Ruud Gullit: English Football's Best Ever Player 'Wasn't Appreciated in England'

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Football legend Ruud Gullit felt underappreciated Spurs icon was England's greatest player.

Ruud Gullit brings a fascinating perspective whenever he discusses English football .

Having signed for Chelsea in 1995 towards the end of his playing career, Gullit arrived at a time when there was considerably less emphasis on technical quality and tactical sophistication than he had been used to.

He'd played alongside Johan Cruyff in the Netherlands, lifted two Champions League titles with AC Milan and was crowned the 1987 Ballon d'Or winner . Yet the Dutchman suddenly found himself operating as a sweeper in a Blues side where centre-backs would respond to receiving passes into feet by simply launching the ball away, regardless of whether opposition forwards were actually applying pressure.

> "It was all about money. You have people around you and they back-stab you. It's a horrible feeling."

So if anyone has a first-hand understanding of English football's historic shortcomings when it comes to technical intelligence and style of play, it's Gullit. That makes his assessment of the greatest footballer England has ever produced particularly compelling.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's a player who won only 53 caps for the Three Lions, made just nine starts at major tournaments, and was labelled 'not appreciated' by Gullit himself.

Writing in 2020, Gullit named England's greatest ever player as his former Chelsea boss, Glenn Hoddle . It's an intriguing choice; while Hoddle is widely regarded as one of England's most naturally gifted players , he certainly isn't among the nation's most decorated. He never won a major tournament with the Three Lions and, despite enjoying considerable success with Spurs, winning two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup, his only other major honour came in the form of a French top-flight title with Monaco.

But it's fitting that Hoddle's only league championship came outside England, because he has long been viewed as a player whose talents were appreciated more overseas. Michel Platini once quipped that if the Spurs legend had been French, he would've received over 100 caps and had an entire team built around him.

Gullit echoed that sentiment, suggesting that Hoddle would have been much more highly valued had he represented the Netherlands...

> "In the eyes of the Dutch, he was the best English footballer ever but in England he was not appreciated. In the Netherlands, we said 'oh my god, he was a player meant for us, not for you'."

Hoddle was renowned for an almost continental style of play, built around outstanding technique, comfort in possession in crowded areas and exceptional creative vision. Unfortunately, during the 1980s, English football placed considerably greater importance on physical strength, aggression and work-rate.

Another issue was finding Hoddle's ideal role within a team, something that ultimately restricted his England career. In the modern game, Hoddle would likely operate as a No.10 or a creative No.8 in a midfield three. But the Three Lions remained committed to 4-4-2 throughout much of Hoddle's era, with Ray Wilkins and Bryan Robson offering more obvious fits for the system, the former acting as a deep-lying playmaker and the latter providing energy as a box-to-box midfielder.

> "He was the best player that's hit the planet. Better than Pele, better than Messi or Ronaldo or anyone else"

Hoddle regularly found himself deployed on the right wing, despite not possessing the natural pace required to make him a major threat from a wide position. Instead of having a side constructed to maximise his strengths, the future England boss was often treated as a spare piece, fitted into whatever space happened to be available in midfield. How many of England's most technically gifted players have suffered a similar fate with the national team?

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