PLAYER PROFILE

Ryan Babel

Position: Forward

Height: 6'1

Weight: 12st 6lbs

Date of Birth: 1986-12-19 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ryan Babel

Ryan Babel signed a five-year contract with Liverpool in July 2007 after the clubs agree an £11.5million fee.

The forward had been linked with both the Reds and Arsenal after starring for the Netherlands as they retained the recent European Under-21 championship on home soil.

Babel formed a dynamic partnership with Maceo Rigters and was named man of the match after scoring in the 4-1 final victory over Serbia.

His first season at Liverpool proved a successful one as he played regularly and scored a handful of goals. However, Babel was allegedly frustrated at a lack of opportunities at Anfield, and was reported to have asked for a loan deal back to former club Ajax.

His circumstances did not improve much in his second season, despite scoring the winner against Man United at Anfield early on. The arrival of Albert Riera meant that Babel started less games in 2008/09 than before, and the summer of 2009 brought more speculation that he would move on.