Dirk Kuyt

At 43 years old, Dirk Kuyt has this physical status:

Dirk Kuyt (born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer.

Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt began his professional career with Utrecht in 1998 and quickly became part of its first team.

He spent five years at the club, and in his final season he won his first senior honour, the KNVB Cup, and was chosen as the season's Dutch Golden Shoe Winner.

Following this, he left Utrecht in a €1 million transfer to Feyenoord.

He became the club captain in 2005 and was a prolific goalscorer at the Rotterdam club; he was the club's top scorer for three consecutive seasons, the top goalscorer in the 2004–05 Eredivisie season, and the 2005–06 Dutch Footballer of the Year.

Kuyt missed only five games over seven seasons from 1999 until 2006 and appeared in 179 consecutive matches between 2001–06, striking up a fruitful partnership with fellow Feyenoord teammate Salomon Kalou. He left Feyenoord after three years, having scored 71 league goals in 101 appearances, and joined Premier League side Liverpool for £10 million.

He made his Premier League debut late in 2006 and became part of the first team squad.

He scored in his first ever UEFA Champions League final with Liverpool against Milan. Kuyt scored several important goals for Liverpool elsewhere, including seven goals in the 2007–08 Champions League, including a goal in the quarter-final against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium and in the semi-final against Chelsea, and two penalty kicks against Everton in the derby the same season.

He scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool against Manchester United in March 2011.

After coming on as a substitute, his extra time goal at Wembley for Liverpool against Cardiff City in the 2012 League Cup Final helped win the trophy for Liverpool, and was also his only trophy as a Liverpool player. Kuyt made his international debut in 2004 and has represented the Netherlands at five major international tournaments, the 2006, 2010, and 2014 FIFA World Cups and the 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships.

On 3 October 2014, he announced his retirement from international football.Kuyt announced his retirement from football on 17 May 2017, having scored a hat-trick in the last game of the season to secure Feyenoord their first title since 1999 three days earlier.

Kuyt came out of retirement on 6 April 2018, to help out Quick Boys, where he already was the assistant-manager, to fix their shortage on strikers for the remainder of the season.

Early life

Kuyt is the third of four children. His father was a fisherman and he has stated that if he would not have found a career in football he probably would have followed his father into the family business. He grew up in the fishing town of Katwijk aan Zee.

Kuyt's football career began when he joined the local amateur team Quick Boys at age five. He broke into the first team in March 1998, playing the last six games of the season in the Hoofdklasse, and catching the eye of Eredivisie club Utrecht. Kuyt still regularly visits Katwijk and his old club Quick Boys, which benefited from a £300,000 windfall as a result of the player's move to Liverpool.

Personal life

Kuyt's then-wife Gertrude found favour in the Dutch media for her down-to-earth attitude. She continued to work as a nurse in an old people's home after marrying Kuyt until their daughter, Noelle, was born. Kuyt and his wife went on to carry out extensive charity work off the pitch. Most notably, he and his wife set up the Dirk Kuyt Foundation to help disadvantaged children in his homeland and the developing world. One of the ways the foundation raises money is by selling DK-branded clothes. The couple divorced in 2020.

Kuyt's father, also named Dirk, died of cancer on 29 June 2007.

Source

Club career

Kuyt first registered for Utrecht in the summer of 18, aged 18, and quickly established himself in the first team. He played as a striker more often than not, as the team preferred to play Serbian Igor Gluevi up front.

Foeke Booy was appointed as the club's new boss by the 2002-03 season. Booy was a striker / attacking midfielder (behind the striker) for the entire season, and Kuyt repaid him with 20 league goals. Utrecht also made it to the KNVB Cup final, where it met Feyenoord. Despite being underdog, Utrecht triumphed the cup 4–1, with Kuyt scoring one and being given the man of the match award. Kuyt made a €1 million move to Feyenoord, where he replaced out-going Pierre van Hooijdonk.

Kuyt scored at Feyenoord right away, becoming a fan favorite due to his continued goal scoring success. He had a breakthrough in his first season, scoring another 20 league goals. Kuyt's first hat-trick against De Graafschap was in the first game of the 2004–05 season. In the 6–3 victory over ADO Den Haag, he later scored three goals, the highest scorer in the Ecusie's career, with 29 goals.

Kuyt received the Feyenoord club captaincy in 2005 and went on to have a fruitful season with the club, scoring 25 goals in all competitions. He formed a strong relationship with Salomon Kalou, who went by the name "K2" for the duo.

Kuyt was linked with moves to several top English clubs, most notably Liverpool and Newcastle United, over the summer of 2006. "I am content at Feyenoord, but I would like to play in the Premier League," Kuyt proclaimed. Kuyt completed his move to Liverpool on August 18th for an undisclosed fee.

Kuyt played in just five games in seven seasons from 1999 to 2006, out of a total of 233 appearances. He appeared in 179 matches from March 2001 to April 2006.

"I only wanted to leave Feyenoord for a really good club, and that is what Liverpool is." They are a fantastic big club, and playing here would be a real pleasure."

Kuyt made his Liverpool debut against West Ham United on August 26, 2006. In the UEFA Champions League, he made his first appearance against PSV, receiving acclaim for a striker's fresh defensive approach. Kuyt scored his first Liverpool goal against Newcastle United at Anfield in his third game for the club, as well as another against Tottenham Hotspur in the next round. He scored his third goal for Liverpool, as well as his dad's watching the game at Anfield, contributing to Liverpool's 3–1 victory over Aston Villa. In the Reds' 2–0 victory over Reading, he scored a brace as the only scorer.

Kuyt received acclaim for his early appearances, with the Daily Mirror writing, "The Dutch striker has the appearances of a cult hero in the making." The People reported that he is "propelling himself to legendary status." One of the reasons for his early success was his post-match courtesy to the fans; after each match, he would walk to every corner of the stadium and applaud the Liverpool supporters.

Kuyt opened the scoring against Chelsea after only 4 minutes, marking the first time Rafael Bentez had defeated José Mourinho in Premier League history. In the 2006–07 season, it was also the first goal scored by Liverpool against a top-four club in the league. Kuyt increased his league-goal totals by scoring the first goal in the game against West Ham on January 30, 2007, the first goal in the game against West Ham that started the scoring in a 2–1 away victory at Upton Park.

Kuyt was instrumental in Liverpool's tyrant victory over Chelsea in the 2006–07 Champions League's semi-finals. He had a goal disallowed for offside from Xabi Alonso's attack in extra time. Kuyt scored the winning kick in the shoot-out and scored a consolation goal in the club's 2–1 loss to Milan in the final.

In Liverpool's 4–0 Champions League qualifying win over Toulouse on August 28, Kuyt scored his first goals of the 2007–08 season. Liverpool defeated Everton 21-0 in the Merseyside derby, giving Liverpool a 2–1 victory. In a 3–0 away victory over Newcastle in November 2007, Kuyt did not score another league goal until October 2008. He failed to score in 13 games for Liverpool before netting against Barnsley in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Kuyt scored his first goal in the first leg of the Champions League against Internazionale in a 2–0 victory on February 19th.

Kuyt began to be recruited as a right winger and helped set up two of Fernando Torres' goals against West Ham in March. After putting on several crucial team performances, he adapted to this new role and soon recovered his overall form. Kuyt scored an equalizing goal against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on April 2, 2008.

Kuyt scored the first goal against Chelsea at Anfield on April 22, 2008, just before half time.

Kuyt scored a late extra time goal against Standard Liège in the 2008–09 Champions League qualifying match, which has pushed Liverpool through to the group stages of the tournament. Ryan Babel's winning goal in his next game, a 2–1 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League, helped him with his second game.

Kuyt's goals during pivotal games, such as the last minute strike against Standard Liège, an injury time winner against Manchester City on October 5th, and twice against Wigan Athletic on October 18th, 2008, boosted his reputation as a "Big Game Player."

Kuyt scored 15 goals, his best return for the club in the Premier League as they finished runner-up in the Premier League.

Kuyt played a central striker role in a number of cases due to heavy injuries sustained by the Liverpool squad. In two home 4–0 victories, he scored against Stoke City and Burnley. In Liverpool's first Champions League group game against Hungary's Debrecen in a 1–0 win, he also scored the winning goal. Only Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard have scored more goals for the club in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League than Kuyt's against Debrecen. It was his 12th goal in Europe's top club competition. Kuyt scored his fourth league goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby. By scoring in a 2–1 Premier League loss to Arsenal at Anfield, he raised his season's goal total to six, his fifth in the league. Kuyt scored both goals at Anfield against Spurs on January 20 in a 2–0 win and then scored the opener against Bolton Wanderers a week later.

Kuyt scored his fourth Merseyside derby goal against Everton in the 55th minute on February 6th, bringing his total number of goals for Liverpool to 50 in all competitions. He was also named man of the match for this game, which Liverpool beat 11-0. In the UEFA Europa League against Benfica on Monday, he scored his 51st goal for Liverpool with a header. The goal, a header straight from a corner, was originally banned by the linesmen for offside, but the referee changed his mind and allowed the play. On the final day of Liverpool's season, Kuyt played in his 200th competitive game for Liverpool against Hull City.

Kuyt appeared in Liverpool's first game of the season against Arsenal at Anfield, finishing 1–1 and both teams finishing with ten men. He was involved in the team's humiliating loss to Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium on August 23nd and played in Liverpool's Europa League qualifier against Trabzonspor, scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 victory three days later. He appeared in Liverpool's 1–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on August 29. Kuyt was out for a month due to an injury at his shoulder during a Netherlands training session, but he returned a week earlier than expected, scoring his second goal of the season against Sunderland in a 2–2 draw on September 25.

In Liverpool's 3–0 victory over West Ham, Kuyt scored a penalty. After Tim Howard fouled Maxi Rodr2, he scored another penalty to draw Liverpool level 2–2 against Everton on January 16, 2011. On Sunday, he came from a corner against Sparta Prague to propel Liverpool to the Europa League's last 16 with a score of 1–0 on aggregate and 1–0 on aggregate.

Kuyt scored his first Premier League hat-trick for Liverpool on March 6, 2015, beating Anfield 3–1 over Manchester United's largest competitor, Manchester United. Kuyt added another goal to his Liverpool tally against Sunderland on March 20, 2011 with a well-placed penalty kick, and his 11th goal of the season came against Manchester City in a 3–0 victory. Kuyt signed a deal extension on April 15th to keep him at the club until the summer of 2013.

After Robin van Persie had scored a penalty in the 98th minute, Kuyt scored a 102nd-minute penalty kick to end a late draw against Arsenal on April 17th. The match ended 1–1. Kuyt scored a 23-minute goal against Birmingham City following a tussle inside the box, and the match ended 5–0 to Liverpool. Kuyt scored a 59-minute penalty kick against Newcastle United for the second goal in a 3–0 win. After his 16th-minute shot against Fulham that resulted in a 5–2 victory, he became the first Liverpool player since John Aldridge in over two decades to score in five straight games. Kuyt was the club's top goal scorer in the league in 2013 after scoring 13 goals in the season, leading to his best return for the club in a season.

In the third round of the League Cup, Kuyt scored his first goal of the season on September 21, 2011 in a 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the 83rd minute. He didn't score for the remainder of 2011, missing a chance to score his 50th league goal for the club against Everton on October 1, 2011, a game that Liverpool went on to lose 2–0. Kuyt was announced on October 8th as having taken up an advisory role with his first club, Quick Boys, on his first team in football. In a 2–1 victory over Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 28, Kuyt's next goal was a crucial 88th-minute winner. In a 3–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, he scored his 50th league goal for Liverpool, becoming only the fifth player to score 50 or more goals for Liverpool in the Premier League.

Kuyt scored Liverpool's second goal in the 2012 League Cup final against Cardiff City on February 26th; the game ended 2–2 after extra time, with Liverpool winning after a penalty shoot-out with Kuyt converting his kick.

Fenerbahçe announced on its official website on June 3, 2012, that Kuyt had agreed to a three-year deal with the club. The transfer fee was €1 million, which was included in his deal as the freedom clause. Kuyt's first season was worth €2.85 million per season in comparison to a match bonus of €17,500. He scored his first Fenerbahçe goal against Romanian side Vaslui in a 4-1 victory, netting the second and third goals. Kuyt scored on his debut in the league with Elazigspor on August 18, 2012, when the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Kuyt scored his 250th goal in his career, as well as international goals in the match against Gaziantepspor.

Kuyt re-joined Feyenoord for the 2015–16 season in April 2015.

Kuyt led his team to their first Evicsie title since 1999 in the 2016–17 season. He scored a hat-trick on the final day of the season on the twilight of the season. Kuyt resigned from football three days later, on May 17th.

International career

Many well-known players, including strikers Roy Makaay and Patrick Kluivert, were dropped when Marco van Basten took over as coach of the Dutch national team. Kuyt prospered in September 2004, when he made his international debut in Van Basten's first match against Liechtenstein. He was a permanent fixture in the Dutch squad, playing in 11 of the Netherlands' 12 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Kuyt wore the number 7 jersey while representing his country, with the exception of UEFA Euro 2008, where he wore number 18 in the same number he wore at his club Liverpool.

Kuyt was forced to the substitutes' bench at the 2006 World Cup. Despite being a 69th-minute replacement in the first match against Serbia and Montenegro, he sat out the entire second game. Van Basten's decision to drop several of his first-choice players for the final group stage match against Argentina despite the team's already qualified for the next round, but Kuyt was given a head start on the right wing.

Kuyt was chosen to begin the Netherlands' round of 16 games against Portugal, ahead of regular first-choice striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Kuyt had a good game, and the Netherlands ultimately lost 1-1 in a game that was more notable for its disciplinary record (4 red cards and 16 yellow cards).

Kuyt was selected for the Dutch squad for Euro 2008, according to his. He appeared in their first Group C match against world champions Italy on June 9, assisting two goals and linking Giovanni van Bronckhorst's crossfield pass and Wesley Sneijder's goal to make the score 2–0 on 31 minutes. Kuyt scored his team's second goal in Group C's next game, a 4–1 win over 2006 World Cup finalists France, on June 13th, bringing his total number of international goals to eight. Kuyt was used as a winger in Euro 2008, partnering Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart in the midfield, contributing to the team's change in formation from 4–3/4–2–2–1 to 4–2–1.

Kuyt scored three goals in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. During a friendly against England, he opened the scoring less than ten minutes after kick-off, blaming Rio Ferdinand's poor back pass.

Kuyt was selected in the Netherlands' preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Bert van Marwijk, the Netherlands manager, announced on May 27 that the player will be a member of the final squad of 23 teams.

Kuyt scored the Netherlands' second goal in the 85th minute of the Netherlands' 2–0 victory over Denmark in their first group match, but the Netherlands' second goal was lost after Eljero Elia's shot hit the post. Kuyt had a corner on Wesley Sneijder, who snuckled the ball into the net for a 2–1 victory in the quarterfinal match against Brazil on July 2nd. In the semi-finals, Kuyt assisted with Arjen Robben's goal against Uruguay.

Kuyt played in all seven matches for the national team, which finished runners-up to Spain, and finished the tournament with one goal and three assists.

Kuyt scored a penalty as the Netherlands began Euro 2012 qualifying campaign against San Marino on September 2nd. Kuyt sustained his ankle in the Netherlands' fourth qualifier against Sweden on October 12, 2010 and was out of action for four weeks due to the injury. Kuyt scored the Netherlands' third goal in a 4–0 win over Hungary on March 25, 2011 — and he scored twice against the same opponents four days later. Kuyt scored his fourth goal in the Netherlands' historic 11–0 victory over San Marino. In a 3–2 loss to Sweden, Kuyt scored his seventh international goal of 2011. Kuyt lost his place in the qualifying process, with Arjen Robben preferred on the right wing and Ibrahim Affelay on the left. In the 85th minute, he made two brief appearances as a replacement for Gregory van der Wiel against Denmark in the 85th minute and against Germany in the 83rd minute.

Kuyt was named vice-captain behind Wesley Sneijder by new coach Louis van Gaal after Bert van Marwijk resigned as the Netherlands' manager in June 2012. Despite being vice-captain, he did not participate in any games until the match against Andorra on October 12th, and he was called back by Jermain Lens as a substitute in the 71st minute. Kuyt took the captain's armband after Kevin Strootman was recalled about four minutes later. He spent the full 90 minutes in a friendly against Germany on November 14th as a striker, wearing the captain's armband.

Kuyt scored 100th cap in the Netherlands' round of 16 over Mexico on June 29, making him the seventh Dutch player to play 100 matches. Van Gaal, who also positioned the 33-year-old at wingback and center forward during the game, was selected to start the game in a new left wing-back role.

Kuyt scored the Netherlands' final kick in a 4–3 penalty shootout victory over Costa Rica in the quarter-finals. Kuyt fired the Netherlands' fourth kick in a penalty shootout against Argentina, but the Oranje lost by 4-2. Kuyt played the entire 90 minutes in the third place play-off, his last international appearance in a 3–0 victory over Brazil.

On October 3, 2014, Kuyt announced that he had left international football. On the Dutch FA website, Kuyt said, "I want to be valuable to the Netherlands team, but the coach told me that he no longer has the position for me that I would like." "You're 34 years old, so you should be honest with yourself." I didn't really want to invest a lot of money in the Oranje for another two years without being able to play much. I reflect on ten years with the Dutch national team that have enriched my life."

Managerial career

ADO Den Haag announced Kuyt as their new head coach on June 2nd, 2022, with him serving one-year on a one-year deal.

ADO isn't up to the expectations after a few games. ADO is currently ranked 18th in the Economies, as of September 7th, though the aspirations were to be promoted to the Economies.

Career statistics

International goals

Source