Whilst the Reds fought for domestic success during the late noughties, their best chance of winning the league came in the 2008/09 season, with Kuyt appearing in all 38 games, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further nine. He stuck to Isla like a rash, matching him in both speed and stamina, and was crucial in silencing Sanchez. He did, and would have bagged an assist early on if not for the heroics of Keylor Navas in Costa Rica’s goal. It proved to be an inspired substitute, as the veteran forward rifled home in the 108th minute to put the favourites in front. Benitez’s faith in his summer signing paid dividends, as the Dutchman finished the campaign as the club’s leading goalscorer in the Barclays Premier League. Manager Louis van Gaal had adopted a system that didn’t feature wingers. What’s more, he was not only up against Juventus man Mauricio Isla but also tasked with helping to stop Alexis Sanchez, who was rather handy back then. These heroics continued throughout the match, with the keeper making save after save. Personally, we think it was the perfect ending. With 15 minutes left, Van Gaal made another tactical change. Despite Kuyt's best efforts, though, it was clubmates Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina who returned to Melwood with World Cup medals following Spain's extra-time victory. Instead, he looked one of the fittest players on the pitch. Kuyt was 33 at the time, well past his peak, and hadn’t played for his nation since October the previous year. It was a bittersweet moment for Dirk Kuyt, who collected his first winner’s medal with the club after six years. This came just months after the death of his father, a personal tragedy which, by his own admission, impacted upon his game. Dirk Kuyt is one of the hardest workers Anfield has ever seen - and his time at the club was punctuated by never-to-be-forgotten goals. However, things didn’t work out for Hodgson at Liverpool, and he was out of the job by January. In six years at Liverpool the Dutchman scored in Champions League and League Cup finals, hit hat-tricks and braces against our biggest rivals, and smashed home numerous crucial penalties. His backwards journey continued in Brazil when, in the final group game against Chile, he started at left wing-back. Kuyt left for a new challenge at Turkish side Fenerbahce in the summer of 2012 with his place as an Anfield great secure. Many footballers have played in three World Cups. Next up is the Dutch cult hero, Dirk Kuyt. The 2011/12 season proved to be the farewell campaign for Kuyt at Anfield, as Turkish giants Fenerbahce sealed his signature in the summer of 2012. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'2aieihE1SjVqOv0gH-O7ZA',sig:'gepcFcLb38zINvUwNORO6ZsIgr3VuXFibmE9GITFJlQ=',w:'594px',h:'502px',items:'140013242',caption: true ,tld:'co.uk',is360: false })}); Your email address will not be published. Dutch icon Johan Cruyff was among those to laud the forward, claiming he was 'worth his weight in gold'. He even received praise from the godfather of Dutch football himself, Johan Cruyff. The weeks that followed would go some way to easing Kuyt's disappointment, however, as the Netherlands reached their first World Cup final in 32 years. He also popped up with huge goals when it mattered the most. When he walked up to take his second shoot-out penalty in two games, he knew that if he missed, the Dutch would crash out and he’d be the one responsible. © Copyright 2020 The Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited. They got married in 2003. Pfft, in Dirk’s world, age is but a number and fatigue is a social construct he doesn’t believe in. Following on from the heartache in Athens, Benitez decided to offload both Crouch and Bellamy, as well as allowing Fowler to leave on a free transfer. He never stopped running up and down the left flank, staying defensively solid while also providing a threat going forward. He started every game in the South Africa tournament, where his performances earned universal acclaim. Most 33-year-olds would struggle in such extreme conditions, but not him. One of the No.18's finest moments for the Reds came in October 2007 with a penalty brace at Goodison Park as Liverpool clinched a dramatic last-minute win over their bitter rivals. Kuyt, however, comfortably the oldest player on the pitch, just kept on running. All rights reserved. Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks almost entirely to him, the scores remained at 0-0 after 90 minutes. Many of those strikes were important, crucially timed or produced in the biggest games – and, in several cases, all three of those … Lesser men would have collapsed under such pressure, but not him. A newcomer would have thought he’d been a marauding full-back for his entire career, not a matter of minutes. Kuyt was one of the many players that found things difficult under Roy’s regime, scoring only three Premier League goals as the Reds languished in a disappointing 12th position. He, along with his wife, runs several charity programs and helps the needy people in Netherland. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He is married to Gertrude Kuyt, a media personality and also a nurse. Kuyt played his part in both journeys to Wembley, scoring a late winner against Manchester United in a Fourth Round FA Cup tie at Anfield, as well as netting against Brighton in the Third Round of the Carling Cup.
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