Ruud Gullit gave Chelsea players champagne BEFORE FA Cup final triumph in 1997 to settle nerves, reveals Blues legend Frank Sinclair – ‘I was tipsy for the warm up!’

Frank Sinclair has revealed that Ruud Gullit had a very special way of calming Chelsea’s nerves prior to their 2-0 FA Cup final victory over Middlesbrough in 1997.

Sinclair started his career at Stamford Bridge in 1990 and went on to appear over 200 times for the Blues, winning football’s oldest trophy as well as the 1998 League Cup.

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Sinclair poses with Dennis Wise and Roberto Di Matteo after winning the FA Cup in 1997

In the 1997 showpiece, Roberto Di Matteo netted a screamer after just 42 seconds before Eddie Newton sealed the triumph late on.

And it’s no wonder the Blues made such a courageous start.

Sinclair, who started the match at centre-back, revealed Gullit gave the team champagne because he sensed pre-match nerves ahead of the Wembley showpiece.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup final against Leicester on Saturday – which is live on talkSPORT – he told talkSPORT 2: “Initially in the changing rooms, Ruud Gullit sensed a little bit of nerves between the players.

“I felt OK and din’t really pick up on it and obviously him being the manager at the time he sensed that maybe the changing room was a bit too quiet, or whatever it might be.

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Gullit incredibly gave his Blues players champagne before the match

“He actually opened a bottle of champagne before the game and gave us all just about a mouthful and we all cheersed eachother and downed it.

“We were thinking: ‘What the hell is all this about?’

“But it picked the mood up and we went out there and I was a little bit tipsy for the warm up!”

Chelsea face Manchester City in th Champions League final on May 29 and Sinclair admitted he’d rather his former side emerged victorious in Europe – despite tasting glory in the FA Cup as a Blues player himself.

In 1995 the Blues picked up the bargain of the summer as they landed Dutch hero Gullit and he later went on to manage the club

“I was fortunate enough at Chelsea to be a part of a team that won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1998, as well as the league cup,” he added.

“I missed the League Cup final through injury and never played for the club again, but I was there to witness how important that was.

“When I look at how prestigious the Champions League is – and I was able to witness Didier Drogba’s winning penalty for the club [vs Bayern Munich] – I would have to say the Champions League is more important out of the two.”

Saturday is FA Cup Final GameDay on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 as we become your go to destination for all the FA Cup Final action.

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