THE feeling that Giovanni van Bronckhorst had about Ruud van Nistelrooy was one that many shared about him, one that matched his own way of thinking, during his illustrious career for club and country.
A wonderful striker with PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Real Madrid, as well as Holland, Van Nistelrooy never stood out as a student of the game and a manager-in-waiting. Yet, here he is.
He stands on the brink of the Champions League and it is Van Bronckhorst that is in his way. Ironically, the Rangers boss was another who those close to him didn't believe was destined for success in the dugout.
Both men have defied the perceptions of them and now they must overcome their bond as Rangers and PSV prepare for an all-or-nothing tie that could be transformative on and off the park given the rewards on offer.
It will be a case of friends reunited at Ibrox as two of the finest players of their generation attempt to achieve an ambition as a coach and give themselves the chance to operate at the highest echelon once again.
"I haven’t been in touch with him lately," Van Bronckhorst said. "We both have foundations, so I think the last time we spoke in person was about our foundations.
"I never thought he would be a coach. I never had the thought of being a coach either when I was playing. That started after.
"Ruud did his badges for a couple of years and made the decision to get his experience in the academy of PSV.
"He did well with the Under-19s and then last year the second team of PSV. He’s been given a chance to coach the first team now. PSV, of course, is a place where he is very familiar.
"I think the back-up and support he gets from the club is similar to what I had with Feyenoord.
"I’m looking forward to meeting him again and also to seeing a player I played with making his steps as a manager."
Those first forays into coaching were taken with the PSV Under-17s nine years ago. After assisting Guus Hiddink at the World Cup the following summer, Van Nistelrooy returned to the Philips Stadion and progressed through the ranks.
His appointment as manager for this season, as he replaced the outgoing Roger Schmidt, was a leap of faith from the PSV board. It was a jump for the former striker as well.
Van Bronckhorst said: "When you play in the Dutch team with people like Frank de Boer and Philip Cocu, those are players who were always talking about the shape and the focal points in the team.
"They were like an extension of the coach, so you had more of that feeling with them. I also played with Peter Bosz and he was already talking as a coach.
"I didn’t have that with Ruud and I’m sure people didn’t have it with me when I was playing.
"But, in the end, I think the most important thing is that once the jobs gets you and you get more experience and want to give all your every to develop yourself as a coach, that’s when you recognise when a player is becoming a manager after his career."
Victory for Van Nistelrooy would be a significant early marker laid down as his qualities as a coach and influence as a manager are assessed in his homeland and interested observers watch on from afar across Europe.
It carries its own importance for Van Bronckhorst, though. The run to Seville raised the bar and expectations at Ibrox and new heights must now be reached as Rangers seek to earn a group stage berth for the first time in more than a decade.
“I obviously coached before in the Champions League," Van Bronckhorst, who guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title five years ago, said. "It’s a tournament you want to be involved with as a club, as player, as a coach.
"It’s one of the best tournaments in club football in the world. But for me I came here and I wanted to give this club prizes and play against the highest level and that is the Champions League.
"The main thing for me is to qualify and bring the club back to the biggest stage in European football.
“It’s a recognised team in Europe, they play Champions League football, it is a team which is always challenging for the Dutch title.
"We can’t compare PSV with other teams, all the teams are different, but of course with the last play-off before the group stages there is a lot of pressure on both teams.
"We have to control that as well. It’s a big game and you want big games in your career. You want challenges and it’s a big challenge for us.”
It was understandable that Van Bronckhorst would choose not to draw parallels between PSV and some of the established names that Rangers have seen off in recent times. Their record speaks for itself, after all.
Victory over Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Shield has been followed by successive Eredivisie successes as nine goals have been scored in two matches.
The four that were put by Monaco are the most noteworthy so far and a side which includes former Rangers targets Joey Veerman and Xavi Simons carries plenty of threat.
Van Bronckhorst said: “We have seen a few of their games this season, they have some new additions to the squad and a new coach so obviously they play a little bit differently to last year.
"They have bought a lot of experience with Luuk de Jong a striker who has experienced everything in football and he is one of their main players at the moment.
“They have a clear way of playing, they are comfortable on the ball and very strong on transition moments to attack.
"They are a good side, they won the Super Cup in a good attractive game with Ajax and they started the game well. It’s the last step to the group stages so it’s normal that you will face a very difficult opponent.”
