RUUD Krol will, along with contemporaries like Johan Cruyff, Arie Haan and Johan Neeskens, forever be synonymous with the all-conquering Ajax side of the 1970s as well as the fabled Netherlands team which was such a formidable force in the global game during that halcyon era.
The Dutchman - who is still, nearly 40 years after he retired from playing, widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history - helped the Amsterdam giants to lift the European Cup three years in a row in his heyday.
The 83-times capped left-back cum sweeper cum defensive midfielder was also in his country’s starting line-up in the 1974 World Cup final in West Germany and the 1978 World Cup final in Argentina.
But ask the 76-year-old what the most memorable spell of his long, distinguished and trophy-laden career was and the answer may surprise you. “It was my time at Napoli,” he said without hesitation. “Nowhere else was anywhere near as enjoyable for me.”
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Krol failed to lift any silverware during the four seasons which he spent plying his trade in Italy in the early 1980s. Still, he revelled in the change of scene and the different style of football and performed at a high standard throughout. He received the Guerin d’Oro at the end of his first season and was named in the Serie A Team of the Year the following year.
The supporters took him to their hearts and remember him with affection to this day. That much was obvious as he arrived at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to take in the Serie A game against Torino last month. He was mobbed by excited fans looking for autographs, selfies and the chance to chat to a revered past player as he attempted to get to his seat.
The man who had a stints as the assistant manager of the Netherlands when Frank Rijkaard and Louis van Gaal were in charge was happy to spend some time speaking to the Scottish journalist who was in attendance at the match – your intrepid correspondent - about Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay.
He still follows the fortunes of his old club closely and was well aware of the significant impact which the former Manchester United player has made since completing his £25.7m move there back in August.
Krol is still astonished that his compatriot Erik ten Hag allowed a player who has been on target 12 times for his club in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign to leave Old Trafford – and unsurprised that he paid the price for doing so just three months into this term.
“But for some reason their Dutch coach go let him go, and what is more let him go for a very cheap fee of under €30m. His side was very fallible in midfield and at the back this season and he ended up losing his job and getting sacked because of that. As I say, I thought it was a very strange decision to let Scott go for such a paltry amount.”
He could completely understand why McTominay, who was often overlooked by Ten Hag despite the consistency of his performances at home and abroad for the team he had grown up supporting and come through the youth ranks at, chose to move to Napoli in search of regular first team football at a high level.
He has been pleased to hear the 60-times capped 28-year-old has, as he did when he moved to Italy, fully embraced his new surroundings and lifestyle. He feels that has been an important factor in the success which he has enjoyed and the high regard which the locals hold him in.
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“I get the impression that he loves it here,” he said. “I speak with friends who I still have here and they absolutely love him too, even though it is only his first year. That support will be very, very good for him as well.
“I heard from my friends that he spoke about how much he loves the ‘pomodoro’, the tomatoes here, in an interview that he did. That is for sure a different taste than in England or in Scotland. But small things like that can make an impression on people. They show that he is immersing himself in the culture. It is no wonder the people love him.”
The standard of the Lancaster-born midfielder’s have not done his cause any harm either.
McTominay netted a first half double against Torino the night that Krol was in attendance and sewed up a vital victory that sent Antonio Conte’s men three points clear of Inter Milan at the top of the league table with four matches remaining.
The result ensured that Napoli, who remain three clear with three fixtures to go following their away win over Lecce last weekend, qualified for the lucrative league phase of the Champions League next season.
McTominay has been mentioned as a possible target for Real Madrid and Manchester City. But his illustrious predecessor is optimistic the Scotland stalwart will decide to remain where he is and build on what he has accomplished to date on the continent. He stressed to his successor that he will not find life anywhere else nearly as rewarding.
“This is a special, special club,” he said. “I won everything that there is to win in club association football when I was at Ajax. But the four years that I spent at Napoli were by far the best four years of my career. It doesn’t get any better anywhere else.”
