Ruud Gullit

Ruud Gullit (born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, midfielder or forward.

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 to Amsterdam Old West where he played street football alongside Frank Rijkaard.

Gullit joined the DWS club after his move, and came to the attention of the Dutch youth team, where he played alongside future full international teammates, Erwin Koeman, Ronald Koeman and Wim 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.

On 22 September 1978, Gullit signed professionally for HFC Haarlem under coach and former West Bromwich Albion player Barry 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 the Eredivisie.

In his first year at Haarlem, the club finished bottom of the Eredivisie, but bounced back the following season winning the Eerste Divisie.

Gullit was named as the best player in the Eerste Divisie that season.

In the 1981–82 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 against Utrecht I went past four defenders and then the goalkeeper, and scored. It was an unforgettable goal for me."

Barry Hughes was so impressed with the young Gullit that he described him as the "Dutch Duncan Edwards".

The young Gullit was considered as a signing by English sides Arsenal and Ipswich Town, but managers Terry Neill and Bobby Robson turned him down.

Neill later said that he considered £30,000 too much for "this wild kid".

Gullit therefore moved to Feyenoord in 1982, where he made 85 league appearances, scoring 31 goals.

At Feyenoord, Gullit found himself playing in his second season, 1983–84, alongside Johan Cruyff, while the assistant manager was Wim van Hanegem, and they were to leave a lasting impression.

Gullit's first season saw Feyenoord miss out on major honours, but the following year they completed the league and cup double.

Gullit was named Dutch 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.

While at Feyenoord, Gullit became the focus of a race row as manager Thijs 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.

While playing for Feyenoord at St Mirren in September 1983, he was racially abused and spat on by supporters of the Scottish club.

Gullit called it "the saddest night of my life".

In 1985, Gullit moved to PSV for 1.2 million Dutch guilders and wound up scoring 46 goals in 68 league appearances for the team.

Gullit was again named Footballer of the Year in 1986 as he helped PSV capture the Eredivisie crown, a feat they repeated the following year.

It was at PSV that Gullit began to establish himself as a world class footballer and his distinctive, dreadlocked appearance caught the eye of Europe's biggest clubs.

Gullit was also singled out for criticism by large numbers of Feyenoord supporters, who branded him a "wolf" and accused him of moving to Eindhoven for money.

At club level, he moved from PSV to AC Milan in 1987 for a world record transfer fee.

Nicknamed "the black Tulip", he was part of a notable Dutch trio at Milan which included Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard.

Gullit won three Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan.

Gullit won the Ballon d'Or in 1987 and was named the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989.

Normally an attacking midfielder, he was a versatile player, playing in numerous positions during his career.

Gullit was born as Rudi Dil in Amsterdam to George Gullit, a Surinamese who arrived in the Netherlands with Herman Rijkaard (father of Frank Rijkaard), and Dutch mistress Ria Dil from the Jordaan 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 the Rijksmuseum.

Gullit developed his football skills in the confines of the Rozendwarsstraat, and street football was instrumental in his formative years.

He captained the Netherlands national team that was victorious at the UEFA Euro 1988 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and Euro 1992.

In 1995, he signed for Chelsea and a year later was appointed the club's player-manager.

In his debut season, he led Chelsea to FA 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.

In 2004, he was named one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.