Dutch legend Ruud Gullit reckons belief is key as he backed Gio van Bronckhorst to lead Rangers to Euro glory in Seville.
A double European Cup winner with AC Milan, Gullit has been hugely impressed with the job his compatriot has done in just six months at Ibrox and insists he has put Scottish football back on the map.
And he claims the smiling Ibrox boss has an inner steel that can drive Gers on in their biggest night in 14 years.
Van Bronckhorst stands on the precipice of legend status at Ibrox after guiding Gers to their fifth Euro final with only Eintracht Frankfurt standing in the way of Europa League glory.
But Gullit has not been surprised. He reckons the 47-year-old’s experience of winning the Champions League himself can help Rangers triumph on Wednesday evening.
Gullit said: “You have to believe in it. Yeah. That’s the biggest point.
“Gio had done a great job at Feyenoord already so he showed he was a good manager.
“I think for him coming back to Rangers was a natural thing to do.
“We have seen what he has achieved in Europe, no one expected that and sometimes you grow in a tournament.
“It’s good for Scottish football as it has made people think differently about the Scottish game.
“People are sitting up and noticing that Scottish teams have good teams and good players.
“I think it could help Gio and Rangers the fact he has played in Champions League and World Cup finals.
“He knows how it is for the players and how to handle that.
“It is a week of stress leading up to it, it’s tension, it is always like that.
“But you have to understand that the tension you feel and how you react.
“It’s like if a lion comes towards you, you go into a mode where you react immediately and the stress helps you to perform.
“Without it, you might struggle to reach the levels.
“You have to embrace it, some people think stress is a bad thing, but it isn’t.
“Going into a European final is a good stress, lots of people have stresses about how to feed their family - that’s real stress and it’s difficult to get rid of.
“The players have to handle the pressure - as a coach you can only prepare them.
“They have to do it and it is out of Gio’s control.
“As a manager you want to be involved with the big clubs.
“As a player you lose the tension when the whistle goes and you are just playing.
“As a coach you feel it the whole game and you have to give it to the players and let them do their thing.”
Gullit, who was in Glasgow last night for the Beatson Cancer Charity’s Sporting Dinner, admits van Bronckhorst’s happy exterior has been key to getting Rangers smiling again.
But behind the nice guy outlook is a man with serious steel.
Gullit said: “I never saw Gio becoming a manager, he isn’t the loudest guy in the world.
“He is a bit like Carlo Ancelotti and Sven-Goran Eriksson, I remember signing for him at Sampdoria.
“He was so nice and I wanted to play for him and I didn’t want to make things difficult for him.
“I think it is the same as Giovanni, players want to play for him, players will want to do what he asks.
“He wasn’t afraid to make the tough decisions but he does it with a smile.
“I’m a happy guy and I don’t like seeing all these guys who are grumpy and I love to have fun in what I am doing.
“I enjoyed being a coach but I enjoy my life much more now.
“I saw Phillip Cocu recently and he looked the business. I said to him he looked great after seeing him on the touchline and he looked horrible!
“As a manager you look tired but don’t feel it.
“It is stressful for Gio right now, when you are trying to win things you are always under stress.
“When you go into the final it is a difficult situation and you are desperate to win it for the club.
“You have the responsibility for so many people and your man management is so important.
“It takes a lot for managers to be in charge of everything that is happening, especially in circumstances like this.”
* Ruud Gullit was speaking ahead of his guest appearance at Beatson Cancer Charity’s Sporting Dinner in Glasgow.
