Chronology of the Games That Made Dirk Kuyt a Liverpool Icon
You'd have a hard time finding a Liverpudlian who would get a kick out of being called a "Scouse Bastard." For Dirk Kuyt, however, those words were music to his ears.
In a video post, the Dutchman revealed how he received the verbal volley while playing for Feyenoord against Manchester United at Old Trafford in last season's UEFA Europa League.
"Normally when your rivals shout at you it's not the best thing that can happen to you, but actually it made me proud, because I felt proud to be named a Scouser—an adopted Scouser—because for me Scousers are good people; hardworking people, committed people and people who never give up," he said in the video, per Chris Beesley of the Liverpool Echo.
Hardworking. Committed. Never gives up. Those words also summarise Dirk Kuyt the footballer.
After completing the signing of the forward from Feyenoord for a fee of £9 million in August 2006, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said, per BBC Sport: "He will be a good player for us."
Rafa wasn't wrong. Previously prolific in a lead role in the Eredivisie, Kuyt started out as a second striker in England before shifting to play wide on the right. It was less a square peg in a round hole, more a tactical switch that gave Liverpool a reliable, relentless, rock-steady option out on one flank.
He made 285 appearances in his six years with Liverpool, scoring 71 goals, plenty of them crucial strikes. Kuyt was a player for the big occasion, Benitez's loyal soldier capable of locating the target.
After three years with Fenerbahce in Turkey, Kuyt headed home for a second stint with Feyenoord. A solid career was rounded out with a Dutch title, the returning hero sealing the deal with a final-day hat-trick.
Although Kuyt left Liverpool in the summer of 2012, the club still retains a special place in his heart.
That feeling is reciprocated by many fans, and to celebrate his 37th birthday on Saturday, Bleacher Report has picked out some of the most memorable moments from his time with the Reds.
Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle United—September 20, 2006
Kuyt had to be patient on his arrival at Anfield.
After two appearances off the bench—the second of which came in a harrowing 3-0 derby loss to Everton at Goodison Park—he was finally handed his first start in a UEFA Champions League clash against Dutch opponents, PSV Eindhoven.
The new signing also had to be patient while waiting for his maiden goal. Even when he found the net, his big moment was overshadowed by the other scorer in the home win over Newcastle United.
Kuyt broke the deadlock in the 29th minute by sliding to poke home a low cross from full-back Steve Finnan, in the process scoring Liverpool's first goal in 344 minutes of football. There was a sense of relief all around the ground, and not just because the big-money signing had broken his duck.
However, Xabi Alonso stole his team-mate's thunder with a sublime second, the Spaniard outrageously lobbed visiting goalkeeper Steve Harper from inside his own half.
"I was thinking of telling him off when he didn't pass to Steven Gerrard who had made a good run forward," Benitez said after the victory, per Andy Hunter of The Independent. "I was really disappointed in him, but then afterwards, I had to say congratulations."
Alonso's stunner hogged the headlines, as Kuyt got an early taste of playing second fiddle to others at such a huge club like Liverpool.
Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea—May 1, 2007
Liverpool and Chelsea were involved in some titanic European tussles in the 2000s. The tactically astute Benitez went toe-to-toe with Jose Mourinho. Then there was the battle between Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, two England colleagues who were constantly compared to one another.
It was also a clash of contrasting backgrounds, as the swanky suburb of London went up against a port city that blossomed during the Industrial Revolution.
The Reds had knocked out the Blues on their way to lifting the trophy in 2005 when Luis Garcia's so-called "ghost goal" proved enough to settle a cagey semi-final and send Benitez's boys to Istanbul.
Kuyt wasn't around then, but he was a Liverpool player by the time they met again at the same stage of the competition in 2007. Chelsea held a one-goal advantage heading into the second leg on Merseyside, only for Daniel Agger's 22nd-minute strike to level the score on aggregate.
It appeared set to be a frustrating night for Kuyt, though. A fine header was kept out by the bar in the second half, plus a potential match-winner in extra time was incorrectly ruled out for offside.
Penalties were eventually needed to settle the tie. Kuyt stepped up with the chance to fire Liverpool through, and although Petr Cech guessed right, his spot-kick had enough pace to beat the Chelsea goalkeeper.
"I can still hear the noise in the stadium after slotting the ball home. It was one of my most special nights at Anfield," Kuyt revealed in a question-and-answer feature with Arthur Renard for FourFourTwo.
He found the net in the final as well, albeit his effort was no more than a consolation as AC Milan avenged their Istanbul collapse by defeating the Reds by a 2-1 scoreline in Athens, Greece.
Everton 1-2 Liverpool—October 20, 2007
After being signed to apparently play a lead role for Liverpool, Kuyt was pushed to the periphery in the 2007/08 season, his second with the club.
On the field, he was often shifted to a position out wide following the big-money arrival of Fernando Torres. Off it, he had to deal with the loss of his father, someone who had played an influential role in his career.
"During summer 2007, while I was relaxing on holiday in Aruba, I read that the club had signed a certain Fernando Torres," Kuyt told Renard.
"During the next season, I experienced a difficult period: my father passed away, and on the pitch, I didn't play quite as well in the first couple of months. Both Torres and Steven Gerrard started to work really well, with Gerrard deployed in the No. 10 role. It created space on the right wing for me."
He saved most of his goals for the Champions League, scoring seven of his 11 in Europe, but there was a match-winning brace against Everton in a feisty Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Kuyt—starting as a central striker in Torres' absence—converted a pair of penalties to secure his team all three points, the second of them in the 90th minute after Everton's Phil Neville had been sent off for handling Lucas Leiva's goal-bound shot on the line.
Scoring against the neighbours works wonders for your overall popularity; Kuyt registered five goals against Everton, including scoring his 50th in the league for Liverpool in February 2010.
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United—March 6, 2011
Here's another reason why Kuyt is so popular: He scored his first—and only—hat-trick for the Reds against their fiercest rivals. It must also be the easiest treble ever seen in the Premier League era.
His first owed everything to the brilliance of Luis Suarez, who wriggled away from the three Red Devils on the left of the penalty area before steering the ball beyond goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Kuyt made sure it went in, smashing home from no more than a few inches out.
Nani provided the assist for the second, the winger—who was later carried off on a stretcher following an X-rated tackle from Jamie Carragher—inadvertently sending a free header back towards his own goal for Kuyt to nod in at the back post.
Van der Sar then offered up a further gift for his compatriot, spilling a Suarez free-kick that allowed Kuyt to ram home his and Liverpool's third, all of them converted from inside the six-yard box—easy as one-two-three.
"You always dream about a hat-trick, but to make a hat-trick against Manchester United is the best feeling ever," he told Sky Sports in his post-match interview. "I have to thank Luis as well; he played great today."
Kuyt's hat-trick was the first by a Liverpool player against Manchester United since Peter Beardsley managed the feat in 1990.
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United—January 28, 2012
Liverpool players are pushed to play a certain way. There is an ethos: pass and move.
It was even considered the Liverpool groove, as the 199/96 squad reminded the footballing world before the FA Cup final against Manchester United (WARNING: the video below contains singing that you may find distressful):
But, just sometimes, it's acceptable to go long. Particularly if it results in a winning goal against your biggest enemy.
With the FA Cup fourth-round tie with Manchester United deadlocked at 1-1 in the 88th minute, the Reds caught out their opponents with a Hail Mary that saw them go from back to front in three touches.
Pepe Reina hammered a goal-kick long, Andy Carroll steered a header on and, after ghosting in behind Patrice Evra, Kuyt got on the end of the flick to hammer a right-footed shot beyond David De Gea.
Having entered the game as a second-half substitute, replacing Carragher after 63 minutes, the Dutchman—no longer a first-choice selection since the appointment of Kenny Dalglish as manager—popped up with a dramatic late winner right in front of the Kop.
Liverpool 2-2 Cardiff City—February 26, 2012
For all the momentous wins, Kuyt finished up with just one winners' medal at the end of his Liverpool career.
The former Utrecht player didn't start the Carling Cup final against Cardiff City in 2012—but that didn't stop him from making an impact on proceedings. Within five minutes of his introduction, Kuyt scored at the second attempt to put his team 2-1 ahead in the second period of extra time.
His initial effort was either a dreadful shot or a woefully under-hit cross. His second, however, was a reactionary finish that he managed to convert despite losing his balance and falling to the ground.
Cardiff equalised to take the game to penalties at Wembley Stadium, and the favourites looked in trouble after Gerrard and Charlie Adam both failed to convert from 12 yards at the start of the shootout.
The ever-reliable Kuyt made it third time lucky for the Reds, putting his team on the board as they went on to seal a 3-2 triumph and lift their first trophy in six years.
"Although we have won something today, that is not us finished," Dalglish said in the immediate aftermath, according to Chris Bevan of BBC Sport. "We don't want to stop here. We want to keep going."
Dalglish kept going...until the end of the season. Despite winning one trophy and losing the FA Cup final three months later, the legendary Scot was shown the door in May. Kuyt didn't last much longer either.
Having lost both a Champions League and FIFA World Cup final, he signed off as a champion at Feyenoord, scoring a hat-trick on the final day of the 2016/17 Dutch season to secure the title in style.
While a peripheral figure towards the end, Kuyt was appreciated by Liverpool's fanbase. That goes for his team-mates, too; Gerrard posted a heartfelt message on Instagram after his former colleague announced the end of his playing career in May:
Once a Red. Always a Red. Thanks for the memories, Dirk.
Rob Lancaster is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All statistics used in the article are from LFC History unless otherwise stated.
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