Van Nistelrooy returned to his home town to get married

Hundreds of fans greeted the couple outside a town hall in Heesch. The pair then attended a Catholic service with family and friends at the Maria Magdalena Church in the village of Geffen.

Van Nistelrooy's boss at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, witnessed the ceremony, as did some of his Dutch team-mates.

The local hero was given a guard of honour by junior footballers from the Nooitgedacht club, where he first played at the age of six.

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A crane suspended a huge shirt in the club's colours over the village square as the couple arrived in a white Rolls-Royce.

The groom wore a beige suit, while his bride wore a traditional white dress.

Van Nistelrooy, 28, was among the top scorers at the recent European football championships, with four goals for Holland.

But his tournament ended on a sour note, when he insulted a referee and was banned for Holland's first qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup.