Van Nistelrooy is now 31

Sunday 1 July, Ruud Van Nisterooy is celebrating his birthday in style. The Pichichi of the League is coming off a dream season in his first year donning the white shirt. A total of 33 goals in the League, the Champions League, and the King's Cup... and reaching 31 years of age in fine football form.

Ruud was the record-setter of the season. With 25 goals in League play, the Dutchman was able to tie the longest consecutive scoring streak in history by hitting the target in seven straight matches; a feat achieved by another Madridista great, Puskas. His effectiveness helped lead Real Madrid to their 30th League title. Ruud was the second-highest scorer in Europe, following close behind Totti of Roma. He scored 40% of Madrid's goals this season -25 of 61-, equivalent to 25 points that took Real Madrid to the top of the table. There's no question that the striker's goals were worth a title.

Strikes in seven straight weeks: Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored 25 goals in League play; all were important and all were decisive. But the Madrid striker not only ended the season as the top scorer of the championship, but the Pichichi also equaled Puskas with the longest scoring streak in history. The success began against Valencia with a brilliant volley off a Miguel Torres cross, which contributed to Real Madrid's third consecutive victory at the Santiago Bernabéu. It also eliminated one of the Whites' closest rivals in the hunt for the title.

The following week, Real Madrid visited San Mamés to take on Athletic Bilbao. Not only did the Dutchman score once, but he hammered home a brace. The first was a perfect finish after Cicinho and Emerson passes, and the second, a powerful strike from the edge of the box. With the victory, Real Madrid took care of business and overcame a pesky Athletic by brute force.

Van Nistelrooy hit the target another two times against Sevilla to score in his third straight match. With fine tuned accuracy, seeing him score anything less than a pair was becoming rare. Ruud's first was set up by Jose María Gutierrez “Guti”, who came on in the second half and changed the course of the game. Then the second arrived to close out the match. While the Santiago Bernabéu stadium was entertained by a magical night of football, the win allowed Real Madrid to leap over Sevilla to claim the second spot in the table.

Week four: an epic night. Espanyol landed at the Bernabéu like a wolf in sheep's skin, and Real Madrid took the lead with a goal by the Pichichi, who finished off a play inside the box. The prize that night: leadership of the League. The fairy-tale continued one week later. Ruud Van Nistelrooy drilled home the White's second of the night (0-2) by way of a penalty. It was his fifth straight game with a score, and the dream of finishing the year as the top scorer was closer than ever.

A victory over Deportivo Coruña allowed Madrid to hold onto the top spot in the table for one more week, and it proved that this team only grew stronger as it was tested by any kind of adversity. The Dutchman put the scoreboard at 3-1 by finishing a strong effort by Raúl. Yet again, Ruud put the cherry on top of another grindout match. Van Nistelrooy's mission continued against Zaragoza by scoring two crucial goals. The first, a header, drew the game 1-1, and the second came off a rebound in the box with two minutes to play; the goal that very well may be worth the League.

There's no doubt that 'Van the Man' is a specialist in the art of scoring, and his output was one of the main factors why Real Madrid are now League champions. A 'killer' in front of the net who was the top scorer in the Spanish League. Although he was unable to finish the last match of the season, Ruud Van Nistelrooy had plenty of reasons to celebrate his first League title with Real Madrid with his teammates.