‘Very grateful and happy’ – Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard reminisce about time at Milan

Originally posted on SempreMilan | By Oliver Fisher | Last updated Feb 11, 2025 6:25 AM ET

Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit have reminisced over the time that they spent with AC Milan, helping the club achieve some of its most glorious days.

When thinking of some of Milan’s most iconic sides in the late 1980s into the 1990s, it is impossible not to think of the ‘Tre Tulipani’, the nickname given to the three Dutchman Gullit, Rijkaard and Van Basten.

The two midfielders and the striker won multiple major honours with the Rossoneri and they were also pivotal to the 1988 European Championship win for the Netherlands, establishing themselves as being among the three best players in the world at the time, if not the best.

Milan sat down with all three players for an exclusive interview which we presume was filmed while the trio were over in Italy for the 125th birthday celebrations towards the end of January, and you can watch it in full below.

Below are the comments from Van Basten, who scored over 300 goals in an incredible career that was so sadly cut short at the age of 28 due to recurring ankle issues.

On his first day at Milanello: “Beautiful fields, a great terrain, so much history and the food was great.”

On his best match for AC Milan: “The final in Barcelona against Steaua Bucharest.”

On the first goal that comes to mind: “I don’t know exactly, the two goals in the Champions League final against Benfica come to mind, both very particular.”

On his best quality: “I think the desire to never lose, the desire to win and to do everything I had to to win. Flaw? Concentration is important, it was often there but in easy matches I lost it.”

On who was the strongest out of him, Gullit and Rijkaard: “All three, together.”

On how he would define Sacchi: “Great coach.”

On how he would define Capello: “Winner.”

On how he would define Ancelotti: “Great friend.”

On how he would define Berlusconi: “Number one.”

On the opponent who impressed him the most: “It has to be Vierchowod. He was a tough nut to crack, but he was also nice.”

On his relationship with Gullit and Rijkaard today: “I’m always happy when I have these two friends close by. We still see each other, we eat together, we play golf. We all three live in Amsterdam, we talk about everything and also about Milan. I’m very grateful and happy to have been part of a great team that has won so much, I’m proud.”

This article first appeared on SempreMilan and was syndicated with permission.

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