| Ryan Babel | ||
 | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Guno Babel | |
| Date of birth | December 19, 1986 | |
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker Left winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | AFC Ajax | |
| Number | 8 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1998–2004 | AFC Ajax | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2004— | AFC Ajax | 73(14) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005— 2005— | Netherlands U21 Netherlands | 14 (4) |
| 1 Senior club appearances and goals | ||
Ryan Guno Babel (born December 19, 1986 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch professional football player. He is right footed and plays as a striker or a left winger. He has played for AFC Ajax in the Eredivisie since 2004 and for the Netherlands national football team since 2005.
Biography
In 1997 Babel attended a youth selection day with AFC Ajax. He made it through the first selection round, but failed to progress any further.[1] However, the next year Ajax did take him on and he played the 1998–99 season for their D1 team.[1] After having also passed through the C1, B1 and A1 teams, Babel signed his first professional contract in January 2004.[1]
On 1 February 2004, just two months after his 17th birthday, Ajax coach Ronald Koeman gave Babel his first team debut in Ajax's 4-0 home win over ADO Den Haag in the Eredivisie.[2] Nine months later, on 20 November 2004 Babel scored his first senior goal against De Graafschap in a 5-0 victory.[3]
Later that season, Babel made his international debut on March 26, 2005, away against Romania. He entered the game as a first-half substitute for Arjen Robben and went on to score the second goal in a 2-0 victory.[3] The goal made Babel the youngest goalscorer in 68 years for the Netherlands[3] and the fourth-youngest of all time.[4] Babel had been a first team regular with Ajax in 2004–05 and finished with 7 league goals in 20 appearances.
In June, Babel took part in the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Babel 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 (Babel scored his penalty).[5]
In July 2005 Babel signed a new contract with Ajax. He started the new season by scoring the winning goal in Ajax's 2-1 defeat of PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Super Cup. Babel scored in both legs of the Champions League third qualifying round against Brøndby as Ajax made it to the group stage. 2005–06 was a tougher season for Babel in general though as he managed only 2 league goals. He did however continue to feature for the national team, and scored his second goal against Italy in November.
At the end of the season, Marco van Basten included Babel included in the Dutch squad for 2006 FIFA World Cup. Babel only featured once though, as a second-half substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the group match against Argentina.[6] Marco van Basten has been quoted as saying "[Babel] has all the potential to become the next Thierry Henry."[4]
Babel was linked with Arsenal and Newcastle United during the January transfer window of the 2006-07 season but no move materialised.[7][8] Amidst the transfer speculation, Babel agreed to a new three-year deal with Ajax on February 2, 2007.[2][9]
In June 2007, Babel was part of the Netherlands under-21 team competing in the UEFA Under-21 Championship, being held in the Netherlands. In the group stage, Babel scored a penalty against Portugal, helping the Dutch to secure a semi-final spot and thus qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. His second tournament goal came during his man-of-the-match performance in the final as the Netherlands defeated Serbia 4-1 to retaining their title.[10]
On July 10, 2007, it was reported by the BBC that Liverpool made a £13.5m offer to the Amsterdam club.[11] Of the possible transfer, Ajax technical director Martin Van Geel said "Liverpool are very serious about signing Babel and have made an offer a lot higher than before. Because they want him so much I think we may lose him."[12] The Independent reported that Liverpool and Ajax had reached agreement on a £10.8 million fee for Babel and that he was due in Liverpool July 11 for a medical.[13]
Club statistics
| Club | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cups[14] | Continental games[15] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||||
| Ajax | 06-07 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 37 | 7 | ||
| 05-06 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 34 | 4 | |||
| 04-05 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 8 | |||
| 03-04 | 1 | 0 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |||
| Total | 73 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 96 | 18 | |||
| Career Totals | 73 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 96 | 18 | |||
| Last updated May 5, 2007[16][17] | |||||||||||
| # | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 26, 2005 |  Romania | 2-0 | Won | WC 2006 Qual. | ||||||
| 2 | November 12, 2005 |  Italy | 1-3 | Loss | Friendly | ||||||
| 3 | June 1, 2006 |  Mexico | 2-1 | Won | Friendly | ||||||
| 4 | February 7, 2007 |  Russia | 4-1 | Won | Friendly | ||||||
| Last updated May 9, 2007[16] | |||||||||||
Career honours
Ajax
- Winner
- 2005 & 2006 Dutch Super Cup
- 2005-06 & 2006-07 Dutch Cup
Netherlands
Netherlands
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