Kuyt’s special mission

Dirk Kuyt will play the most important game of his career this evening. But the most important man in his life, his father, won’t be there. Dirk Kuyt senior is too ill to make the trip to Athens.

Half a year ago, he was operated on a life-threatening cancerous tumour. He seemed saved, but now – only six months later – the dreaded cancer is back.

The Liverpool striker: “My dad would have loved to be here, but it would be too much for him. To much stress. He’s at my place in Liverpool now and will watch tv.”

The contrast with this time last year is big, the former Feyenoord star realises. Then, Kuyt received the Golden Shoe for best player of Holland out of his dad’s hands. His dad was getting ready for his first operation, the son was getting ready to move to the Mersey-side.

“When we win tonight, I will dedicate the cup to my dad. The biggest and best price any club can win. That thought is going through my head for weeks now. I really want this for him, it’s unsure how much time he has left. I hope he’ll stay awhile, I don’t think I am ready yet to say goodbye to him.”

Should AC Milan win, Seedorf will get his fourth Cup. Kuyt only won one price, the KNVB cup with FC Utrecht in 2003.

Although Kuyt is not that experienced on this level and is not Liverpool’s most important player, coach Benitez has a crucial role for Kuyt in the Liverpool side. He is the guy who will need to work to connect the midfield and offensive lines.

If Liverpool has possession, Kuyt is the second striker behind – presumably – Peter Crouch. If AC Milan has possession, he will play Liverpool’s fifth midfielder.

Rafael Benitez spent eight days with his team in La Manga, Spain, to prepare for the match. Extra emphasis was put on the setpieces, to punish and surprise AC Milan.

“I am pretty used to the perfect preparations Benitez cooks up,” said Kuyt, “but this was even better and more perfect than normal.”

Kuyt remembers how his FC Utrecht coach advised him on food and drinks. “Foeke told me to drink as much water as needed to get my urine color-free. At Liverpool, the dietary support is immense. I like these type of experiments. Every Liverpool player has his own medical and dietary dossier. After the second leg against Chelsea they told me I had ran 16 kilometers. And I wasn’t tired at all… That know-how can surely make the difference.”
When AZ and Ajax played the finals for the National Cup, some players got cramp at the end. “That won’t happen with us. Two years ago, yes, but now… AC Milan has their famus Milanlab but Liverpool is catching up pretty quickly now.”

He watched the bizar finals of 2005 in Istanbul between the Reds and AC Milan on tv while in preparation with the Dutch team.
When it was 0-3 during half time, most players went to bed. Kuyt stayed on to watch, “I couldn’t believe a team like Liverpool wouldn’t fight for their last chance. Maybe seven or eight players stayed on to watch. Only when the penalty shoot-out started more players came back to watch.”

Team mates Steve Gerrard and Jerzy Dudek told Kuyt stories about the Milan players cheering during the break and touching the Cup as if it was theirs already. “I think Gattuso kissed the cup before he went in during half time. That’s like dancing with the devil, isn’t it? I’ll touch the Cup after the match and then I won’t let go of it anymore. I’ll be 27 years old this summer. I’ll only have 20 to 25 matches left in my at this level, so this may well be my first and last chance to grab this price.”