 Ryan Babel of Liverpool |
"He has the body, speed and pace – everything he needs to develop his game. In fact, he could be the new Thierry Henry"
George Boateng, former Netherlands player
"He has all the potential to be the next Thierry Henry"
Marco van Basten, former Netherlands coach
"He's quick, strong and you can't guess what he's going to do next because he's a bag of tricks"
Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool legend
A tall, quick striker who can play on the wings or through the middle, Ryan Babel is one of the many players from the famous Ajax youth production line.
The right-footed Babel is predominantly a left winger but can also be employed as striker or on the opposite wing.
His speed and trickery equip him to cause defenders problems and, allied with his scoring threat, make him a real handful.
With awareness of the field, great vision, good first touch, and strength on the ball, he handles situations well.
Scouted by Ajax at the age of eleven, the Amsterdam-born forward played the 1998/99 season for their D1 team.
He then passed through the C1, B1 and A1 teams quickly, and, in January 2004, he signed his first professional contract.
On February 2004, Babel made his first team debut for Ajax as a 17-year-old in the 4-0 win against ADO Den Haag.
Nine months later, the youngster registered his first senior goal in a 5-0 league win against De Graafschap.
He played three seasons at the Amsterdam ArenA with a record of 14 goals in 73 Eredivisie outings, before moved to Liverpool in July 2007 in a five-year deal worth £11.5 million.
He was handed the number 19 shirt and made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute at Aston Villa in the opening day of the 2007/08 season.
It wasn't long before he opened his goal account in a red shirt, defeating two Derby County defenders before lashing home in a 6-0 romp over newly-promoted Derby at Anfield.
Another nine goals followed in a satisfying first year, including his first Champions League goal for Liverpool in an 8-0 demolition of Beşiktaş. He netted twice in the game - one being a cheeky back-heel - and almost completed a hat-trick, from a header from a Harry Kewell cross, but was denied by the crossbar.
Babel has been part of the Netherlands national team since March 2005, when coach Marco van Basten sent him as a first-half substitute for the injured Arjen Robben in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Romania in Bucharest. He paid off van Basten's faith by scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win, making him the fourth-youngest goalscorer in the Dutch history and the youngest in 68 years at the age of 18 years and 97 days.
Despite featuring at senior level, Babel was still eligible for the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, being held in the Netherlands. He scored two goals in four games as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals. There they were defeated by Nigeria, 10–9 in a penalty shoot-out, at which Babel scored his penalty.
In 2006, van Basten included Babel in the Dutch 23-man squad for 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, though he only featured once, as a second-half substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the group match against Argentina.
Babel was one of the stars as the Netherlands U-21 team won the European Championships on home soil. His two goals included one in the 4-1 victory over Serbia in the final, helping him scoop man of the match.
In May 2008, Babel was selected for the Dutch squad which will compete in the Euro 2008 Finals in Austria and Switzerland. Sadly, he was removed from the squad after sustaining an ankle ligament injury in training.
He was part of the Dutch team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which they were knocked out by Nigeria in the quarter-finals.
After being slowly blooded into the Liverpool side, Babel has became a more prominent figure in the Reds line-up and is being hotly tipped for this season to be his breakout season.
Full name: Ryan Guno Babel
Date of birth: December 19, 1986
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
Height: 1.85 m
Weight: 78 kg
Club: Liverpool
Position: Forward
Number: 19
Honours:
UEFA U-21 European Championship (2007)
Dutch Johan Cruijff-schaal (2005, 2006)
Dutch KNVB Cup (2006, 2007)
Liverpool Young Player of the Season (2008)
Related entries:
Technorati tags: Netherlands Liverpool Ryan Babel
The right-footed Babel is predominantly a left winger but can also be employed as striker or on the opposite wing.
His speed and trickery equip him to cause defenders problems and, allied with his scoring threat, make him a real handful.
With awareness of the field, great vision, good first touch, and strength on the ball, he handles situations well.
Scouted by Ajax at the age of eleven, the Amsterdam-born forward played the 1998/99 season for their D1 team.
On February 2004, Babel made his first team debut for Ajax as a 17-year-old in the 4-0 win against ADO Den Haag.
Nine months later, the youngster registered his first senior goal in a 5-0 league win against De Graafschap.
He played three seasons at the Amsterdam ArenA with a record of 14 goals in 73 Eredivisie outings, before moved to Liverpool in July 2007 in a five-year deal worth £11.5 million.
He was handed the number 19 shirt and made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute at Aston Villa in the opening day of the 2007/08 season.
It wasn't long before he opened his goal account in a red shirt, defeating two Derby County defenders before lashing home in a 6-0 romp over newly-promoted Derby at Anfield.
Another nine goals followed in a satisfying first year, including his first Champions League goal for Liverpool in an 8-0 demolition of Beşiktaş. He netted twice in the game - one being a cheeky back-heel - and almost completed a hat-trick, from a header from a Harry Kewell cross, but was denied by the crossbar.
Babel has been part of the Netherlands national team since March 2005, when coach Marco van Basten sent him as a first-half substitute for the injured Arjen Robben in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Romania in Bucharest. He paid off van Basten's faith by scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win, making him the fourth-youngest goalscorer in the Dutch history and the youngest in 68 years at the age of 18 years and 97 days.
In 2006, van Basten included Babel in the Dutch 23-man squad for 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, though he only featured once, as a second-half substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the group match against Argentina.
Babel was one of the stars as the Netherlands U-21 team won the European Championships on home soil. His two goals included one in the 4-1 victory over Serbia in the final, helping him scoop man of the match.
In May 2008, Babel was selected for the Dutch squad which will compete in the Euro 2008 Finals in Austria and Switzerland. Sadly, he was removed from the squad after sustaining an ankle ligament injury in training.
He was part of the Dutch team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which they were knocked out by Nigeria in the quarter-finals.
After being slowly blooded into the Liverpool side, Babel has became a more prominent figure in the Reds line-up and is being hotly tipped for this season to be his breakout season.
Full name: Ryan Guno Babel
Date of birth: December 19, 1986
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
Height: 1.85 m
Weight: 78 kg
Club: Liverpool
Position: Forward
Number: 19
Honours:
UEFA U-21 European Championship (2007)
Dutch Johan Cruijff-schaal (2005, 2006)
Dutch KNVB Cup (2006, 2007)
Liverpool Young Player of the Season (2008)
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Technorati tags: Netherlands Liverpool Ryan Babel
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