Suriname's commemorative gold program of the late 1980s and early 1990s leaned heavily on Dutch football — unsurprisingly, given that a disproportionate number of the Dutch national squad's most celebrated players traced roots to the former colony. Gullit himself was born in Amsterdam to a Surinamese father from Paramaribo, and his 1988 European Championship performance had made him the most recognizable face in world football heading into Italia '90.
The tournament itself disappointed Netherlands fans; the defending European champions were eliminated in the round of sixteen by West Germany. Suriname had issued the coin before a ball was kicked.
Suriname's commemorative gold program of the late 1980s and early 1990s leaned heavily on Dutch football — unsurprisingly, given that a disproportionate number of the Dutch national squad's most celebrated players traced roots to the former colony. Gullit himself was born in Amsterdam to a Surinamese father from Paramaribo, and his 1988 European Championship performance had made him the most recognizable face in world football heading into Italia '90.
The tournament itself disappointed Netherlands fans; the defending European champions were eliminated in the round of sixteen by West Germany. Suriname had issued the coin before a ball was kicked.