Dirk Kuyt, officially spelled Dirk Kuijt (born July 22, 1980, in Katwijk aan Zee) is a Dutch professional football player. He plays in the position of striker and is known for his high work-rate and team play. He started his career as a striker, earning the nickname The Cobbler due to his heart and attitude and desire to cobble goals from nowhere, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.He has been quite an important player for Liverpool Football Club. Ever since he signed in the summer of 2006, he has played an integral part in each season.
Growing upKuyt is third of four children. He grew up in the small fishing village of Katwijk aan Zee (at Sea), where his father was a fisherman.[2] His football career began when he joined the local amateur team Quick Boys at age 5. He broke into the first team in March 1998, playing the last six games of the season, and catching the eye of Eredivisie team FC Utrecht.
Kuyt And Liverpool
Upon joining Liverpool Kuyt stated "I only wanted to leave Feyenoord for a really big club, and that is what Liverpool are. They are a fantastic, big club and it will be a real pleasure to play here."
After sitting out the first game Kuyt made his Liverpool debut as a substitute against West Ham on 26 August. His first start came against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League and he has been first choice in most games since. In his third start for the club on 20 September 2006 Kuyt scored his first goal against Newcastle United in a Premiership game at Anfield, and followed up with another against Tottenham Hotspur in the next game. He scored his third goal for Liverpool with his father watching the game at Anfield, contributing to Liverpool's 3-1 win over Aston Villa. Two weeks later he bagged a brace, as the only scorer in the Reds' 2-0 victory against Premiership newcomers Reading.
In his first season at the club, the Dutchman hit the back of the net 12 times in the league – a fairly decent amount for his first season in a completely new league. Dirk scored the winning penalty in a tense semi-final shootout against Chelsea in the Champions League to send Liverpool to Athens. He then went on to score in the defeat to AC Milan in the final.Kuyt featured in Liverpool's opening game of the season against Arsenal at Anfield, the game finishing 1-1 and both teams finishing with 10 men. On 23 August, he played in the Red's heavy defeat to Manchester City at Eastlands and featured in Liverpool's UEFA Europa League qualifier against Trabzonspor, netting the winning goal in a 2-1 win 3 days later. On 29 August, he played in Liverpool's 1-0 win against West Brom at Anfield. An injury to his shoulder during a Netherlands training session forced Kuyt out for a month, but returned a week earlier than expected, celebrating by scoring his second goal of the season against Sunderland at Anfield on 25 September in a 2-2 draw.[11] Dirk Kuyt scored a penalty in Liverpool's 3-0 win against West Ham United. On 16 January 2011, he scored yet another penalty to draw Liverpool level 2-2 against Everton F.C., after Tim Howard fouled Maxi Rodriguez. On 24 February he headed in from a corner against Sparta Prague to put Liverpool through to the last 16 of the Europa League, winning 1-0 on the night at Anfield and 1-0 on aggregate.
On 6 March, Kuyt scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool in a 3-1 win at Anfield against Liverpools biggest rivals Manchester United. Kuyt added another goal to his Liverpool tally on 20 March 2011 scoring a well placed penalty against Sunderland. Kuyt scored his 11th goal of the season against Manchester City, with a neat finish to make it 2-0, with the game ending 3-0 to Liverpool. On 15 April, Kuyt signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2013. On 17 April, Kuyt scored a 102nd minute penalty after Emmanuel Eboue fouled Lucas Leiva to seal a late draw against Arsenal after Robin van Persie had scored a penalty in the 98th minute. The match finished 1-1. On the 23 April, Kuyt scored a 23 minute goal against Birmingham after a tussle inside the box, the match ended 5-0 to Liverpool. On the 1 May, Kuyt scored a 59 minute penalty against Newcastle United for the second goal in a 3-0 win.On 9 May 2011 he became the first Liverpool player since John Aldridge, in over two decades to score in five consecutive games, after his 16th minute goal against Fulham that led to a 5-2 victory.
After looking at Dirk Kuyt’s statistics from the past five seasons it is clear to see how important his role in the team is. He links up with his teammates well, scores a decent amount of goals every season, creates chances for his colleagues, runs himself into the ground every week and helps his defenders out. Furthermore, he is also very durable and can play in a number of positions. His place in the team may become less effective in the coming years but for the past five he has been excellent and one of Liverpool’s standout players.
Club Honours
Runner-up
- UEFA Champions League: 2007
- FA Premier League: 2008-09