A former European Championship winner turned down the chance to sign for Arsenal at a young age – only to sign for London rivals Chelsea later in his profession.
1988 Euros winner Ruud Gullit enjoyed a storied footballing profession, predominantly plying his trade in his native Netherlands and Italy.
The Dutchman, known for his ability to play in several different positions, began his journey at HFC Haarlem before being snapped up by Feyenoord in 1982.
After three seasons, Guillit was sold to PSV Eindhoven before moving overseas to develop into a lynchpin of the hugely successful AC Milan side of the late Eighties and early Nineties, which won three Serie A titles and two European Cups.
Nevertheless, Guillit’s path to the highest could have looked awfully different had he decided to go away the Netherlands and join Arsenal when the Gunners showed interest in him when he was only 17 years old.
‘Once I was at HFC Haarlem on the age of 17, I heard that Arsenal desired to sign me,’ Gullit told Gambling Insider.
‘Liam Brady was a scout on the club on the time, and I used to be made aware of their interest in bringing me to Highbury. There have been talks between the 2 clubs.
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‘It was a privilege that such an enormous club were interested by me at that age, but it surely was too early for me at that stage in my profession, so I turned them down.
‘I just didn’t need to move to the club at that exact cut-off date.
‘I ended up spending a couple of more years at Haarlem before moving to Feyenoord, which felt like the best move for me.’
While opting to reject a move to the Gunners in his early teenage years, Gullit would eventually find himself in English football for the ultimate three years of his profession.
After two seasons at Sampdoria, the Dutchman swapped Serie A for Stamford Bridge, signing for Glenn Hoddle’s side on a free transfer in July 1995.
And in 1996, after Hoddle’s departure to administer the England national team, Gullit was made player-manager by the Blues, leading them to victory within the FA Cup, the club’s first major trophy in 26 years.
Speaking about his decision to maneuver to Chelsea, Gullit previously told the BBC: ‘Once I joined Chelsea, in June 1995, the Premier League was very different to the best way it’s now. I wasn’t the primary overseas player to return here, but I used to be one in all the primary to reach with an enormous name, from an even bigger league, comparable to Serie A.
‘Looking back, that summer was probably the time the Premier League really began to vary into the competition it’s now, and it needed to. Italy was the king then – all one of the best players were there.
‘English football was very basic compared, and the English desired to have people from outside so that they could attempt to get their game back again to the best European level.
‘Dennis Bergkamp, David Ginola, Juninho. All of them got here concurrently me. The way in which I saw it, it was an adventure. Personally and professionally, I needed to go away Italy after eight years with AC Milan and Sampdoria and, with the Premier League taking off, England just seemed the best place for a fresh start, at the best time for me to do something latest.’
Having spent the prime of his profession at Milan, Gullit said the dearth of facilities at Chelsea caught him off guard at first.
‘No one I spoke to that summer understood why I selected Chelsea,’ he added. ‘I have to say I didn’t know much concerning the club and even that a part of town after I went there – it was simply because Glenn Hoddle was manager, that’s what persuaded me to go.
‘Once I got here for the primary time to see Stamford Bridge, I used to be like ‘what the hell type of stadium is that this?’ I used to be used to playing in one of the best stadiums on this planet, but here there have been only two stands. The place wasn’t only a constructing site, it was a complete wreck. You needed to walk around on planks of wood.
‘The training ground too, was very different to what I used to be used to. Chelsea’s facilities now are world class but then they were based at Harlington, which was a faculty. There was nothing there – just five little locker rooms, and the one thing in any of them was a picket bench and a hook. That was it.
‘But I loved it. It was almost like I used to be going back to after I had just began playing, after I was nine years old. It was incredible.’
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