At club level, Gullit moved fromPSV toAC Milan in 1987 for aworld record transfer fee.[9] Nicknamed "The Black Tulip", he was part of a notable Dutch trio at AC Milan which includedMarco van Basten andFrank Rijkaard. Gullit won threeSerie A titles and twoEuropean Cups with Milan. In 1995, he signed forChelsea and was appointed the club's player-manager a year later. In his debut season, he led Chelsea toFA Cup success, the club's first major title for 26 years, and in doing so, became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup.
Gullit was born as Rudi Dil inAmsterdam to George Gullit, aSurinamese who arrived in the Netherlands withHerman Rijkaard (father ofFrank Rijkaard),[10] and Dutchmistress Ria Dil[11] from theJordaan district of Amsterdam. The Gullit family lived in one split level room on the top floor of a small apartment building. Gullit's father worked as an economics teacher at a local school, his mother as a custodian at theRijksmuseum.
Gullit developed his football skills in the confines of the Rozendwarsstraat, and street football was instrumental in his formative years. Gullit's first team were the Meerboys, where he joined as a junior in 1970. At the age of ten, however, Gullit moved from the Jordaan toAmsterdam Old West where he played street football alongside Rijkaard. Gullit joined theDWS club after his move, and came to the attention of theDutch youth team, where he played alongside future full international teammates,Erwin Koeman,Ronald Koeman andWim Kieft.
It was during his time at DWS that Gullit first took to using his father's surname, rather than his registered surname (from his mother), as he thought Gullit sounded more like a football player.[12]
On 22 September 1978, Gullit signed professionally forHFC Haarlem under coach and formerWest Bromwich Albion playerBarry Hughes. Gullit made 91 league appearances for Haarlem, scoring 32 goals. He made his debut for the club at just 16 years and 11 months old, on 19 August 1979 (Haarlem-MVV Maastricht 2-2), becoming at the time the youngest player in the history of theEredivisie.[13] In his first year at Haarlem, the club finished bottom of the Eredivisie, but bounced back thefollowing season winning theEerste Divisie. Gullit was named as the best player in the Eerste Divisie that season.[14]
In the1981–82 season, Gullit was in fine form as Haarlem finished fourth and qualified for Europe for the only time in their history. In that same season, Gullit scored the goal he would later consider his finest: "Playing againstUtrecht I went past four defenders and then the goalkeeper, and scored. It was an unforgettable goal for me."[15] Hughes was so impressed with the young Gullit that he described him as the "DutchDuncan Edwards".[14]
Gullit (Feyenoord) in duel againstLouis van Gaal (Sparta), 6 November 1983Ruud Gullit in 1988
The young Gullit was considered as a signing by English sidesArsenal andIpswich Town, but managersTerry Neill andBobby Robson turned him down. Neill later said that he considered£30,000 too much for "this wild kid".[16] Gullit therefore moved toFeyenoord in 1982, where he made 85 league appearances, scoring 31 goals. At Feyenoord, Gullit found himself playing in his second season, 1983–84, alongsideJohan Cruyff, while the assistant manager wasWim van Hanegem, and they were to leave a lasting impression.[17]
Gullit's first season saw Feyenoord miss out on major honours, butthe following year they completed the league and cup double. Gullit was namedDutch Footballer of the Year in recognition of his contribution to Feyenoord's success. At Feyenoord, Gullit occupied an increasingly advanced role in midfield, having played predominantly as a sweeper at Haarlem.[18] While at Feyenoord, Gullit became the focus of a race row as managerThijs Libregts was alleged to have referred to Gullit as "blackie" and criticised him for being lazy, though Libregts defended himself by stating that it was merely a nickname.[19] While playing for Feyenoord atSt Mirren in September 1983, he was racially abused and spat on by supporters of the Scottish club.[20] Gullit called it "the saddest night of my life".[citation needed]
Gullit signed forAC Milan in 1987, paying the thenworld record transfer fee of 18 million guilders as a replacement forRay Wilkins. Milan's club presidentSilvio Berlusconi had an ambition to revive the fortunes of the Italian club which had stagnated after its glory days in the 1960s. Among Gullit's teammates at the club were compatriot van Basten, who came at the same time. Later, they were joined by fellow compatriot, close friend as well as Ajax teammate of van Basten, Rijkaard. The club also had a youngPaolo Maldini, along with a more experiencedFranco Baresi. Gullit's exploits with first PSV and then Milan helped him win theBallon d'Or award in1987 which he dedicated toNelson Mandela.[22]
When he first arrived at Milan, Gullit initially struggled to fit in as he spoke noItalian and was new to living in a foreign country.[23] Gullit's first season at Milan, however, saw the club win theScudetto for the first time in nine years, under coachArrigo Sacchi. Initially used on the right of an attacking trio alongside van Basten andPietro Virdis, after van Basten received an injury it was changed to a front two. The following season Milan built on their domestic success by adding theEuropean Cup to their list of honours. That performance was followed by a 4–0 victory overSteaua București in the1989 final, with Gullit scoring two crucial goals. According to Gullit: “The year that we won the Champions League, in the semi-final againstReal Madrid I got injured. My meniscus was broken. I got a very quick operation so that I could play the final. The next season when I started to train again, not only my meniscus was damaged but also the cartilage, so for that reason, I couldn't play almost the whole season. It was hard because I was on the edge of maybe not playing football anymore.".[24]
The following year, Milan retained the trophy as they defeatedBenfica in the1990 final. However, serious injuries sustained to the ligaments of his right knee limited Gullit's playing time, only managed just two domestic games in the 1989–90 season before appearing in the cup final.
In 1990–91, Milan's pursuit of a third consecutive European Cup was cut short byMarseille at the quarter-final stage. Having drawn the first leg at theSan Siro, Milan trailed to aChris Waddle goal with little time remaining when the floodlights went out. After a short delay the lighting was restored, but Milan had returned to their dressing room and refused to return to complete the game.UEFA awarded Marseille a 3–0 victory and expelled Milan from all European competitions for the following season.
While Milan continued their domestic dominance by winning thescudetto in both1991–92 (a season in which they went undefeated) and1992–93, Gullit's position became an increasingly peripheral one under new coachFabio Capello. This was demonstrated by his omission from the1993 Champions League final in which Milan lost to Marseille, as under the UEFA rules clubs were only allowed to field three foreigners, which was later abolished after the decision of theBosman ruling. Gullit: "After my injury, I was not the Ruud Gullit anymore what I was before. I had to adjust myself to a different way of playing football, because of the injury and because I was that much out of the game. I had to adapt my game, but I could deal with it. But of course, the role at Milan was less important than before, because at that moment the rotation system was introduced. So we were only allowed to have three foreigners. So sometimes you couldn't play. So that was also hard. When you are used to playing most of the games and all of a sudden you have to rest, so that was hard.”.[24]
Torino was interested in signing him, with the chairman claiming that an agreement with Milan was likely.[25]Bayern Munich was also in talks with Gullit, but fell through.[26] Instead, Gullit was loaned toSampdoria.
In 1993, Gullit moved toSampdoria and led them to victory in theCoppa Italia in the1993–94 season. He also scored the winner in a 3–2 victory over Milan, one of 15 goals he scored during the league campaign. He returned to Milan and scored in the season-opening1994 Supercoppa Italiana against Sampdoria, but soon returned to theGenoese club before the midway point of the1994–95 season, withAlessandro Melli being loaned in the opposite direction as part of the deal. During his time with Sampdoria, Gullit served under futureEngland national team managerSven-Göran Eriksson and the two had a strong understanding and mutual respect.
Gullit's #4 Chelsea shirt, on display at theclub museum
In July 1995, Gullit signed forChelsea on a free transfer. Initially played as sweeper by managerGlenn Hoddle with limited success, Gullit was moved to his more familiar role in midfield, where he scored six goals. The signing of Gullit, alongside the likes ofMark Hughes andDan Petrescu, propelled Chelsea to the semi-final of theFA Cup, although they only finished 11th in theFA Premier League.
Gullit had some difficulties adapting to the style of play at Chelsea: "I would take a difficult ball, control it, make space and play a good ball in front of the right back, except that he didn't want that pass. Eventually Glenn said to me, 'Ruud, it would be better if you do these things in midfield.'"[27] His adjustment, however, was rapid and he ended the season by being named runner-up toEric Cantona as Footballer of the Year.
Gullit has since often stated in interviews that it was inLondon he enjoyed his career the most and felt happiest: "Every time I played for Chelsea, I thought, 'Nice game, beautiful stadium, great crowd, I'm playing well.' It was the only time I really had fun."[27] In moving to Chelsea, Gullit played an important part in the "foreign revolution" as numerous high-profile international stars, such as ItalianGianfranco Zola and DutchmanDennis Bergkamp, joined Chelsea andArsenal respectively, which helped to increase the Premier League's worldwide profile.
Gullit was one of the key players for the Netherlands as he helped his country winUEFA Euro 1988 under coachRinus Michels. Having lost their opening game of the tournament to theSoviet Union, the Netherlands beatEngland and theRepublic of Ireland to reach the semi-finals,[29] with Gullit setting up two of van Basten's three goals in the 3–1 win in the second group match against England.[30] After defeatingWest Germany 2–1 inHamburg,[29] the Netherlands faced the Soviet Union again in thefinal. Gullit opened the scoring with a header and van Basten scored a volley from a narrow angle to cap a 2–0 victory. Gullit was thus the first Dutch captain to hold aloft international silverware.[31]
Gullit's knee injuries also hampered his playing time at the1990 FIFA World Cup, but his dribble and shot against the Republic of Ireland helped the Netherlands qualify for the second round. The Netherlands faced West Germany in a match marred by an altercation between Rijkaard andRudi Völler. The Germans gained revenge for their defeat at Euro 1988 by beating the Netherlands 2–1 and going on to win the tournament.[32]
AtUEFA Euro 1992, Gullit appeared in strong form againstScotland in their opening game of the tournament as he supplied Bergkamp with the only goal of the match.[33][34] However, after a goalless draw withCIS[35] and beating Germany 3–1,[36] the Netherlands suffered a shock exit on penalties toDenmark in the semi-finals, after a 2–2 draw; during regulation time, Gullit assisted Rijkaard for a late equaliser.[37][38] The Danish side ended up winning the championship'sHenri Delaunay Trophy.[39]
In 1993, Gullit and Netherlands managerDick Advocaat began what was to be a long-running dispute which ultimately ended Gullit's international career. Advocaat's decision to play Gullit on the right side of midfield in a game against England atWembley, rather than his usual central position, upset him and this was exacerbated by his substitution forPeter van Vossen.[19] Gullit refused to play for the Netherlands following this but later changed his mind and agreed to return, facing Scotland in May 1994.[40] Shortly before the1994 World Cup, Gullit walked out of the pre-tournament training camp and would never play international football again.[41]
A complete and versatile player capable of aiding his team both defensively and offensively, Gullit epitomised the ethos ofTotal Football, possessing work rate, adeptness in ball-winning, tactical intelligence, skills and physical qualities.[42] Normally utilised as anattacking midfielder orsecond striker, he was capable of playing anywhere inmidfield or along thefront line, on eitherwing or even in thecentre, and could also play as asweeper.[5]
Gullit's foremost attribute was athleticism, being tall, powerful and an excellent jumper.[43] Yet, unusually for a man of his stature, Gullit had outstanding natural balance, poise, technique,dribbling andfree kick ability.[44] He was also noted for his mental acuity, creativity, vision and spatial abilities, which helped him score many goals early on and enabled him to play in adeep-lying playmaker role late in his days, where he was known forcreating chances for teammates.[42][45] Beyond his footballing qualities, Gullit also stood out with his leadership and tenacity.[46] Despite his talent, however, he struggled with injuries throughout his career, which later affected his fitness.[42]
Gullit's brilliance promptedGarth Crooks to comment in his 1990 Team of the Week column, "Ruud Gullit is a great player by any standards. He has all the skills. He's not afraid to do things with the ball. And he looks as if he's enjoying every second of it. By my reckoning that's what makes him an even better player thanMaradona. Both have the key quality you will find in all the best players: balance. You just can't knock them off the ball. It was the same withPelé,Beckenbauer andCruyff."[47]
In the summer of 1996, when Hoddle left Chelsea to become manager of theEngland national team, Gullit was appointed as aplayer-manager becoming the first Dutch manager in the Premier League. Gullit made a promising start to his managerial career when in the first season as a player-manager he guided Chelsea to an FA Cup triumph in1997, the club's first majortrophy in 26 years. In doing so he became the first manager from outside the British Isles and thefirst black manager to win a major British football trophy.[48] The club also finished at a creditablesixth place in the Premiership.
The following season, with Chelsea in second place in the Premiership and proceeding to the quarter-finals in two cup competitions, he was sacked, allegedly for a disagreement with the club's board over compensation, though Gullit himself disputed this.[49] He was replaced byGianluca Vialli, a man he had helped to bring to the club, and who went on to guide them toUEFA Cup Winners' Cup andFootball League Cup glory over the remainder of the season. Gullit's last appearance as a player came in the first leg of that season's League Cup semi-final against Arsenal, but Gullit was sacked before the second leg.[50] After Gullit's controversial sacking by Chelsea, chairmanKen Bates said of Gullit, "I didn't like his arrogance – in fact I never liked him."[51]
In August 1998, Gullit was named manager ofNewcastle United two games into the new league season and reached the1999 FA Cup Final in his first year. Fans remained supportive despite a poor run of results, although well-publicised disagreements with the team's top scorerAlan Shearer and captainRob Lee did not put him in a favourable light.[52] Gullit refused to assign Lee a squad number, giving Lee's number 7 to new signingKieron Dyer. In a match between Newcastle and local rivalsSunderland following the latter's return to the Premiership, Gullit left the usual starting strikers Shearer andDuncan Ferguson on the bench. Newcastle lost 2–1, and Gullit resigned three days later, five games into the1999–2000 season.[53]
Before the start of the2004–05 season, Gullit took charge of Feyenoord, quitting at the end of that season without winning any trophies, being replaced byErwin Koeman. Feyenoord had finished a disappointing fourth in theEredivisie, behindAjax, PSV andAZ.
On 8 November 2007, Gullit became head coach for theLA Galaxy, signing a three-year contract.[54] His US$2 million per year salary was the highest ever given to aMajor League Soccer (MLS) head coach. Gullit arrived as replacement forFrank Yallop who was let go after Galaxy failed to make the 2007 MLS playoffs despite having record signingDavid Beckham on the roster.
Gullit's time with Galaxy was troublesome. Not well-versed in the intricacies and specifics of the MLS such as salary cap and draft rules, the Dutchman did not adapt well to the North American league.[citation needed] After losing 0–4 in the season opener, Gullit clashed with midfielderPeter Vagenas, who criticized him for neglecting set-play practice during training.[citation needed]
As the season progressed, Gullit clashed with several players, includingLandon Donovan andAbel Xavier; the latter criticized Gullit'smanagerial style and said he did not have respect for most of the players.[55] It was later reported that Gullit's appointment had been made in controversial fashion as Galaxy general manager,Alexi Lalas, had been bypassed in the process, with the decision being led by David Beckham's advisers: his management company19 Entertainment and his personal managerTerry Byrne.[56]
On 11 August 2008, Gullit resigned as coach of the Galaxy, citing personal reasons. This came following a seven-game winless streak. General manager Lalas was fired at the same time.[57]
On 18 January 2011,Russian Premier League sideTerek Grozny announced that Gullit has agreed to sign a year-and-a-half contract and become the head coach for the Chechen side. Upon signing, Gullit toldSovetsky Sport, "I'd like to believe that I can bring joy into the lives of the Chechen people through football... Of course, I won't deny that I'm getting lots of money from Terek."[58] Gullit left the club on 14 June 2011.[59]
In 1988, together with the reggae bandRevelation Time, Gullit gained a No. 3 chart hit with theanti-apartheid song "South Africa" in theDutch Top 40. Previously, he had a modest hit in 1984 with the song "Not the Dancing Kind". Gullit also joined his band in front of 3,000 people at concerts in Italy, in the year he made a move to AC Milan.[citation needed]
After his spell at Newcastle, Gullit spent several years working as a football commentator, having previously coined the term "sexy football"[60] during his spell as aBBC pundit forEuro 1996 while still playing professionally for Chelsea. Gullit used the term to describe teams, such asPortugal at that tournament,[61] who played attractive football with an emphasis on the defense-penetrating pass-and-move game.
By 2006, Gullit had a talk show on Dutch TV, where he has interviewed, amongst others,Nelson Mandela.[22] When Gullit was named winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1987, he dedicated the award to the then imprisoned Nelson Mandela. Gullit has since said in interviews that he met Mandela after he was released, and that Mandela had said to him, "Ruud, I have lots of friends now. When I was on the inside, you were one of the few."[27]
In 2007, Gullit recalled, "Four months ago I visitedRobben Island and met three guys who were cell-mates of Nelson Mandela. They remembered me dedicating my award in 1987 to Mandela and they said they couldn't believe what I had done, and were sure the football authorities would withdraw the award. That's what apartheid did to them, it made them believe injustice was a normal part of life."[27]
In 2013, Gullit and many other former footballers were brought intoEA Sports'sFIFA 14 as "Legends" cards in FIFA Ultimate Team; his card is one of the highest rated in the game.[64]
Gullit is a Feyenoord supporter.[68] Gullit was married to Yvonne de Vries from 1984 to 1991, with whom he had two daughters. From 1994 to 2000 he was married to Italian Christina Pensa, with whom he also had two children. From 2000 to 2012 he was married to Estelle Cruyff, a niece ofJohan Cruyff. He also had two children with her. Their sonMaxim Gullit played professional football and had a contract withSC Cambuur.[69]
^Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Netherlands vs. Scotland".National Football Teams.Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved10 November 2023.
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