Dirk Kuijt (Dutch: [ˈdɪr(ə) ˈkœyt] ; born 22 July 1980), anglicised to Kuyt, is a Dutch former professional footballer and manager who currently serves as an assistant manager of Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe. Originally starting out as a forward, he played much of his career as a right-winger.
Kuyt began his professional career with Utrecht in 1998 and 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 KNVB 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 five games over seven seasons from 1999 until 2006 and appeared in 179 consecutive matches between 2001 and 2006, striking up a 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. He scored in the final which Liverpool lost 2–1 to Milan. He scored several goals for Liverpool elsewhere, including seven goals in the 2007–08 Champions League, including a goal in the quarter-finals against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium and in the semi-finals 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 on 6 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 only trophy as a Liverpool player.
Kuyt played for the Netherlands from 2004 to 2014. He represented the nation at five major international tournaments, the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2010, and 2014 and the UEFA European Championship in 2008 and 2012.
Kuyt announced his retirement from professional football in 2017, having scored a hat-trick in the final game of the season to secure Feyenoord their first Eredivisie title since 1999 three days earlier. He briefly came out of retirement the following April, to help out Quick Boys, where he already was the assistant-manager, to fix their shortage on strikers for the remainder of the season.
Dirk Kuijt was born on 22 July 1980 in Katwijk aan Zee, the third of four children. His father was a fisherman, and Kuyt has recalled that in Katwijk it was normal for boys to join their fathers at sea for the first time around the age of twelve. At that age he chose football over the fishing trade, reasoning that the demands of a working trip would force him to miss weekday training sessions and ultimately Saturday matches.
Kuyt had joined the local amateur club Quick Boys at the age of five, choosing the Katwijk club over the geographically closer VV Katwijk. As a youth player he was selected for regional representative sides, and drew early interest from Haarlem, Telstar and ADO Den Haag. His route into Quick Boys' first team came about through circumstance: in early 1998, first-team striker Pieter Slootweg announced his intention to join rivals VV Katwijk, making him unwelcome at the club and leaving a vacancy in attack. Kuyt, then an under-19 player, was given his chance; Quick Boys won the remaining six matches of the Hoofdklasse season, with Kuyt contributing three goals. His performances attracted interest from FC Utrecht, who invited him to a trial in Zeist alongside other prominent amateur players. "A few weeks later Hans van Breukelen called to ask whether I wanted to join FC Utrecht," Kuyt later recalled. "That was very strange, because he was one of my heroes from Euro 1988." On 7 May 1998, Kuyt and Quick Boys team-mate Hendrik van Beelen signed professional contracts with Utrecht.
1998–2001: Establishing himself
Although Utrecht had initially planned to develop Kuyt in their reserve side, injuries during pre-season preparations meant he was drafted into the first-team squad within days of his arrival. He made his competitive debut on 30 August 1998 under manager Mark Wotte, coming on as a late substitute for Michael Mols in a 3–0 home win over Cambuur; his first professional goal followed on 20 September in a 1–1 draw against Fortuna Sittard. He ended the debut season with five goals in 29 appearances, relying mostly on substitute appearances. Kuyt later reflected that in those early months experienced midfielder Alfons Groenendijk—who commuted with him daily from Katwijk to Utrecht—proved an important mentor.
When Mols departed for Rangers in the summer of 1999, Kuyt became the new crowd favourite at the Galgenwaard. Under Frans Adelaar, who served as head coach from 2000, Kuyt formed a productive attacking partnership with Igor Gluščević. In the 2000–01 season, the pair combined for 32 league goals, with Gluščević the primary striker and top scorer of the season on 19. That campaign also saw Utrecht qualify for European football for the first time in a decade.
2001–2003: Cup glory and departure
In the 2001–02 KNVB Cup, Utrecht reached the final at De Kuip, where they narrowly lost to Ajax; a late goal by Wamberto that was adjudged onside denied Utrecht victory deep into added time. Kuyt was suspended for that match. The following season, Foeke Booy was appointed head coach alongside assistant John van Loen, and Kuyt's scoring output increased markedly, with the club crediting his development to the guidance of a coaching staff that included two former Dutch strikers. Kuyt acknowledged the influence of both men directly, noting that "especially those last two are not bad people for a striker to learn from."
Utrecht entered the 2002–03 KNVB Cup motivated by what many in the club regarded as an injustice the previous spring. On 1 June 2003, they faced Feyenoord in the final, played at Feyenoord's home ground De Kuip. The occasion carried additional significance for Kuyt: he had already signed a pre-contract with Feyenoord, making it his final appearance in Utrecht colours—and one against his future employers. Utrecht were commanding throughout, with goals from Jean-Paul de Jong, Gluščević, and Kuyt giving them a 4–1 victory; Salomon Kalou scored Feyenoord's consolation. Reflecting on the goal, Kuyt said: "That goal actually had everything. I had signed for Feyenoord—that was a dream—but I also wanted to finish well at Utrecht and immediately show Feyenoord what I could do." Booy later described Kuyt's performances that season as consistently decisive, noting that even on an off-day he was "good enough."
Kuyt ended the 2002–03 campaign as the Gouden Schoen winner, the Dutch football writers' prize for the outstanding player of the season. He left Utrecht that summer in a €1 million transfer to Feyenoord, where he succeeded Pierre van Hooijdonk, who had departed for Fenerbahçe shortly before Kuyt's arrival. In five seasons at Utrecht, Kuyt made 184 appearances across all competitions and scored 66 goals.
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 ADO 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 captaincy and went on to have a third successful season with the club, scoring 25 goals in all competitions. He formed a strong partnership with Salomon Kalou, with the duo nicknamed "K2".
In the summer of 2006, Kuyt was again linked with moves to many top English clubs, most notably Liverpool and Newcastle United. Rumours began in May, with Kuyt stating, "I am happy at Feyenoord but I would like to play in the Premier League." Kuyt completed a move to Liverpool on 18 August for an undisclosed fee.