatine the Uruguayan Open.

After hanging up his boots successful 2018, the guardant picked up his racquet again arsenic helium looked for a hobby to support himself fit.

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He has since shown awesome dedication to his trade and has made accelerated improvements.

Forlan has popped up competing astatine assorted Over-45s ITF events successful South America.

And helium volition present person the accidental to premix it with the pros, aft being handed a doubles wildcard astatine the ATP Challenger Tour lawsuit successful Montevideo.

He volition spouse Federico Coria, with the erstwhile apical 50 prima having been keen to play with him.

The concern came astir via Forlan's relationship with erstwhile tennis nonrecreational Ignacio Carou, arsenic helium explained: "[Ignacio] was joking galore times with maine to play immoderate futures. This year, I said to him, ‘No, I was connected holidays, I don’t privation to play’.

"Then a mates months after, helium sent maine a representation of Federico Coria and said, ‘I person your spouse for the Challenger successful Uruguay’. I deliberation it was a gag and past helium said, ‘He wants to play with you, I’m not joking!’"

Amazingly Coria, 32, won't beryllium the astir celebrated doubles spouse Forlan has played with - arsenic successful 1993 helium had the accidental to stock the tribunal with Diego Maradona.

While helium knows helium volition beryllium a immense underdog erstwhile helium competes alongside Coria, Forlan is acceptable to bask his experience.

He said: "If you asked maine erstwhile I was playing football if I was going to play a nonrecreational tourney successful ATP, I wouldn’t person imagined that.

"Playing with the professionals for conscionable 1 match, I volition beryllium enjoying it. Having the accidental to — I don’t cognize if I’m the archetypal one, but to beryllium a nonrecreational shot subordinate to beryllium a nonrecreational [tennis] player, conscionable for 1 match… For me, it’s a privilege.

"I cognize it’s going to beryllium really, truly hard to play against those guys. But I don’t person thing to lose."

The event, which has been played by the likes of Juan Martin del Potro and David Ferrer down the years, is acceptable to get underway connected November 11.