Ruud van Nistelrooy ties his shoes on the vine (VIDEO) © EuroFootball.com

Career ended one of the best European forwards of the last decade Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The 35-year-old footballer represented Spain's Malaga club in his final season and helped secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League.

At a press conference after the decisive match of the round on Sunday, the Dutchman said: "This is my last match. I wanted to test myself in the Champions League once again, but it's time to retire. I have reached the limits of my physical abilities, so I couldn't play at the highest level anymore. However, I couldn't have asked for a better farewell."

He added: "I am proud of the team and individual awards, but everyday work has always given me the greatest satisfaction."

Van Nistelrooy started his career in 1993 at the "Den Bosch" team, later briefly moved to "Heerenveen", and attracted the attention of major European clubs in 1998-2001 while playing for Eindhoven PSV, scoring 62 goals in 67 matches.

He then joined "Man Utd" and became one of the brightest stars of the English Premier League - scoring 150 goals in 219 official matches against opponents. Interestingly, out of Van Nistelrooy's 95 goals in the English championship, only one was scored from outside the penalty area.

Since 2006, he wore the Real Madrid jersey, after four seasons he represented Hamburg in Germany, and played his last season at Malaga, scoring four goals in 28 matches.

Goals for Orlando in the "Man Utd" club: