4. Ruud van Nistelrooy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t1XBJBZ2nA There was a huge pressure on Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy when he signed from PSV Eindhoven in 2001 for a fee of £21 million. The deal had already been postponed a year due to fitness concerns, and it has always been a risk forking out big sums of cash for those who have only ever done it in the weaker leagues.
The price is not heavy for me - it lifts me up because it means United have big confidence in me. - Ruud van Nistelrooy, July 2001.
One wouldnt have suspected the Dutch international was feeling any of that pressure as soon as he took to the pitch at Old Trafford. He quickly opened his account for the Red Devils against Liverpool in the Charity Shield, and followed that up with two goals at Old Trafford in a 3-2 victory over Fulham on his Premier League debut. The Dutchman went on to score 36 goals for the Red Devils in his first season at the club, gaining a reputation as one of the most formidable and potent goal-poachers in Europe.