157-528: Ruud Gullit ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈryt ˈxʏlɪt] ; born Rudi Dil ; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a forward , midfielder or defender . In 2004, he was named one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA 's 100th anniversary celebration. Gullit captained the Netherlands national team that
314-445: A 4–3–3 formation ), or they have even been switched to a deeper position in which they are required to drop back to link-up with the midfield, while also supporting another striker playing alongside them up front (in a 4–4–2 formation). Many teams still employ one of their strikers in this latter more withdrawn role as a support forward for the main striker, in a role broadly similar to the inside forward. An outside forward plays as
471-552: A second striker – such as Roberto Baggio or Alessandro Del Piero. Another similar example of an effective partnership at international level was that of Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach with the United States national team , who scored a combined 55 goals in 2012, matching a 21-year-old record set in 1991 by Michelle Akers (39 goals) and Carin Jennings (16 goals) as the most goals scored by any duo in U.S. WNT history. One of
628-454: A second striker , he was capable of playing anywhere in midfield or along the front-line , on either wing or even in the centre , and could also play as a sweeper . Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, his foremost attribute was his athleticism, as he used his strength and speed, combined with his technique, to great effect. He was also strong in the air, as he was tall, powerful, and an excellent jumper. Yet, unusually for
785-487: A striker . This role is somewhat comparable to what is known as the raumdeuter role in German football jargon (literally "space interpreter"), as exemplified by Thomas Müller , namely an attacking-minded wide player, who will move into central areas in order to find spaces from which he can receive passes and score or assist goals. The "false winger" or "seven-and-a-half" is instead a label which has been used to describe
942-399: A "target man", despite having all the necessary features. Such forwards as Zlatan Ibrahimović , Romelu Lukaku , and Erling Haaland have all rejected the term when applied to specifically them, with Ibrahimović preferring to be described as an attacking all-rounder, while Lukaku and Haaland have said to favour poaching goals rather than physical play. As stated above, the target forward is
1099-498: A "wolf" and accused him of moving to Eindhoven for money. Gullit signed for AC Milan in 1987, paying the then world record transfer fee of 18 million guilders as a replacement for Ray Wilkins . Milan's club president Silvio Berlusconi had an ambition to revive the fortunes of the Italian club which had stagnated after its glory days in the 1960s. Among Gullit's teammates at the club were compatriot Marco van Basten , who came at
1256-617: 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. 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
1413-549: A disappointing fourth in the Eredivisie , behind Ajax , PSV and AZ . On 8 November 2007, Gullit became head coach for the LA Galaxy , signing a three-year contract. His US$ 2 million per year salary was the highest ever given to a Major League Soccer (MLS) head coach. Gullit arrived as replacement for Frank Yallop who was let go after Galaxy failed to make the 2007 MLS playoffs despite having record signing David Beckham on
1570-580: A fifth-place finish, led by former player Frans Adelaar , who had become manager. Utrecht finished with the same number of points as RKC Waalwijk , Roda JC and Vitesse, but secured fifth place on goal difference. In 2002 , the team lost the final of the KNVB Cup to Ajax, but in 2003 and 2004 , the team, which had come under the leadership of Foeke Booy , managed to win the cup. Important players in this period included Dirk Kuyt , Tom Van Mol , Jean-Paul de Jong , Pascal Bosschaart and Stijn Vreven . In 2004,
1727-407: A financial injection in exchange for a substantial shareholder position. The insurance company appointed Hans Herremans as club chairman. Many investments were made immediately in 1996, as Errol Refos , Rob Witschge and former Utrecht player John van Loen came over from Feyenoord , Reinier Robbemond from Dordrecht , Dick van Burik from NAC and Michael Mols from Twente . Ronald Spelbos
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#17330944931401884-432: A flexible attacking approach which opposition teams found difficult to effectively mark. In a two-player front line, it is common for two forwards who complement one another to be paired together; for example, former Italy manager Cesare Maldini often used a large, physical, and prolific player as a traditional centre-forward – such as Christian Vieri – alongside a smaller, faster, creative and more technical player as
2041-456: A goalscoring opportunity. They should also be capable of finishing well with either foot as well as their head (which is less common, seeing as many second strikers are diminutive creative players), as this will lead to a good scoring percentage on attempts on goal and give their team an advantage offensively. Although they are often deployed in a free role, and given "licence to roam", and either run forward, or drop further back in order to pick up
2198-509: A large and physical player who usually plays as a centre-forward, and who will attempt to win aerial challenges and hold up the ball on the flank, or drag full-backs out of position. Jostein Flo epitomizes this role so much so that a tactic was named after him – Flo Pass . Egil Olsen , while managing the Norway national football team , positioned Flo, usually a centre-forward, on the right flank to exploit
2355-523: A lone centre-forward in Johan Cruyff's Barcelona Dream Team , a role which was similar to that of the modern false 9 role. Roma under manager Luciano Spalletti used Francesco Totti , nominally an attacking midfielder or trequartista , up-front in an innovative "4–6–0" formation in the mid-2000s; this was met with a run of 11 consecutive victories. At Euro 2012 , Spain manager Vicente del Bosque , although sometimes deploying Fernando Torres as
2512-459: A long history in the game, but the terminology to describe their playing activity has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, creative or deep-lying centre-forwards ("sub forwards"). More recently, the role has occasionally been colloquially referred to as the centre-forward role, however, two more variations of this old type of player have developed: the second, or shadow, or support, or auxiliary striker and, in what
2669-422: A man of his stature, Gullit was an elegant player, who also possessed outstanding natural balance, poise, technical ability, and dribbling skills, which gave a graceful style to his game. Gullit also was noted for his intelligence, creativity, vision, and spatial abilities, qualities that helped him score goals early in his career and enabled him to play in a deeper role as a playmaker late in his days, where he
2826-589: A match between Newcastle and local rivals Sunderland following the latter's return to the Premiership, Gullit left the usual starting strikers Shearer and Duncan Ferguson on the bench. Newcastle lost 2–1, and Gullit resigned three days later, five games into the 1999–2000 season . Before the start of the 2004–05 season , Gullit took charge of Feyenoord, quitting at the end of that season without winning any trophies, being replaced by Erwin Koeman . Feyenoord had finished
2983-401: A more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker role, is an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward, who drops deep into midfield. The purpose of this is that it creates a problem for opposing centre-backs who can either follow the false 9, leaving space behind them for onrushing midfielders, forwards or wingers to exploit, or leaving the false 9 to have time and space to dribble or pick out
3140-416: A pass. The term comes from the traditional number for centre-forwards (nine), and the fact that normally a centre-forward traditionally stayed near the line of defenders until they got an opportunity to move past them toward goal. Key attributes for a false 9 are similar to those of a deep-lying striker: dribbling ability to take advantage of space between the lines, good short passing ability to link up with
3297-420: A player who does not run or look to make runs as compared to other forwards. Typically they are strong, tall, and physical players. Usually, the build-up play of a target forward will often consist of one of the following options: firstly, the goalkeeper will either launch a long kick or distribute the ball to a central defender or full-back. From there, the defender will play a long ball to the striker, either in
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#17330944931403454-594: A record-breaking number of goals for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage. The next year, the Liverpool attacking quartet of Roberto Firmino , Mohamed Salah , Sadio Mané and Philippe Coutinho , dubbed the "Fab Four" (in reference to the Beatles ), contributed to a record-breaking 47 goals for a single Champions League season. MSN is known to be one of the most successful striker combinations in
3611-543: A regain of ball possession." FC Utrecht Football Club Utrecht ( Dutch pronunciation: [ɛfˈseː ˈytrɛxt] ) is a Dutch professional football club based in Utrecht . The club competes in the Eredivisie , the top tier of Dutch football , and plays its home matches at the Stadion Galgenwaard . The club was formed in 1970 as a merger between local clubs VV DOS , USV Elinkwijk and Velox. Since then,
3768-696: A result of Utrecht's success, Ten Hag was appointed new head coach of Ajax with assistant De Jong taking over as head coach on 1 January 2018. Utrecht's stadium is the Stadion Galgenwaard , previously named the Galgenwaard, then later the Nieuw Galgenwaard. It has a current capacity of 23,750 spectators. The attendance on average was 19,600 people in 2004–05, while the average attendance rose to 20,004 in 2006–07. The 2023–24 season saw an alltime high in average attendance with 20,500 people visiting on average. The stadium also accommodates several shops, offices and
3925-411: A single entitled " We geven het niet op " ("We don't give up"). The municipality of Utrecht eventually decided to respond to the massive local support and covered expenses. The early 1980s, under the leadership of head coach and former player Han Berger , were successful. The team finished in fifth place in 1980, third in 1981 and fifth place in 1982 of the Eredivisie and in 1982 the club also reached
4082-684: 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
4239-405: A tall and physically strong player, who is adept at heading the ball; their main role is to win high balls in the air, hold up the ball, and create chances for other members of the team, in addition to possibly scoring many goals themselves. However, the two terms are not necessarily synonymous, with the target forward having developed into a more specialised role, while the centre-forward description
4396-431: A traditional striker, often used Cesc Fàbregas as a false 9 in several matches, including the final . By the end of 2012, the false 9 had gone "mainstream" with many clubs employing a version of the system. Barcelona's Lionel Messi has been an epitome of the false 9 position to much success in recent years, first under coach Pep Guardiola and later under his successor Tito Vilanova . Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino
4553-412: A trend of playing inverted wingers – wide players stationed on the 'wrong' side of the pitch, in order to enable them to cut inside and shoot on their stronger foot and sometimes provide in-swinging crosses. This tactic was used by Frank Rijkaard , who, whilst at Barcelona , moved Lionel Messi from the left flank onto the right wing, initially against the player's wishes. This allowed him to cut into
4710-402: A type of player who normally plays centrally, but who instead is deployed out wide on paper; during the course of a match, however, they will move inside and operate in the centre of the pitch, in order to drag defenders out of position, congest the midfield and give their team a numerical advantage in this area, so that they can dominate possession in the middle of the pitch and create chances for
4867-584: A wealth of attacking options. Four-man packages expand options even more. Strikers must also be flexible, and be able to switch roles at a moment's notice, between the first ( advanced penetrator position ), second ( deep-lying manoeuvre ) and third ( support and expansion, e.g. wings ) attacker roles. Another example was the Total Football played by the Dutch team in the 70s, where the ability of their players, and in particular Johan Cruyff , to swap positions allowed
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5024-657: 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. 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
5181-520: Is also a prolific goalscorer; otherwise, a mobile forward with good technical ability ( dribbling skills and ball control), acceleration, vision, passing, and link-up play, who can receive the ball and retain possession, in addition to being capable of scoring goals and creating opportunities for a less versatile centre-forward, is more suited to playing in the second striker role. This player should also be able to position themselves well in order to receive passes and subsequently either create or finish off
5338-528: Is in fact a distinct position unto its own, the number 10; the former role is exemplified by players such as Dennis Bergkamp (who would play just behind the striker Thierry Henry at Arsenal ), Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus , Youri Djorkaeff at Inter Milan , or Teddy Sheringham at Tottenham Hotspur. Other creative offensive players who play further back, such as Lionel Messi , Diego Maradona , Ronaldinho , Kaká , Rivaldo , Michael Laudrup , and Zinedine Zidane are often instead described as
5495-423: Is known as "segundo atacante" or "ponta-de-lança". The position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre-forward, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes. The role is broadly analogous to the "hole" or second striker position in
5652-503: Is more broad, encompassing many types of forwards. When numbers were introduced in the 1933 English FA Cup final , one of the two centre-forwards that day wore the number 9 – Everton's Dixie Dean , a strong, powerful forward who had set the record for the most goals scored in a season in English football during the 1927–28 season. The number would then become synonymous with the centre-forward position (only worn that day because one team
5809-597: Is one of the highest rated in the game. In 2014, Gullit joined BBC's Match of the Day as a studio pundit and first appeared during the 2014–15 season . Gullit embarked on the Heineken Champions League Trophy Tour in 2016 where he visited Vietnam with Carles Puyol . For the 2022 World Cup , Gullit worked for BeIN Sports and has continued to do so for the UEFA Champions League coverage for
5966-629: Is the idea that players should disturb the ball holder and block passing lanes, which is done in high-pressing and closing down. Closing down is the ability of a player to very quickly start defending the opposing player with the ball. This usually falls under the concentration principle of football, so strikers must be able to start defending the opposing team very high up in the opposing half. Although many believe strikers are not very involved in defensive strategies, they greatly help with "gathering defense to protect vital zones from progression of offensive actions, direct play to less vital zones, and allow for
6123-516: The 1955 FA Cup Final , but lost to Newcastle United 3–1. The following year City again reached the final where they played Birmingham City , this time winning 3–1. Throughout his career, Johan Cruyff was often deployed in a free role as a centre-forward with Ajax, Barcelona, and the Netherlands in the 1970s in Rinus Michels 's fluid 1–3–3–3 formation, which was a key and trademark feature of
6280-559: The 1993 Champions League final in which Milan lost to Marseille, as under the UEFA rules clubs were only allowed to field three foreigners, which was later abolished after the decision of the Bosman ruling . Gullit: "After my injury, I was not the Ruud Gullit anymore what I was before. I had to adjust myself to a different way of playing football, because of the injury and because I was that much out of
6437-497: The 1994 World Cup , Gullit walked out of the pre-tournament training camp and would never play international football again. A complete and versatile player, Gullit epitomised the ethos of Total Football as he was naturally adept in several positions, and was capable of aiding his team defensively as well as offensively due to his work-rate, ball-winning abilities, and tactical intelligence in addition to his skill and physical qualities. Normally used as an attacking midfielder or as
Ruud Gullit - Misplaced Pages Continue
6594-973: The 2004–05 UEFA Cup and the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League Source: UEFA.com Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal Difference. Defunct competitions indicated in italics. Below is a table with Utrecht's results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with FC Utrecht: Member associations are listed in order of most to fewest current and former FC Utrecht players represented internationally The following
6751-431: The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League , their best European results. In the late 1960s, the municipality of Utrecht initiated talks of a merger between the professional departments of VV DOS , Velox and USV Elinkwijk with the aim of continuing to guarantee professional football at top level in the city. DOS was the largest of the three clubs, and had won a national championship in 1958 . With stout defensive tactics,
6908-652: The 2022-23 season . Gullit is a Feyenoord supporter. His son Maxim Gullit plays for Cambuur . Forward (association football) In the sport of association football , a forward ( attacker or striker ) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders . As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on being able to create space for attack. Their advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean forwards normally score more goals on behalf of their team than other players. Attacking positions generally favour direct players who take on
7065-537: The Beloften Eredivisie in the 2015–16 season. With changes made to the Dutch football league system , Jong Utrecht was therefore promoted to the second-tier Eerste Divisie . In the 2016–17 season, Utrecht secured a fourth-place finish with two match-days left to play. In the final of the play-offs for European football, they beat AZ Alkmaar was after an exciting diptych (0–3, 3–0, 4–3 after penalty shoot-out ). As
7222-665: 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
7379-624: The Eerste Klasse . On 1 July 1970, the merger became a fact and FC Utrecht was founded. Since VV DOS had managed to avoid relegation from the Eredivisie in the season before , the new club could immediately play at the highest level in its inaugural season. Utrechts's home ground became Stadion Galgenwaard , which had previously been the VV DOS home ground, the largest stadium of the three parent clubs. The first manager of Utrecht became Bert Jacobs ,
7536-515: The Eredivisie a few times. In 1968, however, the team relegated to the third-tier Tweede Divisie again. Elinkwijk had been more successful than Velox. A yo-yo club , Elinkwijk alternated seasons in the bottom of the Eredivisie with seasons in the top of the Eerste Divisie. In addition, there was a sentiment in Elinkwijk that it was not originally an Utrecht-based club, but that it belonged more to
7693-561: The European Cup to their list of honours. That performance was followed by a 4–0 victory over Steaua București in the 1989 final, with Gullit scoring two crucial goals. According to Gullit: “The year that we won the Champions League, in the semi-final against Real Madrid I got injured. My meniscus was broken. I got a very quick operation so that I could play the final. The next season when I started to train again, not only my meniscus
7850-479: The Johan Cruyff Shield was also won at the expense of Ajax (2–4), as Hans Somers claimed a key role with two crucial goals. As a result of, among other things, a new financial crisis and a lack of lucrative transfers, Utrecht was again on the brink of collapse in the spring of 2003. There was no more money to pay Midreth, the company responsible for constructing the renovation of the stadium. At that time,
8007-570: The KNVB Cup final, which was lost to AZ '67 . The team also played European football for the first time in club history. The success was in large part due to the large number of youth players that broke through to the first team during these years. Out of eighteen first-team players reaching the cup final in 1982, fourteen were academy players, including van Breukelen, Gert Kruys , Willy Carbo and Ton de Kruijk . Many of these players, such as Leo van Veen , Frans Adelaar , Willem van Hanegem , Ton du Chatinier and Jan Wouters , would later return to
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#17330944931408164-413: The centravanti di manovra (which literally translates to "manoeuvring centre-forward"), due to the player's tendency to move freely and participate the build-up of attacking plays. The term " target forward " or " target man " is often used to describe a particular type of striker or centre-forward whose main role is to win high balls in the air, hold up the ball, and create chances for other members of
8321-460: The "foreign revolution" as numerous high-profile international stars, such as Italian Gianfranco Zola and Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp , joined Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, which helped to increase the Premier League's worldwide profile. In 1981, on his 19th birthday, Gullit debuted for the Netherlands national team against Switzerland as a substitute, a game the Dutch lost 2–1. Gullit
8478-400: The "number 10", and usually operate as an attacking midfielder or advanced playmaker . The second striker position is a loosely defined and most often misunderstood description of a player positioned in a free role, somewhere between the out-and-out striker, whether the player is a "target man" or more of a "poacher", and the number 10 or attacking midfielder, while possibly showing some of
8635-427: The 0–1 lead, the team eventually lost 4–1. The club finished in 9th place in its inaugural season, a solid midtable finish. In the first ten years of its existence, Utrecht grew steadily. Important players from that period were Hans van Breukelen , Leo van Veen and Willem van Hanegem . In the early 1980s, it was decided to construct a new stadium, which was called Nieuw Galgenwaard . The tide turned in 1981 when
8792-496: The 1989–90 season before appearing in the cup final. In 1990–91, Milan's pursuit of a third consecutive European Cup was cut short by Marseille at the quarter-final stage. Having drawn the first leg at the San Siro , Milan trailed to a Chris Waddle goal with little time remaining when the floodlights went out. After a short delay the lighting was restored, but Milan had returned to their dressing room and refused to return to complete
8949-452: The 2010s in the La Liga , as well as the UEFA Champions League . Although the striker is mainly an offensive position in many cases, they still play critical roles for defense that are often overlooked. Strikers can be involved in tactics such as high-pressing, cutting out passing lanes, defending set pieces, and tracking back (mostly for wingers). For high-pressure, this tactic is employed when
9106-407: The 4–3–1–2 or 4–1–2–1–2 formations. The term centre-forward is taken from the earlier football playing formations , such as the 2–3–5, in which there were five forward players: two outside forwards , two inside forwards , and one centre-forward. The term " target forward " is often used interchangeably with that of a centre-forward, but usually describes a particular type of striker, who is usually
9263-495: The Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) opened an investigation into the club. They could reveal a series of financial malpractices, including transfer and salary costs of various players being financed illegally. Between 1976 and 1980, the club had not paid national insurance contributions and taxes on signing bonuses. In addition, there had been committed fraud with receipts. The club could not meet
9420-510: The Galaxy, citing personal reasons. This came following a seven-game winless streak. General manager Lalas was fired at the same time. On 18 January 2011, Russian Premier League side Terek Grozny announced that Gullit has agreed to sign a year-and-a-half contract and become the head coach for the Chechen side. Upon signing, Gullit told Sovetsky Sport , "I'd like to believe that I can bring joy into
9577-515: The Netherlands faced the Soviet Union again in the final . Gullit opened the scoring with a header and Marco van Basten scored a volley from a narrow angle to cap a 2–0 victory. Gullit was thus the first Dutch captain to hold aloft international silverware. Gullit's knee injuries also hampered his playing time at the 1990 FIFA World Cup , but his dribble and shot against the Republic of Ireland helped
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#17330944931409734-433: The Netherlands qualify for the second round. The Netherlands faced West Germany in a match marred by an altercation between Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler . The Germans gained revenge for their defeat at Euro 1988 by beating the Netherlands 2–1 and going on to win the tournament. At UEFA Euro 1992 , Gullit appeared in strong form against Scotland in their opening game of the tournament as he supplied Dennis Bergkamp with
9891-486: The Week column, "Ruud Gullit is a great player by any standards. He has all the skills. He's not afraid to do things with the ball. And he looks as if he's enjoying every second of it. By my reckoning that's what makes him an even better player than Maradona . Both have the key quality you will find in all the best players: balance. You just can't knock them off the ball. It was the same with Pelé , Beckenbauer and Cruyff ." In
10048-469: The ability to link-up with teammates and pass the ball under pressure in breakaway situations. While many strikers wear the number 9 shirt, such as Alan Shearer , an out and out striker, the position, to a lesser degree, is also associated with the number 10 , which is frequently worn by more creative deep-lying forwards such as Pelé , and occasionally with numbers 7 and 11, which are often associated with wingers. Deep-lying forwards or second strikers have
10205-462: The advanced forward on the right or left wing – as an outside right or outside left , typically as part of a 2–3–5 formation or one of its variants. As football tactics have largely developed, and wingers have dropped back to become midfielders , the terminology has changed and "outside forward" has become a historical term. Many commentators and football analysts still refer to the wing positions as "outside right" and "outside left". Such players in
10362-453: The air or ground. The target forward usually has perfected their ability to provide first touches of the ball on all areas of the body. They will control the ball and provide holdup, which allows their teammates to transition forward. From here, they may create more opportunities such as passing the ball backwards and creating space by moving around defenders, making combination plays with a "false 9", midfielders, or wingers, or turning and facing
10519-432: 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
10676-512: The ball in deeper areas, giving them more time and space in possession, second or support strikers do not tend to get as involved in the orchestration of attacks as the number 10, nor do they bring as many other players into play, since they do not share the burden of responsibility, functioning predominantly in a supporting role as assist providers. In Italy, this role is known as a "rifinitore", "mezzapunta", or "seconda punta", whereas in Brazil, it
10833-435: The best football clubs of all time. Of the prolific trio, Karim Benzema typically played the center forward position, while Ronaldo and Bale played as inverted or outside forwards, so they were able to cut into the center with their dominant side. Between the two trios Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d'Or trophies, while Cristiano Ronaldo has won the second most of these trophies, at 5. BBC rivaled MSN throughout
10990-493: The centre and shoot or cross with his left foot. Another example of a successful inverted winger partnership was Bayern Munich 's pairing of the left-footed Arjen Robben alongside the right-footed Franck Ribéry , on the right and left flanks respectively. A description that has been used in the media to label a variation upon the inverted winger position is that of an "attacking", "false", or "goalscoring winger", as exemplified by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale 's roles on
11147-695: The centre-forward, the traditional role of a striker is to score goals; strikers are therefore known for their ability to peel off defenders and to run into space via the blind side of the defender and to receive the ball in a good goalscoring position, as typified by Ronaldo and Thierry Henry . They are typically fast players with good ball control and dribbling abilities. Shorter statured, more agile strikers like Michael Owen , Romário , Dries Mertens , Sergio Agüero , and Paulo Dybala have an advantage over taller defenders due to their short bursts of speed. Good strikers should be able to shoot confidently with either foot, possess great power and accuracy, and have
11304-404: The characteristics of both. In fact, a term coined by French advanced playmaker Michel Platini , the "nine-and-a-half", which he used to describe the playing role of his successor in the number 10 role at Juventus, Italian playmaker Roberto Baggio , has been an attempt to become a standard in defining the position. Conceivably, a number 10 can alternate as a second-striker provided that the player
11461-412: The club as managers. Although the club went through a golden era results-wise, the club was far from healthy financially. To keep the club afloat, key players were let go every season. Van Breukelen left for Nottingham Forest in 1982, Carbo for Club Brugge in 1983 and Rob de Wit for Ajax in 1983. As a result, Utrecht dropped from a near-top side to more mid-table finishes in the Eredivisie table in
11618-474: 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
11775-401: The club had narrowly escaped relegation for three successive years, and mismanagement had left the club on the brink of bankruptcy. A cynical comment from that time was: "The club can do nothing, not even relegate." Merger plans were experienced less positively at Velox and Elinkwijk. Velox had been promoted to the Eerste Divisie in the early 1960s and had been close to achieving promotion to
11932-469: The club has won three national cup tournaments : in 1985 , 2003 and 2004 , also winning the Johan Cruyff Shield in 2004 as the first club outside the traditional Dutch Big Three . Utrecht is also the only club outside the Big Three which has never suffered relegation from the top-flight Eredivisie. Utrecht have competed in 15 European campaigns, reaching the group stages of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup and
12089-416: The club, with Ten Hag taking the extra role as technical manager. The 2015–16 season proved to be highly successful, with Utrecht ending in fifth place of the Eredivisie table and reaching the KNVB Cup final, which was lost 2–1 to Feyenoord. Utrecht would also lose the final of the play-offs for European football to Heracles Almelo . The reserves team of the club, Jong Utrecht , however, became champions of
12246-410: The club. For the symbolic amount of €1, Phanos wanted to take over the club, including all outstanding debts. The company then intended to demolish the existing stadium to make the site available for housing. The company would then build a new stadium near the new Leidsche Rijn district. Phanos also wanted the club to become a serious contender in the Eredivisie by means of financial injections. The plan
12403-501: The culmination of the 1994–95 season . During his time, he served under future England national team manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and the two had a strong understanding and mutual respect. In his brief time at Sampdoria, he scored 15 goals. In July 1995, Gullit signed for Chelsea on a free transfer. Initially played as sweeper by manager Glenn Hoddle with limited success, Gullit was moved to his more familiar role in midfield, where he scored six goals. The signing of Gullit, alongside
12560-399: The defense of the opponent in order to create scoring chances, where they benefit from a lack of predictability in attacking play. Modern team formations normally include one to three forwards. For example, the common 4–2–3–1 includes one forward. Less conventional formations may include more than three forwards, or sometimes none. The traditional role of a centre-forward is to score
12717-473: The defense-penetrating pass-and-move game. By 2006, Gullit had a talk show on Dutch TV, where he has interviewed, amongst others, Nelson Mandela . When Gullit was named winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1987, he dedicated the award to the then imprisoned Nelson Mandela. Gullit has since said in interviews that he met Mandela after he was released, and that Mandela had said to him, "Ruud, I have lots of friends now. When I
12874-408: The entire tournament as a starting line-up forward tasked primarily with pressing, counter-pressing, winning high or loose balls, and providing key passes to quicker and more agile teammates, namely Antoine Griezmann or Kylian Mbappé . Another example of a striker who played in this position is Didier Drogba . However, not any tall and/or physically strong player feels comfortable in the role of
13031-414: The fact that previous takeover candidate Phanos had failed to comply with the agreement between Utrecht and van Seumeren, they remained affiliated with the club as main shirt sponsor until March 2011. In his role as new owner of the club, van Seumeren was actively involved in the club's footballing policy. In the summer of 2008, against the wishes of head coach van Hanegem, he meddled with the composition of
13188-506: The first manager from outside the British Isles and the first black manager to win a major British football trophy. The club also finished at a creditable sixth place in the Premiership. The following season, with Chelsea in second place in the Premiership and proceeding to the quarter-finals in two cup competitions, he was sacked, allegedly for a disagreement with the club's board over compensation, though Gullit himself disputed this. He
13345-413: The forwards; this position also leaves space for full-backs to make overlapping attacking runs up the flank. Samir Nasri , who has been deployed in this role, once described it as that of a "non-axial playmaker". On occasion, the role of an offensive winger can also be occupied by a different type of player. For example, certain managers have been known to use a "wide target man" on the wing, namely
13502-406: The game. UEFA awarded Marseille a 3–0 victory and expelled Milan from all European competitions for the following season. While Milan continued their domestic dominance by winning the scudetto in both 1991–92 (a season in which they went undefeated) and 1992–93 , Gullit's position became an increasingly peripheral one under new coach Fabio Capello . This was demonstrated by his omission from
13659-403: The game. I had to adapt my game, but I could deal with it. But of course, the role at Milan was less important than before, because at that moment the rotation system was introduced. So we were only allowed to have three foreigners. So sometimes you couldn't play. So that was also hard. When you are used to playing most of the games and all of a sudden you have to rest, so that was hard.”. Torino
13816-601: The goal and attempting to score by dribbling or shooting. Because of their strength and physicality, target forwards may be defended against by man-to-man marking . Sometimes the central defender of the opposing team will be of similar strength and height, which makes the matchup more evenly based. Due to this man-to-man marking, target forwards are often fouled and receive many calls from the referee. Strike teams consist of two or more strikers who work together. The history of football has been filled with many effective combinations. Three-man teams often operate in "triangles", giving
13973-416: The history of football. However, BBC was often compared as the same elite level of forwards. The combination consisted of Karim Benzema , Gareth Bale , and Cristiano Ronaldo . During the height of their success with Spanish team Real Madrid , they were frequently compared to MSN. The two striker combinations played on long time rivals teams Real Madrid and Barcelona, both of which are considered some of
14130-670: The inside forward was initially occasionally known as a mezzala (literally "half-winger", not to be confused with wing-half ); however, the use of this particular term to describe inside forwards is now obsolete, as the mezzala label was later reapplied to describe the role of offensive-minded central midfielders in Italian football, while the inside forward role was instead labelled as "interno" ("internal", in Italian) in Italian football in subsequent years. In today's game, inside forwards have been pushed up front to become either out-and-out attackers or false-9s , or out wide to wingers (in
14287-503: The interference of Ajax legend, Cruyff. Ultimately, the takeover failed. After a number of weaker years, Utrecht reached fourth place in the Eredivisie in 1990–91 , led by manager Ab Fafié and with players such as Johan de Kock , Jan Willem van Ede and Rob Alflen and top goalscorer of the season, Włodzimierz Smolarek . After this, however, things went downhill for the club. Because Utrecht missed out on European qualification, incomes were lost. Between 1989 and 1996, six managers led
14444-458: The latter criticized Gullit's managerial style and said he did not have respect for most of the players. It was later reported that Gullit's appointment had been made in controversial fashion as Galaxy general manager, Alexi Lalas , had been bypassed in the process, with the decision being led by David Beckham's advisers: his management company 19 Entertainment and his personal manager Terry Byrne . On 11 August 2008, Gullit resigned as coach of
14601-411: The latter variation usually requiring quicker pace and good movement, in addition to finishing ability. Most modern centre-forwards operate in front of the second strikers or central attacking midfielders, and do the majority of the ball handling outside the box. The present role of a centre-forward is sometimes interchangeable with that of an attacking midfielder or second striker, however, especially in
14758-473: The league. When Wouters decided not to renew his contract in 2014, after having been head coach for three years, a new direction was taken in terms of technical policy. Co Adriaanse was appointed as technical advisor, a position that has been vacant since Booy's departure in 2012. Adriaanse obtained an advisory, but not binding, voice in player policy, and was given powers in composing the club's coaching staff. Rob Alflen , assistant under Wouters, would provide
14915-407: The left and right flank during their time at Real Madrid in particular. This label has been used to describe an offensive-minded inverted winger, who will seemingly operate out wide on paper, but who instead will be given the freedom to make unmarked runs into more advanced central areas inside the penalty area, in order to get on the end of passes and crosses and score goals, effectively functioning as
15072-481: The left winger Adolfo Pedernera as a man of reference. When Pedernera transferred to Atlanta , a young Alfredo Di Stéfano took his place. A false 9 was also utilised by Hungary at the beginning of the 1950s, with striker Nándor Hidegkuti acting in the role as a deep-lying centre forward. In 1953, English football was astounded by the Hungarian team which beat England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium . The Revie Plan
15229-600: The likes of Mark Hughes and Dan Petrescu , propelled Chelsea to the semi-final of the FA Cup , although they only finished 11th in the FA Premier League . Gullit had some difficulties adapting to the style of play at Chelsea: "I would take a difficult ball, control it, make space and play a good ball in front of the right back, except that he didn't want that pass. Eventually Glenn said to me, 'Ruud, it would be better if you do these things in midfield.'" His adjustment, however,
15386-629: The lives of the Chechen people through football... Of course, I won't deny that I'm getting lots of money from Terek." Gullit left the club on 14 June 2011. In 1988, together with the reggae band Revelation Time , Gullit gained a No. 3 chart hit with the anti-apartheid song "South Africa" in the Dutch Top 40 . Previously, he had a modest hit in 1984 with the song "Not the Dancing Kind". Gullit also joined his band in front of 3,000 people at concerts in Italy, in
15543-406: The majority of goals on behalf of the team. If they are tall and physical players, with good heading ability, the player may also be used to get onto the end of crosses, win long balls , or receive passes and retain possession of the ball with their back to goal as teammates advance, in order to provide depth for their team or help teammates score by providing a pass ('through ball' into the box ),
15700-415: The manager's total football system; although Cruyff was a prolific goalscorer in this position, he also frequently dropped deep to confuse his markers and orchestrate attacks, or moved out onto the wing in order to create space for other teammates' runs, which has led certain pundits to compare this role retroactively as a precursor to the modern false 9 role. Michael Laudrup was occasionally used as
15857-516: The mid-1980s. On 1 April 1985, Utrechts Nieuwsblad published an article about an imminent takeover of the club. A consortium of, among others, the English newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell , Philips , KLM and Johan Cruyff , were said to have plans to invest heavily in Utrecht and acquire a majority shareholding. The supporters of the club were strongly against the takeover, however, especially due to
16014-468: The mid-table of the Eredivisie. On 29 November 2005, French defender and fan favourite, David Di Tommaso died suddenly at the age of 26. Di Tommaso had suffered a cardiac arrest in his sleep. The club subsequently retired Di Tommaso's kit number, 4. At the end of each season, the David Di Tommaso Trophy is awarded to the player who was considered of the most valuable that season by fans;
16171-442: The midfield and the forward line, where their well-honed ball control, technical skills, ability to create chances, and improved reading of the game in the final third can serve to improve their teams' attacking options in tight spaces. An example is Inter Milan 's use of veteran Luís Figo behind one or two other attackers, either as a second striker or in a playmaking role as an attacking midfielder. In recent years there has been
16328-591: The midfield and vision to play through teammates making runs from deep to goal. The first false 9 in a World Cup was Juan Peregrino Anselmo in the Uruguay national team , although he could not play the match against Argentina in the 1930 World Cup due to injury. Matthias Sindelar was the false 9 of the Wunderteam , the Austria national team , in 1934. In South America, in 1941, River Plate's La Máquina team started using
16485-500: The midfield when the more central players are trying to pressure the opposition for the ball. This is a large responsibility for attack-orientated players, and particularly those like Joaquín (winger/wide midfielder), or Ryan Giggs (winger/striker), and John Barnes (winger/central midfielder), who lack the physical attributes of a wing-back or of a more orthodox midfield player. As these players grow older and lose their natural pace, they are frequently redeployed as "number 10s" between
16642-412: The midfield. It is a winger's duty to beat opposing full-backs , deliver cut-backs or crosses from wide positions and, to a lesser extent, to beat defenders and score from close range. They are usually some of the quickest players in the team and usually have good dribbling skills as well. In Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese usage, the defensive duties of the winger have been usually confined to pressing
16799-451: The modern era have been labelled "wing forwards", particularly when the two wingers play high up the pitch in a 4–3–3 or similar formation, where the front 3 attacking players have 3 central midfielders behind them. A wing forward who is known for cutting inside and shooting can have the term "inverted winger" used interchangeably. The responsibilities of an outside forward include but are not limited to: Due to these responsibilities some of
16956-509: The modern game, although here, there were two such players, known as inside right and inside left . In early 2–3–5 formations the inside-forwards would flank the centre-forward on both sides. With the rise of the WM formation , the inside forwards were brought back to become attacking midfielders, supplying balls to the centre-forward and the two attacking outside forwards – known as the outside right and outside left . In Italian football jargon,
17113-567: The most important attributes include: A winger is an offensive player located in a wide position near the touchlines. They can be classified as forwards, considering their origin as the old "outside-forward" position, and continue to be termed as such in most parts of the world, especially in Latin and Dutch football cultures. However, in the British game (in which the 4–4–2 formation and its variants are most commonly used) they are usually counted as part of
17270-406: The most prolific forward combinations in the history of the game was the front three of Barcelona, Lionel Messi , Luis Suárez and Neymar , dubbed MSN . On average they scored a goal every 45 minutes – two goals per game from the three forwards. The trio scored a record-breaking 131 goals in one season for Barcelona during 2015–16 . In 2017, Kylian Mbappé , Neymar , and Edinson Cavani scored
17427-414: The next eight years, until 2001, the club was unable climb to a higher position than tenth place in the table. In 1994 and 1996, the club even finished 15th, just above the relegation spots. In 1996, the team won only six matches, including an important 1–2 win at Twente, which meant that the promotion/relegation play-offs were avoided. Only in 2001, Utrecht managed to achieve European qualification again with
17584-416: The only goal of the match. However, after a goalless draw with Russia and beating Germany 3–1, the Netherlands suffered a shock exit on penalties to Denmark in the semi-finals, after a 2–2 draw; during regulation time, Gullit assisted Rijkaard for a late equaliser. The Danish side ended up winning the championship's Henri Delaunay Trophy. In 1993, Gullit and Netherlands manager Dick Advocaat began what
17741-422: The opposing player is not able to pass the ball or make a play. By performing this method, they can effectively force the opposing team to one area of the pitch and create better opportunities for the opposing team to turn the ball over. They are heavily used in the "delay, coverage, balance, and concentration principles of football" through a variety of methods. According to the delay principle of defense in football
17898-499: The opposing team without the ball will defend the team all the way to their back line of defenders so that they have little area to pass or perform play buildup. Strikers will usually be at the forefront of this high-pressing movement and will attempt to direct ball movement. As part of this high-pressing technique, they can also cut out passing lanes. This means that they will position their bodies in-between an outside defender and central defender or midfielders and center defenders so that
18055-443: The opposition full-backs' lack of aerial abilities. Another example is Mario Mandžukić , a natural centre-forward, who was used on the left flank under manager Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus during the 2016–17 season, as well as the following season. Unlike wide target men of earlier eras, Mandžukić was also tasked with pressing opposing players. Romelu Lukaku has also been used in this role on occasion. A false 9 , similar to
18212-409: The opposition fullbacks when they have the ball. Otherwise, a winger will drop closer to the midfield to make themself available, should their team win back the ball. In British and other northern European styles of football, the wide-midfielder is expected to track back all the way to their own corner flag should their full-back require help, and also to track back their marker, as well as tucking into
18369-518: The pitch. In the 2012–13 season, Utrecht would go on to have one its best seasons historical seasons, finishing fifth in the league table, winning the play-offs for European football and equaling the club points record from 1981 (63 points). The following season, however, turned out to be a setback; Utrecht was eliminated in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League by Differdange 03 from Luxembourg. Utrecht eventually finished tenth in
18526-635: The roster. Gullit's time with Galaxy was troublesome. Not well-versed in the intricacies and specifics of the MLS such as salary cap and draft rules, the Dutchman did not adapt well to the North American league. After losing 0–4 in the season opener, Gullit clashed with midfielder Peter Vagenas , who criticized him for neglecting set-play practice during training. As the season progressed, Gullit clashed with several players, including Landon Donovan and Abel Xavier ;
18683-458: The same time. Later, they were joined by fellow compatriot, close friend as well as Ajax teammate of van Basten, Frank Rijkaard . The club also had a young Paolo Maldini , along with a more experienced Franco Baresi . Gullit's exploits with first PSV and then Milan helped him win the Ballon d'Or award in 1987 which he dedicated to Nelson Mandela . When he first arrived at Milan, Gullit initially struggled to fit in as he spoke no Italian and
18840-435: The same year, Wilco van Schaik was appointed as new director of the club. The change of function endorsed the conversion of Utrecht from a football association to a vennootschap (private limited company). Du Chatinier was sacked in the summer of 2011 and replaced by assistant Jan Wouters . Despite having a successful resume in terms of player sales and signings, Booy was also let go in 2012 after disappointing results on
18997-404: The shares of Utrecht bv for €16 million. He promised to commit to the club for a period of at least ten years and to reinvest any proceeds in the club. He set the goal that the club had to reconnect with the subtop of the league table within a few years, comparable to a club like Heerenveen . Van Seumeren took place in the new supervisory board, of which Jacques van Ek became chairman. Despite
19154-437: The stadium was largely finished. Since the material for the construction had already been delivered, the construction company advanced the costs, about € 5.5 million. However, this once again left the club with a substantial debt. Bankruptcy was averted with a remediation and the sale of all properties, including the stadium, to, among others, the municipality of Utrecht and Midreth. In the following years, FC Utrecht returned to
19311-409: The stated additional tax and was placed under a debt moratorium . Bankruptcy, at that point, seemed inevitable. Various campaigns were organised by players and supporters, and through a petition, the club managed to collect 66,000 signatures for the retention of the club. Under the leadership of goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen, first-team players went canvassing with FC Utrecht merchandise and recorded
19468-465: The summer of 1996, when Glenn Hoddle left Chelsea to become manager of the England national team , Gullit was appointed as a player-manager becoming the first Dutch manager in the Premier League. Gullit made a promising start to his managerial career when in the first season as a player-manager he guided Chelsea to an FA Cup triumph in 1997 , the club's first major trophy in 26 years. In doing so he became
19625-462: The supporters home of the Utrecht fan club (Supporters Vereniging Utrecht), one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Utrecht's first competitive European match, in the team's current iteration (not as DOS), was on 17 September 1980, in the 1980–81 UEFA Cup , playing FC Argeş Piteşti to a 0–0 draw. Since then, the club has participated in fourteen UEFA competitions, advancing as far as the group stage in
19782-421: The system went unbeaten for the last 26 games of the 1953–54 season. Before the start of the 1954–55 season, Manchester City manager Les McDowall called his team into pre-season training two weeks early to try the new tactic. Manchester City lost their first game using the system 5–0, but as the players became more used to the system it started to become more successful. Using the system Manchester City reached
19939-403: The team and there were just as many changes in the board of directors. Quarrels and financial issues arose, which again meant that key players had to be sold to close the holes in the budget. Alflen left for Ajax in 1991, de Kock left for Roda JC in 1994 and Ferdi Vierklau moved to Vitesse in 1996. Main sponsor AMEV intervened in the dire financial situation in 1996. The club received
20096-399: The team in addition to scoring goals themselves. These players are usually tall and physically strong, adept at heading the ball, and capable of playing with their back to goal in the final third of the pitch. Some of the most high-profile examples of this type of players in modern football include Olivier Giroud and Fernando Llorente , both World Cup winners, with the former having played
20253-422: 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
20410-504: The technical staff by replacing assistant coaches John van Loen and David Nascimento , strength and conditioning coach Rob Druppers and goalkeeping coach Maarten Arts. At the end of 2008, he fired van Hanegem, after he had repeatedly expressed negative opinion on van Seumeren. Technical director Piet Buter also left afterwards. They were replaced by the duo Ton du Chatinier and Foeke Booy as head coach and technical advisor, respectively. In 2011, chairman van Dop left Utrecht. In
20567-428: The then 29-year-old head coach of Velox, who was joined by 24-year-old Fritz Korbach from USV Elinkwijk as assistant. Their assignment was to forge one club with one culture from its three cores and three different identities. In the first season, the Utrecht first-team squad consisted almost entirely of former players from DOS, Velox and USV Elinkwijk. Only one outside player was recruited, as defender Co Adriaanse
20724-465: The town of Zuilen which was an independent municipality until 1954. The club had no preference for the impending merger, but eventually gave in to pressure from the municipality. During the merger talks, Elinkwijk tried to secure a spot in the highest league of amateur football, but was instead placed in the Tweede Klasse . The following season, the club won the championship and as a result promoted to
20881-449: The training sessions. The pair were hired with the purpose of making Utrecht play more attacking, attractive football. Alflen disappointed, only leading Utrecht to eleventh place in the league table, and he was let go after only one season in charge in 2015. Erik ten Hag was appointed as his replacement, coming from a position as Bayern Munich II manager. Club icon Jean-Paul de Jong was appointed as his assistant. Adriaanse also left
21038-528: The winner is determined by an internet poll. Before his death, Di Tommaso had been the most recent winner of the FC Utrecht Player of the Year, and the award was named after him since then. After the averted bankruptcy of 2003, Utrecht, despite participating in the UEFA Cup in 2003 and 2004, was no longer able to get out of debt. In July 2007, real estate company Phanos first showed interest in taking over
21195-409: The year he made a move to AC Milan. After his spell at Newcastle, Gullit spent several years working as a football commentator, having previously coined the term "sexy football" during his spell as a BBC pundit for Euro 1996 while still playing professionally for Chelsea. Gullit used the term to describe teams, such as Portugal at that tournament, who played attractive football with an emphasis on
21352-683: Was a normal part of life." Gullit also appeared as a pundit for ITV during the 2006 World Cup and works as an analyst for Champions League games on Sky Sports and Al Jazeera Sports . During the 2010 FIFA World Cup , Gullit worked as a studio analyst alongside former players Jürgen Klinsmann and Steve McManaman for ESPN . He subsequently worked as an analyst for Al Jazeera Sports during Euro 2012 alongside Glenn Hoddle and Terry Venables, among others. In 2013, Gullit and many other former footballers were brought into EA Sports 's FIFA 14 as "Legends" cards in FIFA Ultimate Team; his card
21509-518: Was a variation on the tactics used by the Hungarians, involving Don Revie playing as a deep-lying centre-forward. Revie started attacks by coming into the centre of the field to receive the ball, drawing the opposing centre-half out of position. The role can also be compared to the false role in which Hidegkuti operated. The system was first implemented by the Manchester City reserve team, who using
21666-422: Was appointed manager with Jan Wouters as assistant. In 1998, a complete renovation of the Stadion Galgenwaard was initiated, designed by ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architecten. Despite the capital injection, successes on the pitch failed to materialise during the first years, and a number of managers were hired and fired in rapid succession. In 1993 , the team reached a relatively successful eighth place, but for
21823-499: 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
21980-421: 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
22137-415: Was damaged but also the cartilage, so for that reason, I couldn't play almost the whole season. It was hard because I was on the edge of maybe not playing football anymore.". The following year, Milan retained the trophy as they defeated Benfica in the 1990 final. However, serious injuries sustained to the ligaments of his right knee limited Gullit's playing time, only managed just two domestic games in
22294-439: 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
22451-513: Was interested in signing him, with the chairman claiming that an agreement with Milan was likely. Bayern Munich was also in talks with Gullit, but fell through. Instead, Gullit was loaned to Sampdoria . In 1993, Gullit moved to Sampdoria and led them to victory in the Coppa Italia in the 1993–94 season . He also scored the winner in a 3–2 victory over Milan. Gullit was briefly re-signed by Milan in 1994, but quickly returned to Sampdoria before
22608-521: Was known for creating chances for teammates . Gullit thus combined physical presence with flair, mental acuity, formidable technique and natural touch, to become an iconic figure in world football. He was also an accurate free kick taker. Beyond his qualities as a footballer, Gullit also stood for his leadership and tenacity. Despite his talent, however, he struggled with injuries throughout his career, which later affected his fitness. Gullit's brilliance prompted Garth Crooks to comment in his 1990 Team of
22765-473: Was later also successfully used in the false 9 position under manager Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool. One approach to stop false 9s has been to create congestion in the midfield by bringing several players back into a more defensive role in an attempt to deny them space needed to create plays, notably in José Mourinho 's "parking the bus" strategy. In Italian football jargon, this role is historically known as
22922-612: Was met with a lot of resistance from supporters, as the Stadion Galgenwaard had seen a radical renovation recently. Subsequently, a conflict broke out between chairman Jan Willem van Dop , who had come over as director of Feyenoord in 2005, and the supervisory board. The board accused Van Dop of financial mismanagement, poor communication and egotistical behavior, including the recruitment of manager Willem van Hanegem and striker Kevin Vandenbergh . On 3 September 2007, van Dop
23079-484: Was named manager of Newcastle United two games into the new league season and reached the 1999 FA Cup Final in his first year. Fans remained supportive despite a poor run of results, although well-publicised disagreements with the team's top scorer Alan Shearer and captain Robert Lee did not put him in a favourable light. Gullit refused to assign Lee a squad number, giving Lee's number 7 to new signing Kieron Dyer . In
23236-453: Was new to living in a foreign country. Gullit's first season at Milan, however, saw the club win the Scudetto for the first time in nine years, under coach Arrigo Sacchi . Initially used on the right of an attacking trio alongside van Basten and Pietro Virdis , after van Basten received an injury it was changed to a front two. The following season Milan built on their domestic success by adding
23393-469: Was numbered 1–11 whilst the other was numbered 12–22). The role of a striker is rather different from that of a traditional centre-forward, although the terms centre-forward and striker are used interchangeably at times, as both play further up the field than other players, while tall, heavy and technical players, like Zlatan Ibrahimović , and Edin Džeko , have qualities which are suited to both positions. Like
23550-415: Was on the inside, you were one of the few." In 2007, Gullit recalled, "Four months ago I visited Robben Island and met three guys who were cell-mates of Nelson Mandela. They remembered me dedicating my award in 1987 to Mandela and they said they couldn't believe what I had done, and were sure the football authorities would withdraw the award. That's what apartheid did to them, it made them believe injustice
23707-646: Was one of the key players for the Netherlands as he helped his country win UEFA Euro 1988 under coach Rinus Michels . Having lost their opening game of the tournament to the Soviet Union , the Netherlands beat England and the Republic of Ireland to reach the semi-finals, with Gullit setting up two of Van Basten's three goals in the 3–1 win in the second group match against England. After defeating West Germany 2–1 in Hamburg ,
23864-476: Was rapid and he ended the season by being named runner-up to Eric Cantona as Footballer of the Year. Gullit has since often stated in interviews that it was in London he enjoyed his career the most and felt happiest: "Every time I played for Chelsea, I thought, 'Nice game, beautiful stadium, great crowd, I'm playing well.' It was the only time I really had fun." In moving to Chelsea, Gullit played an important part in
24021-470: Was relieved from his duties as chairman, but was put back in office three days later after summary proceedings . As a result, the entire supervisory board decided to step down. On 2 April 2008, the Utrecht board announced in a press conference that the club had found a suitable takeover candidate in entrepreneur Frans van Seumeren, former director of the Mammoet logistics company. Van Seumeren acquired 63% of
24178-529: Was replaced by Gianluca Vialli , a man he had helped to bring to the club, and who went on to guide them to UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and Football League Cup glory over the remainder of the season. Gullit's last appearance as a player came in the first leg of that season's League Cup semi-final against Arsenal, but Gullit was sacked before the second leg. After Gullit's controversial sacking by Chelsea, chairman Ken Bates said of Gullit, "I didn't like his arrogance – in fact I never liked him." In August 1998, Gullit
24335-480: Was signed for ƒ 125,000 from De Volewijckers from Amsterdam . The core of the squad also consisted of former DOS players Cor Hildebrand, Ed van Stijn, Piet van Oudenallen, Tom Nieuwenhuys and John Steen Olsen , former Elinkwijk players Joop Leliveld, Jan Blaauw, Dick Teunissen and Jan Groenendijk and former Velox player Marco Cabo. Their first official match was against defending European Cup winners Feyenoord . Groenendijk scored Utrecht's first goal, but despite
24492-512: Was to be a long-running dispute which ultimately ended Gullit's international career. Advocaat's decision to play Gullit on the right side of midfield in a game against England at Wembley , rather than his usual central position, upset Gullit and this was exacerbated by his substitution for Peter Van Vossen . Gullit refused to play for the national team following this but later changed his mind and agreed to return, facing Scotland in May 1994. Shortly before
24649-454: Was victorious at the UEFA Euro 1988 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and Euro 1992 . 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 AC Milan which included Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard . Gullit won three Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan. In 1995, he signed for Chelsea and
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