After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was unavailable for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Belarus due to injury, Van Nistelrooy refused Van Basten's request to take his place on the roster.
Potom čo v kvalifikácii na EURO 2008 proti Bulharsku a Bielorusku chýbal Holandsku Klaas-Jan Huntelaar pre zranenie, Van Nistelrooy odmietol Van Bastenovu pozvánku do reprezentácie.