The Big Interview: Ruud Gullit

The Dutch legend says his sacking by Chelsea was the worst moment of his professional life and claims he was betrayed by people he trusted.

He had spent the best years of his football life in Italy and was a central figure in a Milan team that won three Serie A championships and two European Cups. The tifosi loved him but, by the end, it was suffocating love. “One evening at a restaurant, the owner said, ‘Ruud, can you do me a favour? Can you come outside for a second?’ I said I’d prefer to just continue my meal. He insisted. So he dragged me outside and there were hundreds of fans just standing there, blocking the street and waiting for me to come and wave. I smiled and waved and they went away.
That kind of thing happened a lot.”