NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 22:28
An ode from Douwe Bob to Gullit, who wins the FBK Career Prize
Ruud Gullit was awarded the Fanny Blankers-Koen Career Prize at the NOC*NSF Sports Gala in Papendal. After Johan Cruijff (2005) and Edwin van der Sar (2011), he is the third former footballer to receive this honor.
In 1987 Gullit was voted Sportsman of the Year. That year he also received the Ballon d’Or, then awarded to the best European Footballer of the Year. He then dedicated the prize to the South African anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela, who was still imprisoned at the time.
Gullit happy with more diversity at KNVB: ‘Otherwise you miss opportunities’
On stage in Papendal, Gullit took the opportunity to make a plea for more diversity, especially at the top administrative levels of football. He praised the developments at the KNVB in that respect.
“We have a woman as chairman (Marianne van Leeuwen, ed.) at the KNVB and Nigel de Jong as technical manager,” he said. “People like to choose people who resemble themselves. So if you only have old white men at the top, there will only be old white men.”
Award-winning Gullit happy with more diversity at KNVB: ‘Otherwise you miss opportunities’
“You have to give people who are different a chance,” Gullit continued. “Otherwise you leave talent and angry people behind. I am very proud that things have changed in the higher echelons of the KNVB.”
The 62-year-old Gullit is forever linked to the Dutch team that won its only international top prize at the 1988 European Championship and to AC Milan that won the Italian title three times, the European Cup twice, the European Cup once between 1987 and 1993. Supercup and won the World Cup twice.
Gullit also became champion with Feyenoord (1984) and PSV (1987). As a coach he won the FA Cup with Chelsea in 1997.
