Welcome back to Last Word On Football’s look at some of Liverpool’s most iconic figures. From players to managers, we look at who has an impact during their time at the club that no Liverpool fan will ever forget. Next up is the Dutch cult hero, Dirk Kuyt.
Kuyt spent six years at Anfield between 2006 and 2012 and scored in two of the three cup finals that he played in during his stay in England.
The hard-working forward proved popular among the Liverpool supporters, making 285 appearances and scoring 71 goals. The forward also collected a League Cup winners medal during his final season in Merseyside.
Icons of Liverpool: Dirk Kuyt
Arrival
After a successful three year stint at Feyenoord in his native Holland, then Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez decided to make a move for the 26-year-old, who was captain of his club at the time. Kuyt arrived in Merseyside for around £10 million pounds in August 2006, as Benitez looked to add more firepower to his front line.
Despite stiff competition for a starting spot in the team, Kuyt was often preferred to the likes of Craig Bellamy, Peter Crouch, Luis García and even fan favourite Robbie Fowler. 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.
Despite failing to breach the top two in England, Kuyt’s 12 league goals spearheaded Liverpool to a respectable third position, as the Reds guaranteed Champions League football for another year.
Goalscorer in Athens
In Kuyt’s debut campaign at Anfield, Liverpool managed to reach their second Champions League final in three years, beating the likes of PSV, Barcelona and Chelsea en route to Athens.
And the Dutchman certainly made a huge contribution in the semi-final stage, scoring the deciding penalty in the shoot-out win over Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
In the build-up to the final against AC Milan (a repeat of the famous 2005 final), there was much speculation as to who Rafael Benitez would choose to lead his line-up. In the end-up, the Spaniard decided to opt for Kuyt as a lone forward in a 4-5-1 formation.
It wasn’t to be for the Reds, however, as a brace from veteran forward Filippo Inzaghi gave the Italian giants a two-goal lead. Peter Crouch was brought off the bench late on in an attempt to salvage the match, but it was indeed Dirk Kuyt who headed in late to give Liverpool hope. Despite the late fightback, however, Milan held on for a 2-1 victory, as Kuyt ended his maiden season in England trophyless.
Mr. Consistent
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. Fernando Torres was then brought in from Atletico Madrid for a cool fee of £26.5 million and would go on to have a successful partnership alongside Kuyt at the forefront of the Liverpool attack.
Whilst Kuyt never reached the prolific goal-scoring heights of Torres, he was still certainly held in high regards among the Anfield faithful, much to his desire to work hard for the team.
He also popped up with huge goals when it mattered the most. In his Liverpool career, the forward netted four goals against the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, as well as putting away five goals against local rivals Everton.
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.
Sadly, however, that elusive Premier League crown escaped the clutches of Kuyt and his teammates, as Manchester United pipped their North-West rivals to the title by a mere four points.
That proved to be the Dutchman’s last real shot of getting his hands on the sought after prize, as the Reds struggled to keep up with the pace at the top for the next foreseeable years.
Relationship with King Kenny
Following Benitez’s sacking at the end of the abysmal 2009/10 season, Roy Hodgson was the man chosen to bring success back to Merseyside, after the veteran manager led underdogs Fulham to a Europa League final against all the odds.
However, things didn’t work out for Hodgson at Liverpool, and he was out of the job by January. 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.
Club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish was appointed as Hodgson’s replacement shortly after, and both Kuyt and the rest of the team saw a change of fortunes under the Scotsman.
Liverpool’s number 18 was on the scoresheet in Kenny’s first game back in the dugout at Anfield, grabbing the equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Everton in the Merseyside Derby.
His form grew from strength to strength as well and even went on a run of scoring nine goals in only eight appearances. Three of which came in a 3-1 win over Manchester United, as Kuyt was on hand to grab a hat-trick of close-range strikes, as the Reds went on to finish the campaign in 6th.
Leaving on a High
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.
Now into his 30s, the Dutch international struggled for goals as the team’s inconsistent form hindered their progress in the league. However, the Reds were a force to be reckoned with in the cups, reaching both domestic finals.
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.
Whilst Dalglish’s men missed out on FA Cup silverware after a loss to Chelsea, the Reds tasted success with a win over Championship side Cardiff City in the Carling Cup final.
It wasn’t an easy task however, as the Welsh underdogs took a shock lead before Martin Skrtel equalised in the second half. With the scores level heading into extra-time, up stepped Dirk Kuyt who made his interval from the bench in the 103rd minute.
It proved to be an inspired substitute, as the veteran forward rifled home in the 108th minute to put the favourites in front. Although that appeared to be the winning goal, Cardiff struck back with moments to spare through Ben Turner. Despite’s Kuyt’s best efforts to clear off his own line in the dying embers, Turner pounced from the resulting corner to send the game to spot-kicks.
Kuyt was once again on hand to bury home his penalty, and even though accomplished dead-ball specialists Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam both missed from the spot, Liverpool did enough to come out victors in the end.
It was a bittersweet moment for Dirk Kuyt, who collected his first winner’s medal with the club after six years. After leaving for Turkey at the end of the campaign, Kuyt stated that both the club and Liverpool supporters would remain fondly in his heart, and that message has since proved to be true, with the Dutchman often posting memories of his time in Merseyside his Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Whilst he may not be the most trophy-ridden star to ply his trade at Anfield, Liverpool fans certainly have fond memories of Kuyt during his time in red, and will rightly be remembered as a cult hero who gave his all for the badge.
Main Photo
