Ruud Gullit
Attacking Midfielder / Forward · AC Milan · Netherlands
About Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit is the Netherlands' first Ballon d'Or winner and one of the most complete players in football history. He could play as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder, or even sweeper with equal authority. At AC Milan under Arrigo Sacchi, alongside Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, he helped create one of club football's greatest ever teams — winning the European Cup in 1988 and 1989. He also captained Netherlands to Euro 1988.
Ruud Gullit's story
Amsterdam's Total Footballer
Gullit was born in Amsterdam (NED) of Surinamese and Dutch heritage. He grew up in the Jordaan district and was immediately identifiable by his dreadlocks and extraordinary athleticism. He joined hometown club Haarlem's first team at 17, before a 1982 move to Feyenoord brought his first league title, then PSV and AC Milan came for him.
The Milan Trinity
At AC Milan, Gullit joined Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard to form one of club football's greatest ever three-man core — the "Dutch Trinity" — under coach Arrigo Sacchi. Gullit scored twice as Milan beat Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 4-0 in the 1989 European Cup final, their first title in 20 years; a serious knee injury then limited him to two league games all season before Milan retained the trophy, beating Benfica 1-0 in 1990.
Euro 1988
Gullit captained Netherlands to victory at Euro 1988 in West Germany — their first and still only major international trophy. He scored in the semi-final and the final (against the USSR) — a towering header — and was named the tournament's best player. For a generation of Dutch fans, it remains the pinnacle of the national team's history.
Dreadlocks, Reggae and a Ballon d'Or Dedicated to Mandela
Gullit's dreadlocks reflected a genuine passion for reggae music: in 1988 he sang and played bass on "South Africa", an anti-apartheid anthem recorded with Dutch band Revelation Time, performing in a shirt reading "STOP APARTHEID" in protest at the country's regime. He had already made a quieter, personal gesture a few months earlier - dedicating his 1987 Ballon d'Or to Nelson Mandela, then still imprisoned on Robben Island, saying simply that Mandela was the only thing he could think of on stage. He later called it a human decision rather than a political one, and word of the dedication reportedly reached Mandela himself in his cell.
Did you know?
- 🥇 He won the 1987 Ballon d'Or — the first Dutch player ever to win the award — recognising a season in which he performed at the highest level in Serie A and led Netherlands to Euro qualification.
- ⚽ His diving header goal in the 1988 European Championship final against the USSR — combined with Marco van Basten's volley — gives Euro 1988 two of the most spectacular goals in the competition's history.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married three times; has six children from different relationships. He settled in the Netherlands after a coaching career that took him to Newcastle and Chelsea.
- 🌟 Arrigo Sacchi said: "Gullit was unique. No other player I ever managed could play as a number 9, a number 10, or a libero with equal quality. He was the most complete footballer I ever worked with."
- 🎨 His dreadlocks were one of football's most iconic visual identities of the 1980s — immediately recognisable in any stadium, on any continent, at any distance.
- 👔 He became player-manager of Chelsea in 1996 — winning the FA Cup in 1997 and introducing a continental style of play that changed the Premier League's approach to squad-building.
- 📊 He scored 83 goals in 117 league appearances for AC Milan — one of the most productive scoring records by an attacking midfielder in Serie A's history.
- 🇳🇱 His combination with Van Basten and Rijkaard formed the core of both Netherlands' greatest national team and AC Milan's greatest club team simultaneously — the most productive clustering of talent from a single country in football history.
- 💪 At 189cm and 84kg, he had the physical attributes of a centre-back, the technique of a playmaker, and the finishing ability of a striker — a combination that no coaching manual could have designed.
Honours
- Ballon d'Or: 1987 — first Dutch winner of the award
- European Cup / Champions League x2: AC Milan (1989, 1990)
- UEFA Euro: Netherlands (1988) — scored in the final
- Serie A x3: AC Milan (1988, 1992, 1993)
- Eredivisie x3: Feyenoord (1984), PSV (1986,1987)
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