Holland striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has
announced his retirement from international football.
The Real Madrid forward has decided that he can longer cope with
the demands of turning out for both club and country.
He earned 64 caps for Oranje, scoring 33 goals - the same amount
as Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.
He appeared at the European Championships in 2004 and 2008,
while he was also a key member of the Dutch squad which reached the
second round of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
However, he has taken the decision to step down in order to
prolong his playing career.
"After studying the schedule of Real Madrid and the Dutch team I
realised playing for both teams would mean too tough a physical
load for me and therefore I made this choice," the 32-year-old told
the Dutch Football Association's (KNVB) official
website.
"The combination of league, cup and Champions League matches for
Real Madrid is too hard for me. There was no other choice.
"Of course you don't make a decision like this overnight. I had
a good European Championship with the Dutch national team and look
back with a good feeling on my international career."