The former Netherlands international joined the Reds from Feyenoord in 2006 and went on to score more than 70 goals during six seasons on Merseyside.
A year before I went to Liverpool, I had the opportunity to go to Spurs, where the manager, Martin Jol, and chairman, Daniel Levy, expressed an interest. But it was on transfer deadline day, and I didn’t want to move
Kuyt’s 108th-minute strike in the 2012 League Cup Final contributed to Liverpool beating Cardiff on penalties to secure the Dutchman’s only trophy for the club, although he did score in the 2007 Champions League Final, heading home in the 2-1 defeat to Milan in Athens.
However, the former Feyenoord ace, who hit 71 Eredivisie goals in just 101 appearances during his first spell in Rotterdam, has revealed that fellow countryman Martin Jol had been keen to bring him to Spurs a year before he put pen to paper at Anfield.
Speaking exclusively in the February 2017 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, Kuyt says: “A year before I went to Liverpool, I had the opportunity to go to Spurs, where the manager, Martin Jol, and chairman, Daniel Levy, expressed an interest. But it was on transfer deadline day, and at that time I didn’t want to move.
“Later on, Liverpool became the number one club who wanted me, although all the negotiations took a while. Other clubs showed an interest too, such as Atletico Madrid. That’s also a nice club, but once I’d heard of Liverpool’s interest, it was the only club I wanted to go to. From a young age I’d always liked Liverpool.”
Read the full One-on-One interview with Dirk Kuyt in the February 2017 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, which focuses on Arsenal’s dynamic duo, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, and remembers 31 other potent partnerships from years gone by. Also this month: 26 mental moments from Africa Cup of Nations history, the unbelievable true story of East German football, a visit to Canada for the MLS Cup final, and exclusive chats with Gunners midfielder Granit Xhana, Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi and Leatherhead manager Jimmy Bullard. Go get it, then subscribe!
Portraits: Antim Wijnaendts van Resandt
