Thursday 3 August 2017 21:39, UK
Three days after leading Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title since 1999, Dirk Kuyt has announced his retirement from football.
The 36-year-old won the League Cup with Liverpool, scored in a Champions League final and played at three World Cups and two European Championships for Netherlands.
We pick out five of the best moments of his career…
Kuyt himself said winning the Eredivisie title with Feyenoord on Sunday was the "best moment" of his career.
It was a moment that might not have unfolded as it did, had Tonny Vilhena not been suspended.
Kuyt had been on the bench for Feyenoord's last few games, but made quite an impact as he started in place of Vilhena, scoring twice inside 12 minutes before completing his hat-trick with a late penalty.
"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 afterwards.
"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."
Kuyt played a key role in helping Liverpool reach the Champions League final in 2007, including scoring the decisive penalty in the semi-final shoot-out win against Chelsea.
"I can still hear the noise in the stadium after slotting the ball home," he later told Four Four Two. "It was one of my most special nights at Anfield,"
Liverpool were beaten 2-1 in the final by AC Milan, with Kuyt scoring late on.
Although he said losing the match was one of his "biggest disappointments", he added: "To play in that Champions League final was a fantastic achievement."
Kuyt finished his career with 15 goals in 48 Champions League games.
The only piece of silverware Kuyt won during his six-year spell with Liverpool was the League Cup in 2012, and he played a crucial part in helping the Reds lift the trophy.
Kuyt did not start the game but scored a few minutes after coming on in extra-time to put Liverpool 2-1 ahead.
After Cardiff scored a late equaliser to take the game to penalties, Kuyt found the net again in the shoot-out to help Liverpool come out on top.
At the time, Kuyt said winning the trophy was the most important moment of his career.
"I have got a couple of medals but at the end of the day, all that matters is trophies. This is a gold medal. I lost the Champions League final and the World Cup final, but to win the Carling Cup is something very special to me," he said.
Kuyt became only the seventh Netherlands player to make 100 international appearances when he started against Mexico at the 2014 World Cup.
It was a match that demonstrated his versatility as he started at left wing-back and then later played up front as Netherlands won 2-1.
"It was a special day for me," he said. "It was exactly seven years ago that my father passed away. If you become the seventh player that reaches 100 caps, it's really a great feeling."
Although he ultimately ended up on the losing side in South Africa, Kuyt was integral in helping the Netherlands reach the final.
He started all seven matches at the 2010 World Cup, scoring once and providing three assists.
In a fiery final, Kuyt worked tirelessly but could not help Netherlands overcome the dismissal of Johnny Heitinga as they were beaten 1-0 by Spain in extra-time.
"It's so frustrating, I'm totally gutted," he said afterwards. "We were so close to winning the World Cup, and we had chances too. But you've got to take your chances."
