Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed that a four-letter blast at Sir Alex Ferguson during the Carling Cup final was the final nail in his coffin at Manchester United.
The prolific Dutch forward left Old Trafford under a cloud in the summer when his extremely productive spell under Ferguson was brought to an end with a transfer to Real Madrid.
The two experienced a dramatic falling out which resulted in Louis Saha taking van Nistelrooy's first-team place, and the Real new-boy has now explained that his outburst during the 4-0 cup final win over Wigan sealed his departure.
"It started at the Carling Cup final, after an hour we were 4-0 ahead," van Nistelrooy told the News of the World.
"I could not wait to get on as a substitute, to play half an hour and maybe score a goal and then go and lift the cup.
"It's a big trophy after all, but first Kieran Richardson was put on.
"After that Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, and Evra had only been at the club a few weeks.
"I exploded and started swearing at Ferguson. That was the killing moment.
"It was both our faults but we never made up after that. The relationship fell apart."
Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in 219 games for United after the Premiership side stood by him to delay his signing from PSV Eindhoven for a year due to a serious knee injury.
Once the darling of Old Trafford, van Nistelrooy has now conceded that the manner of his eventual exit was 'tragic' as well as insisting that Ferguson should have treated him better.
"I do consider it kind of tragic," van Nistelrooy added.
"After all, Ferguson was the man who was there for me during my serious knee injury at PSV Eindhoven and even came to my sick bed.
"The way it all went down in the end does say something about the football world.
"But to me that does not permit you to treat people that way."
