Dutch comeback for Gullit
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Article summary
Ruud Gullit has returned to coaching after agreeing a two-year contract with the Netherlands Under-20 team.
Article body
Two-year deal
Gullit, the former Chelsea FC and Newcastle United FC manager, has signed a two-year contract with the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) which should take him through to the finals of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship to be held in the Netherlands. It is the 40-year-old's first coaching position since he resigned from his post at Newcastle in 1999, having been sacked by another Premiership club, Chelsea, a year earlier.
Dramatic career
In a successful playing career, Gullit starred with Haarlem FC, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie before moving to Serie A side AC Milan. At the San Siro, Gullit won the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1989 - when he scored twice in a 4-0 final defeat of FC Steaua Bucuresti - and 1990. After leaving Milan, he joined their Italian rivals Sampdoria UC before heading to England with Chelsea.
International class
Gullit also made 66 appearances for the Dutch national team, scoring 16 times. His crowning moment was a goal in his country's 2-0 victory against USSR in the 1988 UEFA European Championship final. He announced his retirement from international football just before the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
