Netherlands and AC Milan icon Ruud Gullit is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time and had the opportunity to play with some truly special names during a career that spanned over two decades and was decorated with three Serie A titles and two European Cups.
From Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini at San Siro to Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard at both club and international level, Gullit shared the dressing room with some exceptional talents.
However, when naming his greatest football player of all time, the former Chelsea midfielder made a surprising choice and snubbed all of his former teammates. He instead picked a true legend of the game – someone whom he faced four times during his career at AC Milan.
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Gullit Heaps Praise on Diego Maradona
‘The best player there has ever been’
Diego Maradona
Gullit, speaking to FourFourTwo back in 2007, named Diego Maradona as his greatest footballer ever and claimed the Argentinian icon was even better than Brazilian legend Pele:
“Do I really need to give reasons? The best player there has ever been, better than Pele.
“I watched him closely in Italy every week and he was at a different level to everyone else.
“Some of the things he did were unbelievable. He could control the ball without looking, which meant if the pass was on, he would take it.”
Gullit shared the pitch with Maradona four times during his time with AC Milan, while the Argentinian was playing for Napoli in Serie A.
The Dutch international never lost to Maradona in his career, with Milan winning three and drawing once, while he also scored three goals in those encounters.
Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the game and was a true phenomenon of the sport, with his 1986 World Cup victory with Argentina a particular standout.
The Argentinian played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles and both an Italian and a Spanish cup.
He scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina and featured in four World Cups, including the 1990 edition, where his country lost in the final against West Germany.
Diego Maradona's Napoli Career Stats (1984-1992)
Games
Goals
Assists
Yellow cards
Red cards
Minutes played
Maradona retired from professional football in 1997 on his 37th birthday, during his second stint with Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
He was appointed head coach of the Argentina national team in 2008 and stepped down after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.
The footballing icon passed away at the age of 60 at a house outside Buenos Aires in 2020 following a cardiac arrest.
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Statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt. Correct as of 13-05-25.