‘It was a privilege that such a big club were interested in me at that age’ Ruud Gullit reveals why he turned down Arsenal as a teenager

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The Netherlands legend could have made the move to England more than a decade before he eventually joined Chelsea

Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit could have joined Arsenal as a teenager (Image credit: Alamy)

During the course of his two-decade playing career, Ruud Gullit established himself as one of the best and most complete players in world football.

The Netherlands legend - who was ranked at no.30 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best 100 players of all time last year - was most notably part of the legendary AC Milan side of the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning three Serie A titles and two European Cups, a period in which he also captained his country to glory at Euro 88.

In 1995, Gullit left Italy, swapping Sampdoria for Chelsea, joining Glenn Hoddle’s side on a free transfer and would go on to become player-manager and win the FA Cup.

Gullit on turning down Arsenal

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However, every career has a Sliding Doors moment and for Gullit, his was a decision to snub English football as a teenager.

“When I was at HFC Haarlem at the age of 17, I heard that Arsenal wanted to sign me,” Gullit told Gambling Insider.

Ruud Gullit Frank Rijkaard Marco van Basten AC Milan

Gullit was part of AC Milan's legendary side of the late 1980s and early 1990s (Image credit: PA)

“Liam Brady was a scout at the club at the time, and I was made aware of their interest in bringing me to Highbury. There were talks between the two clubs.

“It was a privilege that such a big club were interested in me at that age, but it was too early for me at that stage in my career, so I turned them down. I just didn’t want to move to the club at that particular point in time.

“I ended up spending a few more years at Haarlem before moving to Feyenoord, which felt like the right move for me.”

Gullit would make the move to Feyenoord in 1982, where he played alongside Johan Cruyff and would win a league cup double in his second season. A move to PSV followed in 1985, before AC Milan broke the world record transfer fee to bring him to the San Siro in 1987.

Ruud Gullit poses with the FA Cup after Chelsea's win over Middlesbrough in the final in May 1997.

Gullit would lead Chelsea to an FA Cup win in 1997 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Gullit would win the Ballon d’Or that year and his seven-year spell at Milan was central to the Italian side’s emergence as one of the best club sides of that era.

Arsenal, meanwhile, would win league titles in 1989 and 1991, but fans can only wonder what kind of impact a young Gullit could have made to their side in the 1980s.

Joe Mewis
Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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