If you’re a fan of soccer then Ruud Gullit needs little by way of introduction. He is one of those stars who emerged in Europe as soccer itself emerged as a worldwide commercial-, and social phenomenon in the last quarter of the 20th Century.
Among his contemporaries are legends such as Johan Cruiff and Diego Maradona, and a whole host of athletes who, like Gullit himself, have parlayed success on the ball into coaching and commentating careers. In fact a great many of the characters in Gullit’s own story should certainly be familiar even to younger fans. Albeit they would know them mainly as those grey-templed managers in three-piece suits prowling the touchlines of the top national leagues today.