Van Nistelrooy started his professional career in 1993 with Dutch second division side FC Den Bosch, where he was converted from a central defender to centre forward after playing part-time for Nooit Gedacht and Magriet. After netting twelve goals in 31 games in the 1996-97 campaign, he transferred for €350.000 to SC Heerenveen the next year, and scored thirteen goals in 31 matches in his only season with the club. He was then signed by PSV Eindhoven the next season for €6.3 million, a then-record transfer sum between two Dutch teams.
He scored 31 goals in 34 matches, the highest season total in the Eredivisie and second-highest in Europe overall, in addition to scoring all three of PSV's goals in a Champions League match against HJK Helsinki on 25 November 1998. Van Nistelrooy capped off the year by winning the Dutch Player of the Year award. The next season, he won his second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals. According to a 2001 interview with The Telegraph, Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson said that his son, Darren, who was at tryouts for Eredivisie rival SC Heerenveen at the time, begged his father, "You've got to sign van Nistelrooy right away, he's fantastic. We've been watching him."[1] Ferguson sent team representatives to PSV's next league game, and signed van Nistelrooy the next day.[1]
Just as an £18.5 million transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2000 was finalized and a press conference was arranged to announce van Nistelrooy's arrival, he suffered ruptured cruciate knee ligaments during a training session and the deal was axed.[2] When the transaction was finalised in April 2001, United were forced to pay PSV an additional £500,000 for the player's services.