FC Vaslui

180px
Full name	Sporting Club Vaslui
Nickname(s)	The Yellow-Greens
Founded	July 20, 2002; 9 years ago  (2002-07-20)
Ground	Municipal (Capacity: 9,240[1])
Owner	Adrian Porumboiu
President	Daniel Stanciu
Manager	Augusto Inácio
League	Liga I
2011–12	Liga I, 2nd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Sporting Club Vaslui is an Romanian football club from Vaslui, which currently plays in Liga I, the top level of Romanian football. Formed in 2002 as Fotbal Club Municipal Vaslui, the club assumed its final name in 2005 and is currently the top-ranked football club from Vaslui.

Following its promotion to Liga I in 2005, the club has become one of the most prominent in Romania. It has gained an European spot in each of the past five seasons, narrowly missing the championship in 2012, and losing its first Romanian Cup final in 2010. Since their foundation the club have finished each season in a higher rank than in the previous.

The official team colours are yellow and green, giving rise to the nickname yellow-greens, but lately their away strip consisted of white with black stripes.

History[link]

On 20 July 2002, the newly promoted Divizia C side Victoria Galaţi moved to Vaslui, after an agreement between Marius Stan and the Vaslui Municipality to use the Municipal Stadium. Ioan Sdrobiş was appointed as team manager, and the main squad was formed from Dunărea Galaţi players.^[2] The club also changed its name to Fotbal Club Municipal Vaslui or FC Vaslui for short. Their main objective was to achieve the promotion in Divizia B.^[3] Soon after their formation Adrian Porumboiu took over the club and he immediately changed the colours of the team's strip from white and blue to yellow and green, the same as those used by his company.^[4] At the end of the season, despite the achievement of promotion, Marius Stan, the club president, resigned and Adrian Porumboiu, the club owner decided to stop sponsoring the team, because of what he perceived as the Vaslui Municipality's lack of interest in the team.^[5] With a whole new management team, the objective for the newly promoted Divizia B team was to avoid relegation.^[6] With a strong start to the season, and with Adrian Porumboiu back at the club, the objective was changed from avoiding relegation, to promotion to Divizia A. The club managed to secure promotion the following season, setting a new record by being the club promoted to Divizia A in the quickest time, only three years after their foundation.^[7]

With his club in Divizia A, Adrian Porumboiu set an impressive budget for a newly promoted team in the top flight. Despite signing Claudiu Răducanu, Sabin Ilie, Nana Falemi and Cătălin Cursaru, FC Vaslui had a poor record in the top flight: not a single victory at the end of the first part of the season.^[8] In the winter break, Mircea Rednic changed SC Vaslui's transfer policy.^[9] The club went on a good run and had one of the best records for the second half of the season. However the club was embroiled in controversy when they faced Steaua Bucuresti in the 30th round of matches. In order to secure the championship Steaua had to win at Vaslui. Steaua duly won by four goals, and as a consequence secured the league title, but the easy win was highly contested by not only by the officials at Steaua's great rivals FC Rapid București, but also by Adrian Porumboiu, who decided the following day to give up ownership of SC Vaslui.^[10] With no sponsorship, and with no squad, the media speculated that Vaslui would sell its Divizia A spot, although the club president denied those rumours.^[11]

With a completely different team from the previous season, SC Vaslui had the same poor season start as before.^[12] Despite this, SC Vaslui finished 8th at the end of the season, the club's best performance at the time. Fortunes had changed markedly under new team manager Viorel Hizo, who has been appointed on 24 September after Mulţescu was sacked.^[13] However, despite his solid performances, Hizo decided to resign at the end of the season, because of SC Vaslui's poor infrastructure.^[14] Adrian Porumboiu, who had returned to the club after his earlier departure, decided to invest the club's budget in improving the crumbling infrastructure, instead of new players.^[15]

After Dorinel Munteanu was revealed as the new team manager, the main objective was set: qualification for European competition.^[16] The season was one with ups and downs for the Moldavian team, SC Vaslui securing the final spot for European competition, thanks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Vaslui contested Oţelul Galaţi's decision to include two players, both of whom had been sent off in the previous matchday, in a league game between the two clubs. CAS awarded Vaslui the three points, and as a result SC Vaslui finished 7th, ahead of Oţelul.^[17]

With his team in the Intertoto Cup, Adrian Porumboiu invested a significant amount of money in new players.^[18] Viorel Hizo had also been reinstated as the team manager.^[19] After defeating Neftchi Baku, SC Vaslui qualified for the UEFA Cup,^[20] but ultimately failed to qualify for the Group Stages, after they were eliminated by Slavia Prague because of the away goal.^[21] The championship was one with ups and downs for the team, Vaslui sitting in 9th place for almost the entire season. After a win against Universitatea Craiova in the final round, and thanks to the other results, SC Vaslui finished 5th, and secured a spot in the Europa League, for the second year in a row (Europea League being the new name for the UEFA Cup).^[22] The team also reached the Romanian Cup semi-final, where they were beaten by CFR Cluj, after a number of errors by the referee.^[23]

In its second season in the European competitions, despite winning in the first leg, SC Vaslui failed to qualify in the Europa League Group Stages for the second time, after they lost by three goals against AEK Athens.^[24] Despite its unsuccessful European season, Vaslui had an excelennt domestic season, finishing 3rd in the championship,^[25] and reaching the Romanian Cup final.^[26]

Because SC Vaslui failure to qualify for the European Group Stages Adrian Porumboiu appointed Spaniard Juan López Caro as club manager.^[27] The appointment was not a success however because he not only failed to get the team into the Group Stages,^[28] but he also won only three matches in the first ten rounds, and the team was eliminated from the Romanian Cup by Liga III side Alro Slatina.^[29] Because Caro had a $1,000,000 release clause, Adrian Porumboiu decided to suspend the Spanish manager,^[30] with the club sixth in the league, only 7 points behind the leader, and reinstate Viorel Hizo, for the third time as the team manager.^[31] Hizo not only managed to revive the team, but he turned it into a real title contender.^[32] Meanwhile, on 4 January 2011, SC Vaslui received a nine-month transfer ban from FIFA, following a complaint by its former player, Ljubinkovic.^[33] Despite Porumboiu appealing to the CAS, the decision remained, with the ban expiring on 6 September 2011.^[34] At the end of the season, despite having made no transfers in the winter break, SC Vaslui finished 3rd for the second year in a row.^[35]

After the Romanian Football Federation denied a licence to FC Timişoara, and therefore barred their participation in the European competitions,^[36] SC Vaslui took its place in the UEFA Champions League's Third qualifying round.^[37] However SC Vaslui was eliminated from the competition and so dropped into the Europa League Play-Off.^[38] Vaslui faced Sparta Prague with major squad problems. No less than nine players were unable to play: Kuciak and Pouga refused to return to the team; Papp, Canu, Adailton, Wesley and Gladstone were injured; Milisavljevic and Pavlovic were excluded from the squad.^[39] Despite this, SC Vaslui gained its most important victory from its history, a 2–0 home win against Sparta Praga.^[40] Despite losing in the second leg, SC Vaslui managed to qualify for the UEFA Europa League Group Stages for the first time.^[41]

Stadium[link]

Municipal Stadium

The Municipal Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Vaslui, Romania. It was opened in 1972, and it is owned by The Vaslui municipality. In 2002, when Victoria Galaţi (as they were then known) moved to Vaslui, they reached an agreement with the Vaslui municipality, and since then host their home games at this ground. The stadium has 9,220 seats, and has a natural grass playing surface. Municipal also has an official stand, covered cabins for the guests and the press, a drainage and automatic irrigation system, internet access for the media, and a new club headquarters. The floodlighting system, with a density of 2000 lux, was inaugurated in 2008, this stadium being the 11th in Romania with a floodlighting system. It is rated at two stars by UEFA.

Current squad[link]

As of 1 June 2012 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Milan Borjan 4 DF Marius Constantin 5 MF Denis Zmeu 8 MF Adrian Gheorghiu 9 FW Yero Bello 10 FW Adaílton (3rd captain) 12 GK Vytautas Černiauskas 14 DF Anderson do Ó 15 DF Richard Annang 17 DF Paíto 18 MF Lucian Sânmărtean 19 FW Mike Temwanjera 20 DF Zhivko Milanov 21 DF Ionuț Balaur

No. Position Player 23 MF Sergiu Popovici 27 DF Hugo Luz 28 DF Gabriel Cânu (captain) 30 MF Raul Costin 31 MF Nicolae Stanciu 78 MF Ousmane N'Doye 80 MF Wesley (vice-captain) 85 DF Gladstone 88 MF Vasile Buhăescu 89 GK Cătălin Straton MF Adrian Popa FW Răzvan Neagu DF Fernando Varela

Out on loan[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Mihai Luca (at CSM Paşcani) MF Marius Ştefoi (at Farul)

Reserves team[link]

Captains[link]

The first FC Vaslui captain was Cătălin Popa, who previously captained the other Vaslui team, Sportul Municipal Vaslui. After his departure, Sorin Frunză took over the captaincy. While he was either injured or loaned out, the vice-captains were Ionuţ Badea, Marius Croitoru or Bogdan Buhuş. After Frunză's departure, Buhuş was appointed captain, but only for a short period, because when Viorel Moldovan became manager, he offered the captaincy to Gabriel Cânu. With the start of the new season, Buhuş was made once again captain, until his departure. Starting 2010/11 season, Cânu has been reinstated as Vaslui captain, with vice-captain Wesley taking over he was injured.

#	Name	Years	Years captain	Notes
1.	Cătălin Popa	2003–04	2003–04
2.	Sorin Frunză	2002–08	2003–08	When S. Frunză was long-time injured, the captains were I. Badea, Croitoru, Buhuş or Panait.
3.	Gabriel Cânu	2008–	2008–09 2010–00	When Cânu was long-time injured, the captain was Wesley.
4.	Bogdan Buhuş	2005–10	2009–10	When Buhuş was long-time injured, the captain was Wesley.

Manager[link]

Following Viorel Hizo's sack, Augusto Inácio was appointed as the new team manager.^[42] He is Vaslui's second foreign manager from its history.

#	Name	Years	Matches	Record	Win Rate
16.	Augusto Inácio	29 Jan 2012 –	16	13– 1 – 2	81.25%

Statistics and records[link]

SC Vaslui's first competitive game was a 3–1 victory in Divizia C against Viitorul Hârlău. Mike Temwanjera holds SC Vaslui's overall appearance record - he played 155 matches over the course of 5 seasons from 2007 to date, and he also holds the record for League appearances with 129.

SC Vaslui's all-time leading scorer is Wesley, who scored 75 goals while at the club from 2009 to date. He also holds the record for the most goals in a season with 37 in 2011–12. The most goals scored by a player in a single match is four; Valentin Badea achieving this feat. Cătălin Andruş holds the club record for the fastest hat trick: he scored three goals in five minutes against CFR Paşcani in the 2002–03 season. Wesley is also FC Vaslui's all-time leading goalscorer in European competition with 6 goals.^[43]

SC Vaslui's biggest victory is 9–0 against Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ II in 2003. SC Vaslui's heaviest defeat, 2–5, came against UTA Arad in 2006. SC Vaslui's 3–1 win against FK Liepājas Metalurgs in the UEFA Cup was the largest victory in Europe competition for the club.

Honours[link]

Domestic[link]

Liga I:

• Runner-up (1): 2011–12

Liga II:

• Winners (1): 2004–05
• Runner-up (1): 2003–04

Liga III:

• Runner-up (1): 2002–03

Romanian Cup:

• Runner-up (1): 2009–10

European[link]

UEFA Intertoto Cup:

• Winners (1): 2008

European record[link]

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away
2008–09	UEFA Intertoto Cup	Third round	Neftchi Baku	2–0	1–2
	UEFA Cup	Second qualifying round	Liepājas Metalurgs	3–1	2–0
		First round	Slavia Prague	1–1	0–0 (a)
2009–10	Europa League	Third qualifying round	Omonia Nicosia	2–0	1–1
		Play-off round	AEK Athens	2–1	0–3
2010–11	Europa League	Play-off round	Lille OSC	0–0	0–2
2011–12	Champions League	Third qualifying round	FC Twente	0–0	0–2
	Europa League	Play-off round	Sparta Prague	2–0	0–1
		Group Stage	Sporting CP	1–0	0–2
			S.S. Lazio	0–0	2–2
			FC Zürich	2–2	0–2

Notable former players[link]

List includes players who played at least 50 matches for the club, who scored at least 15 goals, and who set a club record

Player of the year[link]

Year	Winner
2002–03	Sorin Frunză
2003–04	Sorin Frunză
2004–05	Valentin Badea
2005–06	Valentin Badea
2006–07	Cristian Hăisan
2007-08	Marko Ljubinković
2008–09	Stanislav Genchev
2009–10	Wesley
2010–11	Adaílton[44]
2011–12	Wesley

References[link]

External links[link]

Romanian football portal

• Official website (Romanian)
• Supporters website (Romanian)

Vaslui
—  County capital  —
View of Vaslui from the northern outskirts
Coat of arms
Location of Vaslui
Coordinates: 46°38′18″N 27°43′45″E / 46.63833°N 27.72917°E / 46.63833; 27.72917Coordinates: 46°38′18″N 27°43′45″E / 46.63833°N 27.72917°E / 46.63833; 27.72917
Country	Romania
County	Vaslui County
Status	County capital
Government
• Mayor	Vasile Pavăl (Social Democratic Party)
Population (2002)
• Total	70,571
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Website	http://www.primariavaslui.ro/

Vaslui (Romanian pronunciation: [vasˈluj]), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Moldavia.

The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu and Viişoara.

History[link]

Archaeological surveys prove that the territory of Vaslui was inhabited since Neolithic. From the 14th century onwards, it developed the provincial town of Vaslui, with a population that varied strongly in the following centuries. The name of Vaslui appears first in a Polish document from 1375, referring to Koriat's son George. The name Vaslui was also mentioned in 1435, in connection with the accession of Prince Iliaş to the Moldavian throne. The town was burned to the ground in 1439 and 1440, when Tatars invaded Moldavia.

The peak of its importance was in the 15th century, when it was a second-rank capital of Moldavia, during the reign of Stephen the Great, with a population closer to that of the neighbour Iaşi. In 1475, Prince Stephen won his greatest battle against the Ottoman Empire in the Vaslui area. Once the Moldavian capital was moved from Suceava to Iaşi and the southern town of Bârlad became an administrative center of southern Moldavia, Vaslui declined for about three centuries to a local borough (târg).

There once was a fairly large Jewish community in the city of Vaslui. Their arrival from Galicia during the second half of the 19th century gave a new impetus to the economical development. In 1899, Jews formed 37% of the population, and Vaslui was home to the Vasloi Hasidic dynasty. However, waves of pogroms, associated with the Holocaust (see Romania during World War II and Holocaust in Romania) as well as emigration to Israel during Romania's communist period largely diminished its presence.

During World War II, the Stephen the Great Monument was relocated from Chişinău to Vaslui.

However, the population grew again steadily after 1968, when the town was proclaimed as the administrative center of Vaslui County, with immigration from the neighbouring countryside, ethnic Romanians and Roma attracted by the industry set up by the Communist regime.

Demographics[link]

According to the last census, from 2002, there were 70,571 people living within the city of Vaslui,^[1] making it the 33rd largest city in Romania. The ethnic makeup is as follows:

• Romanians: 98.63%
• Roma: 1.19%
• Lipovans: 0.06%
• Other: 0.12%

The population decreased again after the downfall of the Communism in 1989, because of the emigration.

Today, the majority of the population is of Romanian ethnicity. The Romani minority lives compactly in the southwestern suburbs of Rediu and Brodoc, in the southwestern part of the main town (in the neighbourhoods around Traian Street) and also scattered in the rest of locality. In the 1960s and 1970s nomadic Roma belonging to the Kalderash caste were forcibly settled by the Communists in the northern part of the town, scattered among Romanians. The third ethnic group is that of the Lipovans, who have in the center of the town a church of their Old Believers Christian branch.

Censuses[link]

• in 1930 - 13,827 inhabitants,
• in 1941 - 13,923 inhabitants,
• in 1948 - 11,827 inhabitants,
• in 1956 - 15,197 inhabitants,
• in 1966 - 17,591 inhabitants,
• in 1968 - 17,960 inhabitants,
• in 1970 - 22,825 inhabitants,
• in 1980 - 46,181 inhabitants,
• in 1990 - 74,615 inhabitants.

Sport[link]

Vaslui is home to FC Vaslui football club which plays in Liga I.

Natives[link]

• Nicolae Milescu
• Gheorghe Mironescu
• Alexandra Nechita
• Corneliu Porumboiu
• Constantin Tănase
• Virgil Trofin

Twin towns[link]

• Quarrata, Italy
• San Fernando de Henares, Spain
• Cahul, Republic of Moldova

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vaslui

v t e Vaslui County, Romania Cities Vaslui (county seat) Bârlad Huşi Towns Murgeni Negreşti Communes Albeşti Alexandru Vlahuţă Arsura Băcani Băceşti Bălteni Banca Berezeni Blăgeşti Bogdana Bogdăneşti Bogdăniţa Boţeşti Buneşti-Avereşti Ciocani Codăeşti Coroieşti Costeşti Cozmeşti Creţeşti Dăneşti Deleni Deleşti Dimitrie Cantemir Dodeşti Dragomireşti Drânceni Duda-Epureni Dumeşti Epureni Fălciu Fereşti Fruntişeni Găgeşti Gârceni Ghergheşti Griviţa Hoceni Iana Ibăneşti Ivăneşti Iveşti Laza Lipovăţ Lunca Banului Măluşteni Micleşti Muntenii de Jos Muntenii de Sus Olteneşti Oşeşti Pădureni Perieni Pochidia Pogana Pogoneşti Poieneşti Puieşti Pungeşti Puşcaşi Rafaila Rebricea Roşieşti Soleşti Stănileşti Ştefan cel Mare Şuletea Tăcuta Tanacu Tătărăni Todireşti Tutova Văleni Vetrişoaia Viişoara Vinderei Voineşti Vultureşti Vutcani Zăpodeni Zorleni

v t e County seats of Romania (alphabetical order by county) Alba Iulia • Arad • Piteşti • Bacău • Oradea • Bistriţa • Botoşani • Braşov • Brăila • Buzău • Reşiţa • Călăraşi • Cluj-Napoca • Constanţa • Sfântu Gheorghe • Târgovişte • Craiova • Galaţi • Giurgiu • Târgu Jiu • Miercurea Ciuc • Deva • Slobozia • Iaşi • Bucharest • Baia Mare • Drobeta-Turnu Severin • Târgu Mureş • Piatra Neamţ • Slatina • Ploieşti • Satu Mare • Zalău • Sibiu • Suceava • Alexandria • Timișoara • Tulcea • Vaslui • Râmnicu Vâlcea • Focşani Bucharest (national capital)

Dirk Kuyt

Personal information
Full name	Dirk Kuyt
Date of birth	(1980-07-22) 22 July 1980 (age 31)
Place of birth	Katwijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Forward / Winger
Club information
Current club	Liverpool
Number	18
Youth career
1985–1998	Quick Boys
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2003	Utrecht	160	(51)
2003–2006	Feyenoord	101	(71)
2006–	Liverpool	207	(51)
National team‡
2004–	Netherlands	85	(24)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:30 (UTC), 21 March 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2011

Dirk Kuyt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɪrk ˈkœy̆t] ( listen); born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Liverpool as a forward.

Kuyt began his professional career with FC Utrecht in 1998 and quickly became part of their first team. He spent five years at the club and in his final season he won his first senior honour, the Dutch Cup, and was chosen as the season's Dutch Golden Shoe Winner. Following this, he left Utrecht in a €1 million transfer to Feyenoord. He became the club captain in 2005 and was a prolific goalscorer at the Rotterdam club; he was the club's top scorer for three consecutive seasons, the top goalscorer in the 2004–05 Eredivisie season, and the 2005–06 Dutch Footballer of the Year. Kuyt missed only five games over seven seasons from 1999 until 2006 and appeared in 179 consecutive matches between 2001–06, striking up a fruitful partnership with fellow Feyenoord teammate Salomon Kalou.

He left Feyenoord after three years, having scored 71 league goals in 101 appearances, and joined Premier League side Liverpool for £10 million.^[2] He made his Premier League debut late in 2006 and became part of the first team squad. He scored in his first ever UEFA Champions League final with Liverpool against AC Milan.

Kuyt scored several important goals for Liverpool elsewhere, including seven goals in the 2007–08 Champions League, including a goal in the quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and in the semi-final against Chelsea, and two penalty kicks against Everton in the derby the same season. He scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool against Manchester United in March 2011. After coming on as a substitute, his extra time goal at Wembley for Liverpool against Cardiff City in the 2012 League Cup Final helped win the trophy for Liverpool, and was also his first trophy as a Liverpool player.

He made his international debut in 2004 and has represented the Netherlands at three major international tournaments, the 2006 and 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008.

Early life[link]

Kuyt is the third of four children. His father was a fisherman and he has stated that had he not found a career in football he probably would have followed his father into the family business. He grew up in the fishing town of Katwijk aan Zee.

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 in the Hoofdklasse, and catching the eye of Eredivisie team FC Utrecht.^[3] Kuyt still regularly visits Katwijk and his old club Quick Boys, who benefited from a £300,000 windfall as a result of the player's move to Liverpool. He achieved his 50th league goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2011/2012 season.

Club career[link]

FC Utrecht[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

Kuyt celebrates winning the Dutch Cup with FC Utrecht

Kuyt signed professionally for FC Utrecht that summer, aged 18, and immediately established himself in the first team.Sometimes He played as striker. However he was more often than not played as a winger, as they preferred to play Serbian Igor Gluščević up front.

This continued until the 2002–03 season when Foeke Booy was installed as the club's new manager. Booy played Kuyt as a striker / attacking midfielder (behind the striker) for the entire season, and Kuyt repaid him with 20 league goals. FC Utrecht also reached the Dutch Cup final, where they met Feyenoord. Although they were the underdogs Utrecht comfortably won the cup 4–1, with Kuyt scoring one and being given the man-of-the-match award. At the end of the season Kuyt completed a €1 million move to Feyenoord, where he replaced the out-going Pierre van Hooijdonk.

Feyenoord[link]

At Feyenoord, Kuyt immediately became a fans' favourite with his continued goal scoring success. His first season saw him net another 20 league goals. The opening game of the 2004–05 season marked Kuyt's first ever hat-trick against De Graafschap. He later went on to score three in the 6–3 victory against Den Haag and ended the season as the Eredivisie's top scorer with 29 goals—a career high.

In 2005 Kuyt was handed the Feyenoord club captaincy and went on to have a third successful season with the club, scoring 25 goals in all competitions. He formed a golden duo with Salomon Kalou, nicknamed K2.^[4]

Kuyt during his time at Feyenoord

Over the summer of 2006 Kuyt was again linked with moves to many top English clubs, most notably Liverpool and Newcastle United. Rumours started in May with Dirk Kuyt stating "I am happy at Feyenoord but I would like to play in the Premier League."^[5] Kuyt completed a move to Liverpool on 18 August for an undisclosed fee.

Kuyt missed only five games over seven seasons from 1999 until 2006, making 233 appearances.^[3] Between March 2001 and April 2006 he played 179 consecutive matches.

Liverpool[link]

2006–07 season[link]

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."^[6]

After sitting out the first game Kuyt made his Liverpool debut as a substitute against West Ham on 26 August 2006. His first start came against PSV in the Champions League and he has been first choice in most games since. He immediately got praises for the new defensive approach by a striker. In his third start for the club on 20 September 2006 Kuyt scored his first goal against Newcastle United in a Premier League game at Anfield,^[7] 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.

Kuyt won much praise for his early performances, with the Daily Mirror stating: "The Dutch striker has the look of a cult hero in the making"^[8] and The People reporting that he is "propelling himself towards iconic status."^[9] One of the reasons for his early popularity is his post match courtesy to the fans. After each match he walks to every corner of the ground, and applauds the Liverpool supporters.

Kuyt (left) with former teammate Xabi Alonso at Liverpool

On 20 January 2007, Dirk Kuyt opened the scoring against Chelsea after only 4 minutes after a Peter Crouch flick-on. Liverpool went on to defeat the champions 2–0. It was the first time Rafael Benítez had defeated José Mourinho in the Premiership. It was also the first goal scored by Liverpool against a top four club in the league in the 2006–07 season. Kuyt moved his league-goal tally into double figures by scoring the first goal in the game against West Ham on 30, January 2007.

Kuyt played a key part in Liverpool's penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea in the semi-finals of the 2006–07 Champions League. Firstly in extra-time he had a goal disallowed for offside from Xabi Alonso's strike. Kuyt also scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out, and scored a consolation goal in their 2–1 defeat to Milan in the final.

2007–08 season[link]

He scored his first goals of the 2007–2008 season in Liverpools 4–0 victory over Toulouse in their 3rd round qualifying encounter at Anfield on 28 August 2007. He scored two penalties against Everton in the Merseyside derby to give Liverpool a 2–1 win. His 3rd and final league goal of the season came in a 3–0 away win over Newcastle in November 2007, Kuyt would not score another league goal until October 2008.

Kuyt failed to score in 13 games for Liverpool, before netting against Barnsley in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

On 19 February 2008, Kuyt scored the first goal in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2007–08 Champions League against favourites Internazionale in a 2–0 win.

Starting in early 2008, Kuyt began to be employed as a right winger and set up two of Fernando Torres's goals against West Ham in March. He adapted to this new role and soon regained his overall form, playing himself into the starting XI again after putting on various vital team performances. On 2 April 2008, Kuyt scored an equalising goal against Arsenal at the Emirates stadium.

Dirk Kuyt

On 22 April 2008, in the first leg of the Champions League all-English semi-final against Chelsea at Anfield, Kuyt scored the opening goal just before half time.

2008–09 season[link]

Dirk Kuyt scored a late extra time goal against Standard Liège in the 2008–09 Champions League qualifiers return match to put Liverpool through to the group stages of the competition. In his next game, a 2–1 win in the Premier League against Manchester United, he assisted fellow countryman Ryan Babel's winning goal.

Kuyt's goals at vital moments in important games, such as the last minute strike against Standard Liège, an injury time winner against Manchester City on 5 October 2008 and twice in Liverpool's 3–2 comeback win over Wigan Athletic on 18 October 2008, have led to his reputation as a "Big Game Player"^[who?]

The 2008/09 season saw Kuyt score 15 goals, his best return for the club.

2009–10 season[link]

As a result of heavy injuries sustained by the Liverpool squad, Kuyt often found himself playing a central striker role. Kuyt scored against Stoke and Burnley in two home 4–0 triumphs. He also scored the winning goal in Liverpool's opening Champions League group game against Hungarian team Debrecen in a 1–0 win. Kuyt's goal against Debrecen means only Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard have scored more goals for the club in the European Cup. It was his 12th goal in Europe's premier club competition.^[10] Kuyt scored his 4th league goal of the season in a vital 2–0 win against Everton at Goodison Park, in the Merseyside derby. He took his season's goal tally to six, his fifth in the league, by scoring in a 2–1 premier league loss to Arsenal at Anfield. On 20 January, Kuyt scored both goals at Anfield against Spurs in a 2–0 victory and a week later, scored the opener against Bolton. For both goals, he was assisted by Alberto Aquilani which could be the start of a new partnership. Against Spurs, he played a delightful one-two with Alberto Aquilani before slotting it home. While against Bolton, Alberto Aquilani guided an Emiliano Insúa cross back into the path of Kuyt who slotted it home. On many occasions, they linked up together and threatened to score.

On the 6th of February he scored his fourth goal in the Merseyside Derby, a header from a corner against Everton in the 55th minute bringing his tally of goals for Liverpool to 50 in all competitions. He was also awarded man of the match for this game which Liverpool won 1–0. On the 8th April he notched his 51st goal for Liverpool with a crucial yet controversial header in the Europa League against Benfica. The goal, a header direct from a corner, was originally dissallowed by the linesmen for offside, but after some heavy protests by the Liverpool players and manager Rafael Benítez that you could not be offside directly from a corner, the referee changed his mind and allowed the goal. Kuyt played in his 200th competitive game for Liverpool, against Hull City on the final day of Liverpool's dismal season.

2010–11 season[link]

Kuyt during pre-season training

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 Rodríguez. 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.^[12]

On 6 March, Kuyt scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool in a 3–1 win at Anfield against Liverpools biggest rivals Manchester United.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15] Dirk Kuyt finished the season as Liverpool's top goal scorer scoring 13 league goals, finishing with a total of 15, equalling his best return for the club in a season.

2011–12 season[link]

On 21 September 2011, Dirk Kuyt scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the 83rd minute in the third round of the League Cup.^[16] He did not score for the rest of 2011, missing a chance to get his 50th league goal on 1 October 2011 with a saved penalty against Everton, a game Liverpool went on to win 2–0. On 8 October, Kuyt was announced as having taken up an advisory role with his first club in football, Quick Boys.^[17] Kuyt's next goal was a crucial 88th minute winner in a 2–1 victory against Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup on 28 January 2012. He went on to score his 50th league goal for Liverpool the following week in a 3–0 victory over Wolves, becoming only the fifth player to score 50 or more goals for Liverpool in the Premier League. After coming on as a substitute, Kuyt scored Liverpool's second goal in the League Cup final against Cardiff City on 26 February; the game finished 2–2 after extra-time, with Liverpool winning on penalties - Kuyt scoring one of them.^[18]

International career[link]

Kuyt playing for the Netherlands

When Marco van Basten took over as coach of the Dutch national team he dropped many established players, including strikers Roy Makaay and Patrick Kluivert. Kuyt benefitted as in September 2004 he made his international debut in van Basten's first game against Liechtenstein. He has been a permanent fixture in the Dutch squad ever since, making the starting line-up for eleven of the Netherlands' twelve 2006 World Cup qualification matches.^[19]

2006 World Cup[link]

At the 2006 World Cup, Kuyt found himself relegated to the substitutes bench. Although he made an appearance as a 69th minute replacement in the first game against Serbia and Montenegro, he sat the entire second game out. With the team already qualified for the next round van Basten decided to rest many of his first choice players for the final group game against Argentina,^[20] and Kuyt was handed a start in the right wing position.

Kuyt (left) with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in a training session prior to Euro 2008.

For the Netherlands' Round of 16 tie against Portugal, Kuyt was given a surprise start ahead of star-striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. However, Kuyt did not have a successful game and the Netherlands eventually lost 1–0 in a game that was more reputable for its record breaking disciplinary record (4 red cards and 16 yellow cards).^[21]

Euro 2008[link]

Kuyt was selected for the Dutch squad for Euro 2008. On 9 June, he played in their opening Group C match, a 3–0 victory over 2006 World Champions Italy, assisting in two goals, his most notable act being the header that provided the link between Giovanni van Bronckhorst's crossfield pass and Wesley Sneijder's goal to make it 2–0 on 31 minutes. On 13 June, Kuyt contributed his team's second in the next game of Group C, a 4–1 victory over 2006 World Cup finalists France by opening the scoring with a ninth minute header from a corner,^[22][23] taking his tally of international goals to eight. During Euro 2008, Kuyt was employed as a winger, partnering with Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart in the midfield due to the team's change of formation from 4-3-3/4–4–2 to 4–2–3–1.^{[citation needed]}

Post Euro 2008[link]

Kuyt prior to a 2010 World Cup qualification match

Kuyt scored 3 goals in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. During a friendly against England, he opened the scoring less than ten minutes after kick-off, pouncing on Rio Ferdinand's poor back pass.

2010 World Cup[link]

Kuyt was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[24] On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.^[25]

At the finals, Kuyt scored Holland's second goal in the 85th minute of their 2–0 win over Denmark in their opening group match on a tap-in after Eljero Elia's shot hit the post. In the quarter-final match on 2 July against Brazil, Kuyt flicked a corner on to Wesley Sneijder who headed the ball into the net giving the Dutch in a 2–1 win. He also assisted the goal scored by Arjen Robben against Uruguay in the semi-finals. Kuyt started all seven matches for the Dutch who finished as runners up to Spain and finished the tournament with one goal and three assists.^[26]

Post 2010 World Cup[link]

On 2 September 2010, Kuyt scored a penalty as Holland began their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 5–0 away win against San Marino.^[27] On 12 October 2010, Kuyt injured his ankle in Holland's fourth Euro 2012 qualifier against Sweden and was out of action for four weeks with the injury.^[28] On 25 March 2011 Kuyt scored Hollands third goal in a 4–0 win against Hungary for the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Four days later he scored twice in a 5–3 win against the same opponents. On 8 June 2011, Kuyt scored a 90th minute equaliser for Holland against Uruguay, leveling the match to 1–1, with Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez netting the opening goal of the match. Holland went on to lose to Uruguay on penalties.^[29] Kuyt scored the fourth goal in Holland's record 11–0 win over San Marino. Kuyt headed in his seventh international goal of 2011 in a 3-2 loss against Sweden.

International career statistics[link]

^[30]

International goals[link]

Dirk Kuyt: International Goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	9 October 2004	Skopje City Stadium, Skopje, Macedonia	Macedonia	2–1	2–2	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	4 June 2005	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Romania	2–0	2–0	2006 World Cup qualification
3.	8 June 2005	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	0–2	0–4	2006 World Cup qualification
4.	1 March 2006	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Ecuador	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5.	6 September 2006	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Belarus	3–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualification
6.	22 August 2007	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Switzerland	2–1	2–1	Friendly
7.	24 May 2008	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Ukraine	1–0	3–0	Friendly
8.	13 June 2008	Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland	France	1–0	4–1	Euro 2008
9.	19 November 2008	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Sweden	3–1	3–1	Friendly
10.	28 March 2009	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Scotland	3–0	3–0	2010 World Cup qualification
11.	1 April 2009	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Macedonia	1–0	4–0	2010 World Cup qualification
12.	1 April 2009	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Macedonia	3–0	4–0	2010 World Cup qualification
13.	12 August 2009	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	England	1–0	2–2	Friendly
14.	3 March 2010	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	United States	1–0	2–1	Friendly
15.	1 June 2010	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Ghana	1–0	4–1	Friendly
16.	14 June 2010	Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa	Denmark	2–0	2–0	2010 World Cup
17.	3 September 2010	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	0–1	0–5	Euro 2012 qualification
18.	9 February 2011	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Austria	3–0	3–1	Friendly
19.	25 March 2011	Stadium Puskas Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	0–3	0–4	Euro 2012 qualification
20.	29 March 2011	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Hungary	4–3	5–3	Euro 2012 qualification
21.	29 March 2011	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Hungary	5–3	5–3	Euro 2012 qualification
22.	8 June 2011	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay	Uruguay	1–1	1–1	Friendly
23.	2 September 2011	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	San Marino	4–0	11–0	Euro 2012 qualification
24.	11 October 2011	Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden	Sweden	1–2	3–2	Euro 2012 qualification