1987 Ballon d’Or Winner: Ruud Gullit, The Black Tulip

It was the year that Ruud Gullit finally gained ultimate recognition as Europe’s finest talent.

He became only the second Dutchman to win the accolade following Johan Cruyff’s trio of prizes in 1971, 1973 and 1974.

Gullit’s rise was initially slow and steady. But within the space of two years leading up to his award, he had developed into the hottest midfield prospect on the continent.

1987 saw ‘The Black Tulip’ finally bloom.

Underrated And Overlooked

During his early years in Dutch football, Gullit had always been something of an accomplished and consistent goal-scoring midfielder.

In 1985, Gullit moved from Feyenoord to PSV for £1.2 million which sparked a real upturn in his output. It transformed the Dutchman’s game, making Gullit one of the deadliest deeper-lying attackers in the world – scoring 46 goals in 68 league appearances across two seasons.

Gullit was criticised by many Feyenoord supporters who accused him of moving to Eindhoven for the larger salary package – even branding him a “wolf.”

Nonetheless, it was at PSV that Gullit soon established himself as a world-class talent and he began to catch the eye of numerous European giants.

In 1985/86, the Dutch international scored 27 goals in 38 games across all competitions. At the end of that season, Gullit was also named Footballer of the Year as he helped PSV secure the Eredivisie title.

Yet oddly he seemed underrated and overlooked – only finishing 17th in the 1986 Ballon d’Or.

It would take another twelve months of hard work and stellar performances for the rest of European football to wake up and take notice of his star quality.

Recognised And Rewarded

On his way to the 1987 Ballon d’Or, Gullit had to fend off stiff competition.

Second-place Portuguese winger Paolo Futre scored 15 goals in 40 games with his Porto side winning the European Cup for the first time in their history.

In third was Emilio Butragueño, who once again won La Liga with Real Madrid, netting 19 times in 45 appearances – also impressing on the continent – scoring 5 European goals in 7 games

But Gullit’s calendar year was remarkable!

During the 1986/87 campaign he was once again sensational, in 37 games for PSV he added another 26 goals to his tally as they retained the Eredivisie title.

In the summer of 1987, Gullit made a career-defining move from PSV to AC Milan for a then-world-record transfer fee of £5.5 million. He gained a nickname – “The Black Tulip” – the floral imagery suggesting a certain elegance to his play.

In Serie A, renowned as a more technical and defensively sound league, Gullit continued to impress and ended the season with 13 goals in all competitions – his best-ever return in a single season at the San Siro.

The Dutchman would go on to captain the victorious Netherlands national team of Euro 1988 and in 2004, Gullit was named one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Yet it was his 1987 Ballon d’Or win that cemented Gullit’s place as one of Europe’s greatest midfielders.

1987 Ballon d’Or Top 20

Trivia

1987 was Ruud Gullit’s finest year in a Netherlands shirt – scoring five times in six international appearances.

Paolo Futre’s second-place Ballon d’Or finish was the best of his career – as he secured Porto the first of only two European cup successes in the club’s history.

Emilio Butragueno won an incredible 16 trophies during his twelve seasons at Real Madrid including six La Liga titles and two UEFA Cups.