Related Quotes
"We've been trying to find a top goalscorer in Europe. That's difficult, but we knew Kuyt was one such player. He's been playing well for a long time, and he's someone I'm sure will bring a quality to the team. Sometimes you see a top class player who may find it hard to adapt to the Premiership, but in his case he has the work rate, game intelligence and goalscoring ability to make him succeed in England.
We needed someone who would be different to Bellamy and Robbie, but maybe similar in a way to Crouch. Kuyt can not only play as a target man, he can play as the second striker, on the right or on the left. For sure, he's not someone we'll use as a winger, but he can play alongside Bellamy, Fowler, Crouch and Luis and give us many options.
We first talked about him when we were at Valencia. That was when we first monitored him and kept having him watched. I know Liverpool supporters like players who work really hard, and he is like this. He is a complete type of player. He does everything well. He'll score with both feet and his head."
Rafa is happy with the signature of Dirk Kuyt
"I said last year, when nobody knew him, that he was a '20-20' player - 20 goals and 20 assists a season. In Europe there is maybe no-one else who is a '20-20' player.
We came very close to signing him and everybody knows him now. He is the best character you can have. He works, he can head the ball, he can score goals - not like David Ginola or even Robbie Keane - but he is so functional in his way.
He never loses a ball and is a 100 per cent team player. He is different. He has got strength as well. He is not only a gifted forward - he's an all-rounder. He moves well and his fitness levels are unbelievable. He makes things look simple but that is his strength. He started off in non-league but his career then went like a rocket. He was not at Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV - he was not in a youth academy. He came from an amateur club when he was 18.
He went to Utrecht and they sold him to Feyenoord. He could have moved on from Feyenoord but he wanted to stay because he is the most popular player ever at that club. He is an honest player. His mentality is so good that he wants to be better and better and works day and night to do that. So that is his strength."
Tottenham boss, Martin Jol, on Dirk Kuyt in September 2006
"We had confidence because of watching him working during the games but also training and how he could score goals, we knew that he could be a good player for English football. The physical approach that he has to each game is really important for him.
When I was talking with him trying to bring him here he always said the same to me, that he was a Liverpool supporter. I have a friend of mine who was his team mate and he said to me that Kuyt was always watching the Premiership and Liverpool was his target."
Rafa in March 2007 on Dirk Kuyt's capture
"Also, you can see Dirk Kuyt running around like Forrest Gump non-stop for 120 minutes if necessary, that shows their passion and commitment."
Rafa's praise, if you can call it so, in August 2007
Kuyt has a fantastic mentality. We talk about him being a striker who has played on the right because we needed it. He can also play as a second striker. When we played in the Cup and Philipp Degen had cramps, he said to me that if I wanted he could play at right-back. It's not just his versatility and the fact he's in very good condition, it's his mentality. He's always ready to help the team. He is a player that every manager would want in their team. You can play him or not but he's always available, always ready and always helping the team.
When you talk about a squad or a winning team, you need players with this mentality. If you have to change something for a game or have to put a player out of position, he is always available. That's massive for a manager.
Rafa on Dirk Kuyt in January 2010
Look at Dirk Kuyt: I can think of far more vaunted wide-men, and yet he was the sixth top scorer in the entire Premier League last season, and the league's sixth top assist-maker, with not one single winger ahead of him. Given that he doesn't take the corners and free-kicks that help players rack up assists, that's a great contribution, even before considering his work-rate and general team-ethic. He's not flash, but he delivers.
The manager and his scouts will check a player's background, his attitude, his lifestyle. They will be the ones looking into the player's eyes in a negotiation, to find out what motivates him. Bill Shankly always preferred players with less skill if they had more character. A lot has changed in the game, but core attributes, like commitment and temperament, remain crucial. Not tricks on YouTube.
Paul Tomkins' wise words on Dirk Kuyt in the summer of 2009
Look at what Kuyt did so far, He started the tournament on the right, then as a forward, and then against Brazil on the left. Not only did he keep Maicon out of the game, he also went and set up the winner. Someone like that is worth his weight in gold.
Johan Cruyff praised Dirk Kuyt for his performance at the World Cup 2010