Gullit’s position in the annals of footballing greatness was unquestionably secure long before he joined the Blues in 1995, but he strengthened his case as a pioneer by becoming the first black manager to win a major trophy in England when he guided us to victory in the 1997 FA Cup final. He remains the only black manager to have achieved that feat in this country.

The signing of Gullit from Sampdoria in the summer of 1995 was arguably the most significant the club had ever made. Chelsea had secured the services of a footballing legend, a man who had won the Ballon d’Or, lifted the European Cup twice, and captained the Netherlands to glory at Euro 1988. Nobody saw it coming, but the man himself was clear in his motivations for moving to Stamford Bridge.

‘Glenn Hoddle was the main reason,’ he said. ‘I admired him as a player and I admired what he was trying to do with Chelsea.

‘I also wanted to have my life back. In Italy everybody was on me, so I decided to go into something totally different. I liked the English mentality, similar to the Dutch, so I thought I would see what would happen.’

Gullit remembers ‘feeling like a boy again’ in his first year at the Bridge. Mostly deployed as a sweeper, his quality in and out of possession astounded both his team-mates and those watching on from the stands. As well as being named the Chelsea Player of the Year for 1996, he was also voted into the PFA Team of the Year, his opponents equally mesmerised by his control of the ball, breadth of passing, heading and dribbling ability, not to mention his tactical acumen.

When it became clear Hoddle was leaving Chelsea to take charge of England, the fans made it obvious they wanted Gullit to replace the outgoing manager. He accepted, accompanied by a wave of goodwill.

This was the summer of 1996, when the European Championships were held in England. Gullit, a pundit during the tournament, used the term ‘sexy football’ in one piece of analysis. It stuck, and came to define the Chelsea team he managed.

There was a sense that our national sport was returning to something like it had been from the 1930s to the 1960s, where it was part of the mainstream culture in this country. At the forefront of this renovation was Chelsea, now under Gullit’s leadership and following on from the root-and-brand revolution Hoddle had instigated earlier in the decade.

Ahead of the new campaign, three glamourous signings arrived from abroad: Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Di Matteo and Frank Leboeuf. All cited Gullit as a crucial influence for joining. Gianfranco Zola would join them a few months into the season.

Gullit made some fundamental changes upon taking over, none more so, arguably, than modifying the players’ day-to-day routine. They were to all eat together at the club’s Harlington training ground between sessions, encouraged to talk football and in turn develop a sense of autonomy about their game.

Gullit didn’t want to adopt a paternalistic approach, rather one centred on trust and self-management. He wanted his players to take responsibility. It was the start of a love affair with a new international team that played the sort of football neutrals wanted to come and watch.

‘It’s work, but you work so much better when you enjoy what you do,’ noted Gullit. ‘Who wouldn’t want to have your job?

‘I tried to transmit that to the team. They felt relaxed, and I think that’s why they got all those wins.’

In the league, Chelsea enjoyed a successful season, finishing sixth, but the highlight of his first year in charge came in the FA Cup. En route to Wembley, we memorably defeated Liverpool 4-2 in the fourth round, having trailed 2-0 at the interval. Gullit’s introduction of Mark Hughes turned the tie on its head, and Stamford Bridge witnessed one of its greatest days.

The typically stylish Gullit led Chelsea out in the final. Not only was he the first black manager to take charge of a team in the domestic game’s showpiece event, he was also the first foreign manager to do so.

Just 43 seconds had elapsed when Di Matteo spectacularly fired us ahead against Middlesbrough with one of the iconic Chelsea goals. It was the quickest in a Wembley Cup final at that point.

Eddie Newton, one of our homegrown talents who benefitted hugely from working with Gullit, sealed our first major silverware in 26 years late on.

‘It was one of the best days of my life,’ recalled Gullit later. ‘I knew it had been a long time since we won anything, and I saw the faces of the fans, and I saw the faces of the players, Mark Hughes, Dennis Wise, Mr Chelsea, and it made me happy.’

Gullit’s second season in charge began with the arrival of more quality players amid heightened expectations. Results were initially very good, but by the start of 1998, a dip in form coincided with disagreements over a new contract for Gullit. Nonetheless, the football world was still shocked by his sudden dismissal in the February. The team would go on to win the League Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup that season.

But it was the FA Cup triumph the year before that truly announced Chelsea as a major force to be reckoned with following a generation of mostly disappointment. That it was overseen by a black manager making history in the English game only adds to its significance. While Gullit may have spent just two-and-a-half years at Chelsea, the imprint he left remains indelible.