Gullit: ‘Champions used to come to Milan, now the club is forced to sell them’ | OneFootball

Legendary former Milan midfielder Ruud Gullit says that ‘once upon a time, great champions came to Milan’, but now, ‘the club is forced to sell them’ as he shares his opinions on a disappointing Rossoneri season that could end with the sale of star midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.

The two-time European Cup winner gave an interview to Tuttosport, during which he spoke about the lack of understanding of American ownership groups in football, the future of compatriot Reijnders and the underwhelming 2024-25 Rossoneri campaign.

Gullit on disappointing Milan season: ‘Fans not happy, I understand them’

Milan finished the season in ninth place, and will not compete in any European competitions as a result next season. They will also have to find a new head coach to replace Sergio Conceicao, and could be forced to part ways with some of their star players.

“The fans are not happy, and I understand them,” Gullit told Tuttosport when asked about the current mood in the Rossonero side of San Siro.

“We’re talking about a great club that is accustomed to fighting for the title or at least for a Champions League place every year.”

9 Dec 1992: AC Milan Players Demetrio Albertini, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten form a wall in the European Cup match against PSV Eindhoven. AC Milan won the match 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Cole/Allsport

He feels that there is a lack of understanding from the club’s American owners, who he claims are just in it for the business rather than the love of the game.

“The fact is that American owners, as we have also seen elsewhere in Europe including the Premier League, are unable to fully understand the DNA of the clubs they find themselves controlling. For them, it’s just business.

“It annoys me that figures like Maldini, who wrote Milan’s history, have been dismissed. Ibra finds himself in a role he has never done before. I think he’s doing his best.”

Still, Gullit finds it difficult to explain how things went so badly wrong for Milan in 2024-25: “It’s not a bad team, honestly, I don’t know what happened this year.”

Gullit on Reijnders: ‘It’s normal that sooner or later he might leave’

Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Como at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 15, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Gullit also understands that there is a realistic opportunity that players like Reijnders leave the club if they are not in a position to fight for major honours.

When asked about Reijnders specifically and his links to Manchester City, Gullit said: “Tijjani has just signed a new contract, but in today’s football, it might not mean much.

“He’s a great player, he came to Milan to win trophies. If the conditions to do so are not there, it’s normal that sooner or later he might decide to leave.

“I don’t think that is the case, but you have to be careful. If he decides to leave Italy it would be an incredible loss for the Rossoneri. Once upon a time, great champions came to Milan, today the club is forced to sell them.”