The Story of Ruud Gullit

[Music] thank you Rudy Dill was born in Holland's capital city of Amsterdam on the 1st of September 1962 to George Collett and his partner Riya Dill while his mother was a native of the city Rudy's father was an immigrant from Suriname which was a Dutch colony in South America at the time having relocated to the Netherlands right before the large influx of suriname's settlers of the 70s who is senior was accompanied by his friend Hermann Reichard and the pair flew across the Atlantic in search of a better life in the bustling capital raised working class in the suburb of Jordan a couple of years passed before the family made a slight move across the city to Amsterdam's old west living near Balboa plain square a popular Proving Ground for the neighborhood's aspiring players here he met Frank Reichard the son of his father's now distant friend Herman and the 11 year olds hit his off Dale convinced Riker to join AFC DWS and their friendship became a Brotherhood both War afros were taller and naturally more athletic than their peers causing the coaches to actually confuse them by 16 the Dutch under-21s had welcomed him and the ever-present iax left at both the youngsters in pursuit of their signatures succeeding with reichardt but were late to the party with dill a year prior who had been approached by an eager Barry Hughes the manager of hfc Harlem in September 1978. the pair were Now set to diverge and make their strides in the areas of easy with dill known by now as rude hullit stepping first in the August of the ensuring year the youngest debutant in the League's history one month shy of 17 years old initially a center-back the new boy instantly found his footing in the first team exuding a surprising level of confidence in the Deep sweeping role on his 19th birthday the Holland senior side finally offered him his first minutes coming on for reichardt in a friendly against Switzerland but having failed to qualify for both the 1982 World Cup and later the 84 European Championship also these were dark days for irania his third and what would be concluding season in Harlem was the club's best to date finishing fourth and qualifying for the UEFA cup with hullit a key player up top dubbed the Dutch Duncan Edwards by Hughes now his quality couldn't be ignored as Arsenal and Ipswich Town seemed a possible next destination for the Wonder Kids although pulitz had picked up a party boy reputation in the capital which repelled the English manager's Terry Neal and Bobby Robson believing 30 000 pounds was a stretch for a wild kid the move overseas was not to come yet and instead he answered the calls of feyenoord the rotterdam-based rivals of iax for whom he signed in 1982. deployed mainly towards the right of the front line are in the number 10 role he had next to no defensive duties free to enjoy himself on the attack the club on the Muse went trophyless in hullit's opening campaign and in order to overcome the amsterdammers feyenoord looked to add to their lineup ayak surprisingly denied a new contract to their greatest ever player Johan Cruyff who at 36 spotted his Boyhood club by signing for their adversary in 1983 a major boost that would come back to bite the champions by the tender age of 21 bullets found himself sharing a dressing room with his Idol which beyond all else was an educational experience Cruyff exposed the awestruck mind of hullits the mentality that made him so successful opening his eyes up to the Liberty a player can have in any position and tactically the combination of the iconic 14 with a system manager Vin van Hanahan LED an invaluable impression on The Talented youngster a visible on-pitch understanding developed between the pair and the catapulted fine order to the title as well as the cup completing a famous domestic double it was the Swan Song of the Legend's glorious career and featuring an all but one match as their Talisman he was awarded the Golden Boot while hullit after his breakthrough season was voted the 1984 Dutch footballer of the Year scoring at a rate of a goal every other game [Applause] his third year continued in familiar Fashion on route to his best season yet however in March a ligament tear rendered him futile for 11 matches in the latter half of the season and final dropped to third by June despite the title Victory and kroyff experience his time in Rotterdam had been no bed of roses pull it clashed with manager tysely Bretz who racially profiled the Dutchman giving him an offensive nickname regarding his skin color and singling him out as lazy with five eredavisi years under his belt bullets was finally ready to make his last step up in Dutch Football and did so in the summer of 85 when PSV shelled out 1.

2 million Dutch guilders to bring the rising star to Eindhoven sporting the number 10 he was the focus of janarika's side who assisted by a younger Goose hiddenk had planned to build the team around hullit their new captain the 23 year old proved why he had the armband bringing his personality to the club and running things on the pitch with his intelligent passing and forceful sprints balancing time between sweeper and Center forward his breathtaking strength mixed with a rare level of Grace and Poise for one so tall made hullit outstandingly effective for PSV like a Rolls-Royce in the Deep role and a Lamborghini on the offense the Talisman contributed a career-high 24 goals in his entry season as well as providing another 13 in assists to help them become Victors for the first time in eight years established now as a world-class footballer he had thrived under increased pressure showing his aptitude as the leader of a triumphant team for which he picked up a second Dutch footballer of the Year Awards the subsequent season was similarly brilliant from both hullit and the club as the skipper made 22 goal contributions before the new year and Boren suffered merely two League losses all season sporting director Hans cray had taken over as manager when reiker returned to venlo before the contest got underway but in March 1987 hullit publicly criticized both the PSV and cray heavily discontent with his own progress self-admittedly the captain took on the weight of responsibility all by himself and was overzealous at times but nevertheless his words triggered craze resignation and hiddenk stepped in with only 10 matches left to hurdle iax who had a three-point lead pullet emerged as the hero finding the back of the net six times in the closing five games to bypass the leaders and gain a six point gap with which PSV won another championship going back to back having scored 46 times in 68 fixtures for PSV and spearheading them to consecutive titles hullit had achieved what he set out to do and now was primed to conquer a different stage Europe with a raised profile and distinctive appearance he'd caught the eye of the top five leagues yet PSV aware that they had a world beater at their disposal would only accept top dollar to let him go in the prior summer the technical director of AC Milan had seen hullit in action and approached him in Barcelona during a pre-season tournament the Hefty price tag was met in the form of just over 7 million euros in today's money a world record transfer fee at the time and that same window Milan acquired another emerging Dutch star Marco van basten of iax who was coming off the bat of Four Seasons in a row as the division's top scorer the rossineri were in a phase of transition Silvio Berlusconi bought the struggling Club in 86 hoping to return Milan to the Glory Days of the 1960s the billionaire selected Palmer's arigo saki to manage the side but as this would be the 41 year old's first ever Syria season his credibility was brought into question wanting to switch it up going against the conventional defensive katanatio approach with the impetus instead on pressing aggressive football the unproven northerner took instantly to hullit whose time in Holland had helped him develop an attractive attacking Style also considering rambastian's season-long ankle injury saki was relying on him in the goals department and a second Striker to Paulo verdis the dreadlocked Dutchman thrived immediately upon arrival in Italy scoring in the first League match against Pisa thanks to the new arrivals and fresh methods of Saki Milan showed a level of stability that hadn't been seen from them in years clutching onto their spot in second for most of the months and in tight contest with the holders Napoli on the verge of 1988 pulitz was presented with the ultimate individual Accolade the Ballon d'Or acknowledged as the world's number one he dedicated the Golden Ball to his friend Nelson Mandela the famous anti-apartheid activist during the humanitarian's 27-year sentence reggae music had been a passion of the Dutchman through the medium of which he spread the word of figures like Mandela and Steve Biko even charting later that year with a song called South Africa by Revelation time quickly he was becoming more than a player now a global icon with a unique look and outspoken views pullet was one of the world's few sporting Superstars the Italian competition was fierce and Assyria was deemed the toughest division in Europe therefore hullit had more difficulty breaching the rigid defenses managing nine goals by the end of April however his eighth and 9th assists of the year were vital in defeating the neapolitans to the audience of 90 000 on their home turf with the three points the rosinary leap frog the Azuri and went on to ensure the scaletto for the first time in nine years in the words of the gaffer his strong character was imperative to the side's success and the number 10 helped saki change the team's mindset from the country's cautious standards to a confident thrilling All or Nothing attitude had now been attained and in the summer of 88 the European Championship offered a chance for the international success that had eluded his generation failing to qualify for the previous three major tournaments the Netherlands flew to West Germany as neither heavy favorites nor underdogs and started poorly but recovered form after their Opening match to advance past the groups holit's pair of assists helped the returning van basten convert a hat-trick for a needed win over England and renus mikhail's group went on to face the hosts in a heated encounter the Germans took the leads but through Ronald kerman's spot kick and the swan of utrecht's 88th minute strike oranya reached their first Euros final leading out his Nation as Captain the milianista struck first in Munich butting the ball into the net inside the first half nine minutes into the second van basten etched his way into football's history book to seal the deal the skipper was now a cultural Phenom the black tulip of a renovated Netherlands team whose skill and strength across the pitch gave them a contemporary feel to put Holland back on the map and Inspire the upcoming generation as a pivotal feature of the back line Reichard was viewed by hullit as a needed addition to Milan after desperate pleading from Milan's duchies saki was convinced reichardt completed the famous Dutch Trio of AC Milan as the final piece of saki's Jigsaw moved up into Midfield in front of a renowned back four demanding hard work saki set up rigorous training regimes to promote discipline in his sides which prepared them well for Europe re-entering the biggest Club competition after a nine-year hiatus they waltzed through the early stages and off the back of a one-all tire the burnabeu Milan whitewashed Real Madrid five nil in scintillating fashion including a goal for each of the hollanders in the 56th minutes pull it went down and left the San Siro injured which spurred concerns but surgery and rest from the domestic games was enough for the striker to return in late May for the final almost 100 000 filled the new camp a crowd dominated by red and black as Milan took on a formidable style Bucharest side the 1986 Victors was schooled by the Italians in a pressing 4-4-2 with all 10 Outfield players on the same wavelength from the beginning whistle divvying up the goals with his Frontline partner pull it tapped in the first rambastian headed in the second a volley from the 10 added the Third before Milan's top scorer slotted a fourth parcelview lung completing another devastating victory ticking off yet another trophy from his bucket list pull it lifted the European Cup cementing this Italian period both individually and as a collective the zenith IL diavolo followed this up by bettering Meadowlands Atletico National and Barcelona in the Intercontinental and super cups respectively to announce themselves as not just the kings of Europe but the planet hullit however was reduced to the stands for these games as his April injury came back with a vengeance and was far more serious damage to the ligaments of his right knee limited the 27 year old to a torturous three matches across the entire 1989-90 campaign all coming at the very end of the nine months coming back to the pitch in late April of the new decade pulitz saw that saki's unit had handled things well in his absence making it to another European Cup Final for which the Dutchman would be fit to start Vienna was the city this time and the opposition were Benfica a classic example of Portuguese tactics structured and regimented just like Milan and hence this time the bout was arduous stalemated until the 68th minute it was eventually Reichard who broke the deadlock and won the holders another title establishing saki's Milan as one of History's Greatest ever teams needing not to travel hullit stayed in Italy that summer for the 1990 World Cup his first and though it should have been a time for excitement the Dutch Camp had problems Leo been hacker the manager was appointed against the squad's wishes for kroyff and Hood's knee trouble prompted doubts about his ability to Captain oranya the internal feuding and lack of cohesion cost them in the end sent packing after a chaotic last 16 tie facing the Germans the Skipper's fourth and what would be final World Cup game The Fallout of Italia 90 left the Boyhood buddies on frail terms upon their return to the fashion capital and even though hullit was able to feature for most of the matches bagging seven goals in the league Milan endured their first trophyless season since saki's arrival and the former shoe salesman stepped back to coach the national side Fabio Cappello kicked off his career on the touchline as saki's replacement and despite his label as a Berlusconi Yes Man the ex midfielder rerailed them on the tractor trophies from the right wing pulitz gave his best output in years scoring seven goals and providing nine assists from 26 matches including some points winning efforts as a key cog in the rosinary system that accomplished a rare feat for all 34 of their league games in the 91-92 season capello's Milan went unbeaten winning 22 and drawing 12 to finally reclaim the scaletto this record-shattering run bled into their following campaign extended to 58 matches without losing and they were dubbed Glee invincibility the invincibles yet hullit had played a more peripheral role as Capello was reluctant to field him given the problems with his knees and his Omission from the 1993 Champions League final which they lost was the final straw the relationship between he and the club was slightly marred provoking hullit to make a move journeying to the genoese club of sampdoria where he could be afforded Game Time by Sven goren Ericsson and prove he still got it shoulder to shoulder with Roberto Mancini in Attack the number four did exactly that recording His Highest Italian tally with 15 goals in one season a midwich was a thunderous hit versus his former employers [Applause] a respectable third place finish and first ever copper Italia topped off what had been a refreshing year away from San Siro a somber summer ensued dick Advocate emerged as Holland's new head coach and like Capello didn't trust his Fitness sparking arguments between them and in the end hullit walked out of a training camp ahead of the 1994 U. S World Cup before announcing his full retirement from International Football purely to rekindle the romance he re-signed for Milan as a brief Cameo later that year making 14 appearances in the red and black strip before reverting to iblucha kiati where he concluded his eight-year-long Italian escapade soon to be 33 his next step was an unpredictable one fancying the challenge of the fast rising English Premier League he put pen to paper for Chelsea on a free transfer in July of 95.