Success Quote by Ruud van Nistelrooy

The line lands like a rejection of football’s most soothing cliche: that defeat is just statistical noise. “You win some, you lose some” is the phrase fans and pundits use to launder disappointment into maturity. Van Nistelrooy’s “But not for me” is a striker’s refusal to participate in that emotional compromise. It’s not ignorance of reality; it’s a deliberate posture, a mindset he’s choosing because it produces goals.

As an elite finisher, his job description is basically intolerance. A striker lives on thin margins: one touch too heavy, one half-second late, and you’ve squandered the only clear chance you might get. So the intent here is personal accountability turned up to an almost unreasonable volume. He’s carving a boundary between how the sport is narrated (“part of the game”) and how he needs to experience it to stay lethal: loss can’t be normalized, because normalization dulls hunger.

The subtext is also combative in a quieter way. He’s pushing back at a culture that protects egos with platitudes, implying that acceptance can become an alibi. That makes the quote work: it’s short, stubborn, and rhythmically decisive, like a finish at the near post.

Contextually, it fits van Nistelrooy’s reputation in the Premier League and at United: obsessive, relentless, sometimes prickly. In a team sport built on shared blame, he’s staking a claim to a solitary standard. Not for me isn’t just about results; it’s about identity.