Ruud Gullit has selected Davie Cooper as left winger in the Dutch legend’s all time XI.
The midfield maestro has always been outspoken as an admirer of the winger. Gullit sees Super Cooper as quite simply one of the best players ever to play the game.
The former PSV, Milan and Chelsea midfielder should know. He’s just about won it all in football. He’s also played with and against some of the world’s best.
Just look at the names of the players Gullit named him alongside. Schmeichel in goals, Maldini, Desailly, Baresi and Kaltz in defence. Cooper takes up the left hand side in a midfield comprising Maradona, Rijkaard and Kaka. Gullit then stuck to his Dutch roots up front, naming Marco van Basten and also Johan Cruyff as his forwards.
Gullit struck by David Cooper from moment he first saw him
Ruud Gullit was instantly impressed by Davie Cooper the moment he laid eyes on him. The Dutch hero also compared him to legendary Man United winger George Best, claiming that Cooper doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Gullit said:
“I played against him for Feyenoord in a friendly. and I saw this guy and I thought, unbelievable.
“I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved as a footballer. Maybe because he was homesick he wanted to always play in Glasgow and that is a pity as not a lot of people know him.
“But for me he was an unbelievable player. He was one of the greatest players in the world of football.
“He was class – a skillful, stylish, intelligent player. There’s not much footage of him, which makes it even harder.
“He was almost like a George Best type – skillful, left-side. He was an unbelievable footballer. So go on YouTube and see him play.”
Was Davie Cooper Scotland’s most talented ever?
He might not have had the illustrious career of some of Scotland’s most well known players, but that shouldn’t matter. He also only ever played for three clubs – Clydebank, Rangers and Motherwell. But that’s part of what makes him so great.
On technical ability alone Cooper could rival any Scot to play the beautiful game.
From Baxter, Johnstone, Law, Souness, Strachan – the lot – Cooper certainly has a place amongst them. He only earned 22 Scotland caps and never won a European trophy, but that doesn’t matter. Least of all to Cooper. Cooper stuck by the club in one of the most challenging and baron periods of our history. During Cooper’s time there Rangers went eight years without a League title.
It was all about Rangers to Super Cooper, he had no regrets.
As the genius winger once said, “I played for the club I loved”.