Ruud van Nistelrooy: The blackface image is spreading

A football legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has found himself in the middle of an embarrassing uproar immediately after being chosen as Manchester United’s interim coach.

Got fired on Monday Erik ten Hagin the Dutch giant recruited to replace it is a British newspaper Telegraphin removed from his X account an 11-year-old photo in which he appears with his face painted black.

The so-called “blackface” is nowadays considered racist, and its use in various contexts has caused several uproars.

The photos were taken in Marbella, Spain, at the beginning of 2013. At that time, Nistelrooy was involved in a charity event where he played King Balthazar in the “Three Kings Parade”. The parade is a traditional part of the Spanish Epiphany celebrations.

The photos, which already caused an avalanche of criticism back in 2013, started circulating on social media again shortly after Nistelrooy’s new role was announced on Monday. By Monday afternoon, the Dutchman had already hurried to delete the photo from his account.

Nistelrooy represented Manchester United as a player between 2001 and 2006. He managed to act as United’s assistant coach from July until his promotion to bigger boots.

Coaching Sporting Lisbon Ruben Amorimia is considered Erik ten Hag’s most likely replacement at United.