An impressive player from an early age, he was the youngest Dutch boy ever to play professionally at just 16 when he turned out in for Haarlem, who at the time were managed by a former West Brom player called Barry Hughes.
Hardly a contemporary reference, even in , by which time Edwards had been dead for 20 years. He scored 36 times in his appearances. He was mostly used as a sweeper in this period but even so, his flair attracted a lot of attention despite him still being a teenager. He played games in total for Feyenoord and scored 41 times in a more progressive midfield role. This earned him a move to PSV for 1. It would be here that the Gullit we came to know and love would really come into his own.
He became a dreadlocked magician, his unusual appearance for a footballer only adding to his exotic mystique at the time. So it was that Silvio Berlusconi signed him for Milan in , paying the then-world-record fee of 18 million guilders.
Notionally he was supposed to replace Ray Wilkins but played an entirely different role. In he was part of the fantastic Dutch side who won the European Championship. Everything was coming up Ruud. He had seven great years at Milan, playing games and scoring 56 goals.
As he fell out of favour in , he went to work under Sven Goran Eriksson at Sampdoria on loan for two years, playing 63 games and scoring 26 times. His final move was, of course, to Chelsea in While his three seasons, 63 games and seven goals were far from the best form of his career, he was an important addition to the Premier League which was looking to move away from being parochial and into buying the best players from elsewhere.
Now in his mids when manager Glenn Hoddle got the England call in , Ruud was offered the player-manager job, winning the FA Cup in his first season in charge with a lucky win over Middlesbrough to go with a sixth-placed finish. He had just joined AC Milan and put in performance after performance that was worthy of the laurel. He had a great year leading up to his move to Italy from the Eredivisie. When he got an opportunity to meet the legendary African, the footballer handed him the trophy.
It was a gesture that moved Mandela, who considered the big Dutchman to be a friend. That lady is a fine woman. We hope he has given up his old habits. Ruud Gullit Girlfriend - Karin de Rooy You know he has mellowed down when you see him taking his girlfriend to golf. Gullit Mother - Ria Dil He's chuffed to be with his mum, isn't he? She looks like she has seen it all. Gullit Son - Maxim Maxim has treaded in his father's footsteps.
He plays as a defender for Jong AZ. Statistics courtesy of www. Last Updated on 15 March by Admin. Where is Ruud Gullit now? If the big stars earn the big money, that is OK. But I see players who are not even close. Money changed the Premier League in lots of good ways but, if this blip in the competition happens again, then a lot of clubs are going to be bankrupt if they continue doing what they are doing now, and spending the amount they do.
They have to be careful, and they may have to change their model again. These comments are now closed. With his Chelsea kit on over a shirt and tie, Ruud Gullit is introduced to English football in June I'm still sad about the way it ended, but my time at Chelsea will always be my happy time. Comments Join the conversation. To use comments you will need to have JavaScript enabled.
Comment posted by Mozzzzz, at 4 Jun Mozzzzz. Utter class Ruud. Comment posted by U, at 4 Jun U Top player, top manager, top pundit. The man is a living legend, regardless of which club you support. Comment posted by Slippery, at 4 Jun Slippery. Classy man, classy player and a very good report! His choice to come to Chelsea elevated the entire club and started a period where we won a decent amount of trophies. Chelsea owe him a lot. Comment posted by Grb, at 4 Jun Grb. Still no idea why Chelsea sacked him.
Comment posted by Chris, at 4 Jun Chris. Great article, more like this please! A great football article on the BBC! No angle and no hyperbole - just fantastic insight. Other BBC sports writers should look and learn. Comment posted by Mace, at 4 Jun Mace. A true footballer who played for the love of the game, not for the love of the money; we could use a few more like Ruud in the EPL now. Comment posted by saddletramp, at 4 Jun saddletramp.
Sums up Ken Bates. Comment posted by koiahoy, at 4 Jun koiahoy. The biggest disappointment about Gullit's time at Chelsea is that he no longer had that amazing moustache by the time he moved here. What a player though!
Comment posted by overthehill, at 4 Jun overthehill. Ruud would struggle in the SPL Possibly but he is pushing Trying to think of the context of his move to Chelsea at the time. Just for the challenge. What a man. McNulty should read this time and time again. He may then be able to write something decent himself. This is the best on here for as long as I can remember. Thanks for a great article BBC. Comment posted by Dabo88, at 4 Jun Dabo Comment posted by yourafandango, at 4 Jun yourafandango.
But I see players who are not even close". Who can't agree with that statement? Comment posted by whosdatdandare, at 4 Jun whosdatdandare. I had a day off work and went to see my mate Palace in an U23 game at Palaces training ground then at Mitcham.
He controlled the entire game from there, instructing his teammates throughout. Pure class. As a Chelsea fan I couldn't believe when I heard we signed him, a true legend.. Great interview. You got me Ruud when you said you had watched "George and Mildred" back in the Netherlands! More comments Back to top. Top Stories.
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