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"All my dreams have come true": Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt retires

Former Liverpool forward and Dutch international Dirk Kuyt has announced his retirement from prof...



"All my dreams have come t...
Soccer

"All my dreams have come true": Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt retires

Former Liverpool forward and Dutch international Dirk Kuyt has announced his retirement from professional football.

Kuyt, who this season captained Feyenoord to a first Eredivise title since 1999, will be most well known in this part of the world for his six-year spell at Anfield.

The 36-year-old made 285 appearances in a red shirt and scored 71 goals for the club between 2006 and 2012.

Kuyt spent 10 years in the picture with the Dutch national team, making 104 appearances and scoring 24 goals for the Oranje.

"Throughout my career I have always followed my heart when taking decisions and that goes for this one too,’ he said on Wednesday.

"To me this feels like the right time to retire. I have had two fantastic years here since returning to Feyenoord, with this season’s title as the absolute pinnacle. I had the dream of winning trophies and becoming a champion with Feyenoord. All my dreams have come true."

On Sunday, Kuyt stood in front of crowds in Rotterdam and said that Feyenoord's title victory was 'the best moment of his life'.

"I knew when I came back two years ago that we could win the championship and everyone laughed at me when I said so," he said.

"When Feyenoord were in the top half of the league everyone used to celebrate. When we drew 1-1 with Ajax people were dancing on the table.

"That shouldn't happen - you should only be satisfied when you are winning trophies."

The Dutchman brings to an end a glittering career in which he won a host of major honours, as well as featuring in the World Cup final in 2010 against Spain. He also lined out for Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final.

His first major honour came in 2003 when he won the Dutch Cup with Utrecht. In the same season, Kuyt picked up Dutch Golden Shoe.

After signing for Feyenoord that year, he picked up individual honours such as Dutch Footballer of the Year and the Dutch Golden Shoe once again.

His only trophy with Liverpool came in 2012 when Kenny Dalglish's side won the League Cup. Kuyt scored during that game and converted his penalty as Liverpool beat Cardiff City.

His three year period in Turkey saw him make almost 100 league appearances for Fenerbache, before returning to Feyenoord to finish his career.

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