Ruud Gullit

Facts to Talk About: Birth Date: 1st September, 1962 Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands Height and weight: 6 ft 1 in,  Position: Defender/Midfielder/Striker Foot: NA Club: HFC Haarlem , Feyenoord , PSV , AC Milan , Sampdoria , AC Milan, Chelsea Starting: # 8 Marital status: Married to Yvonne de Vries from 1984 to 1991; has two children: Felicity and Charmayne, later married Cristina Pensa from 1994 to May 2000; has two children, son Quincy and daughter Sheyenne, currently married to Estelle Cruijff from 3 June 2000 – present; has two children, son Maxim and daughter Jo ëlle. Personal Profile: Ruud Gullit is ranked as among the best players in football history. He was known for his powerful and versatile strokes and his ability to play virtually anywhere in the midfield. Born in Amsterdam, he started his career in 1979 at the small Dutch club of Haarlem with a hope of establishing himself as a bright prospect for the team. Though he finished bottom in his first season of Eredivisie, he bounced back the following season with ease. In the 1981 season, Ruud Gullit was in an excellent form as Haarlem had qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. The summer season of the year 1988 was possibly Gullit’s most defining moments. The Dutch team was followed by England , the Republic of Ireland and the USSR in what appeared to be the easier of the two groups. Holland played against the USSR and was defeated but in the second game against England, Marco Van Basten proved to be Holland’s savior and Holland went on to play the final game against Ireland. The semifinal went on to become a spectacular game and Holland advanced to the finals along with Soviet Union.  However, inspite of their slow start the Holland team forced their way and Gullit broke the deadlock with a 33rd minute header. The Dutch team emerged out as winners and Ruud Gullit became the first Dutch captain to hold the international silverware. In the next season, Gullit was at his best as he helped Milan to reach and play for the European Cup. The final against Bucharest was a one sided game with Milan winning the match by 4-0 with Gullit scoring 2 goals in the game. Though during the 1989/90 season, he was distressed by a knee injury that posed a threat to his career, he could play in only 2 League games. The Dutch team had become favorites and was grouped with England team with some excellent performance from Gullit. In the 1991/92 season, he returned back to Italy and sustained his success by adding 2 more titles. Ruud Gullit moved around the midfield area like a Colonel inspiring his troops during the period from 1980 and early 1990s. With his great frame and dreaded looks, Gullit was a remarkable master of ceremonies who explored different avenues and opportunities. In his long and brilliant career, except a World Cup winner's medal, his team had won every other title. He was considered to be among the great Dutch players having won two Dutch titles with PSV Eindhoven . With the help of Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard , he worked on a well planned strategy to play the League championships, two European Super cups, two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. The trio also teamed to be a part of the Dutch team that won the European Championship in 1988. Being a recipient of the World Player of the Year award in 1987 and 1989, gave a complete measure of his contribution in European football. His constant injuries to knee and ankles, led to shortening of his career span as he started showing signs of long-term fatigue. His flamboyant character was quite well-known off the pitch as well. In 1995, he left Italy and joined London club Chelsea and worked as the player-manager. Despite winning the FA Cup in 1997, he was bitterly sacked by Chelsea and was replaced with Gianluca Vialli who then was a player with the club. Six months later, he found a new job at Newcastle United but the experience was a disaster and he resigned in August, 1999. In March 2003, he was selected for the new role of assistant national coach of Holland and worked along with Dick Advocaat and helped the Holland team to advance in the Euro Cup 2000, held in Portugal . Despite all the opinions about his professional life, he still had some wonderful memories about his stay in England. The passion of the game gave him huge happiness as a player and manager. As a player he could convey his delight he had experienced and as a manager he could communicate his experience to his players. The team’s presence at Wembley twice, gave him a good coaching and managerial contentment. Career in a Glance (appearances - goals): 1979/80 HFC Haarlem 24 – 4 1980/81 HFC Haarlem 36 - 14 1981/82 HFC Haarlem 31 - 14 1982/83 Feyenoord 33 - 8 1983/84 Feyenoord 37 -16 1984/85 Feyenoord 21 – 7 1985/86 PSV Eindhoven 36 - 25 1986/87 PSV Eindhoven 34 - 22 1987/88 AC Milan 31 - 9 1988/89 AC Milan 27 - 10 1989/90 AC Milan 3 - 0 1990/91 AC Milan 30 - 8 1991/92 AC Milan 26 - 7 1992/93 AC Milan 19 - 7 1993/94 Sampdoria 31 – 16 1994/95 AC Milan 11 – 3 1994/95 Sampdoria 22 – 9 1995/96 Chelsea 14 - 3 1996/97 Chelsea 12 - 1 1997/98 Chelsea 6 - 0 Major Achievements: National team 1 European Championship winner (1988) Club honors 1 Eerste Divisie winner (1981) 1 KNVB Cup winner (1984) 1 Eredivisie champion (1984) 1 Eredivisie champion (1986) 1 Eredivisie champion (1987) 1 Serie A Champion (1988) 1 Italian Super Cup winner (1988) 1 UEFA Champions League winner (1989) 2 European Super Cup winners (1989, 1990) 2 Intercontinental Cup winners (1989, 1990) 1 UEFA Champions League winner (1990) 1 Italian Super Cup winner (1992) 1 Serie A champion (1992) 1 Serie A champion (1993) 1 Italian Cup Winner (1994) 1 Italian Super Cup winner (1994) 1 English F.A. Cup (1997) Individual honors 1 European Footballer of the Year (1987) 1 World Soccer Magazine World Footballer of the Year (1987) 1 World Soccer Magazine World Footballer of the Year (1989)