Ryan Babel is a young Dutch footballer who today is an almost universal player for the Spanish club Deportivo La Coruña. He successfully copes with the tasks of both a striker and a left attacking midfielder.
Childhood
Ryan Babel was born December 19, 1986 in Amsterdam. At the age of six, he came to football, starting to learn the basics at FC Dimen. Perhaps because his parents were athletes. So the boy literally grew up on sports fields. Moreover, he was the first child (out of three) in the family.
At the age of eight, on the strong recommendation of his father, the boy transferred to the academy of FC Fortius. Where he played until 1997. Then he decided to qualify for the best Dutch club, which is Ajax. In fact, Ryan himself was his devoted fan. He managed to pass the first qualifying round. But the matter did not move forward. But he was accepted into the Amsterdam children's team. And there the scouts of Ajax laid eyes on him. Thus, at the age of 12, the boy was accepted into the club and enrolled in the youthcommand. He played for her for six years. And then, in 2004, Ryan Babel signed his first professional contract and already became part of the main team.
Ajax career
In total, the Dutch footballer played 97 matches for this club and scored 19 goals. All this in four seasons. His debut took place six months after his 17th birthday. The young striker played his first match against FC ADO Den Haag. The club finished first in the Dutch league that season. But Ryan Babel was not an important figure at that time. But then he changed everything. He sent the first ball into the De Grafschap goal, and this happened nine months after the debut.
The Dutchman performed well in the Champions League: it was largely thanks to him that Ajax reached the group stage. He began to be interested in teams such as Newcastle United and Arsenal. However, the striker decided to simply extend the contract with his native Ajax. So he stayed in the Netherlands until 2007.
Transfer to Liverpool
In the summer of 2007, Ryan Babel moved to the Merseyside club for 11.5 million pounds. His debut took place a week after the signing of the contract - it was a friendly match against FC Werder Bremen.
In the Premier League, his first meeting was the game with Aston Villa. Then he was released as a replacement. A week later, Ryan made his first appearance at Anfield. Then Liverpool played with Chelsea. Scored the first goal on the first of September, sending the ball into the goal of Derby County.
Ryan Babel, whose photos are provided in the review,showed himself perfectly, so he was released on the field regularly. This was noticed by representatives of his national team. So soon the young football player was invited to its composition. And he could have taken part in the 2008 European Championship, only during the test match of the Netherlands he received a severe injury, due to which he dropped out before the start of the next season. But, in any case, he went to the Olympic Games as part of the national team and played 5 matches, scoring 2 goals.
Later years
At the end of January 2011, Ryan Babel, whose rating at that time had fallen somewhat, moved to Hoffenheim for 8 million pounds. He played his first match the very next day after signing the contract. True, he managed to score the first goal only after more than two months.
The striker spent 18 months with the German club. And on the last day of the summer of 2012, he left the club. The only European team interested in the Dutchman was Fiorentina. But the negotiations failed. As a result, the situation developed in such a way that the striker returned to Ajax. But he didn't stay there for long. In 2013, it was bought by Kasimpasa from Turkey. Babel played two seasons for this club, making 58 appearances and scoring 14 goals.
In 2015, he received an offer from the Emirates club Al Ain. The contract was signed for two years, but the Dutchman broke it prematurely, 11 months before it ended. As a result, Ryan Babel is now a football player for Deportivo La Coruña. So far, his contract is valid until 31December of the current year, 2016.
Other interesting facts
It is worth knowing that it was thanks to Ryan that the youth team of his country in 2005 reached the ¼ finals in the World Championship. Then he scored two goals in four matches. The debut for the main team took place on March 26, 2005. He replaced Arjen Robben. Interestingly, in the same meeting, he scored his first goal, sending the ball into the gates of the Romanian national team.
Ryan's height is 185 centimeters. Everyone knows that for a striker this is almost ideal growth. In addition, such data allows him to perform the tasks of the dispatcher. That is, it is through him that the passes of the middle line of the entire team pass. Ryan also acts as a "pillar". He plays well with his head and covers the ball with his powerful body. And, of course, he perfectly "pushes through" the opponent's defense, scoring his goals powerfully and strongly. Ryan also manages to deceive opponents with his dribbling. In general, this is a valuable player for the team.
But like any other athlete, Ryan Gunod Babel (that's his full name) has injuries. There were seven in total. The most serious was received in November 2012, when he played for Ajax. Then he injured his shoulder and recovered for more than two months. In the same season, he had problems with his knee and took about the same amount of time to rehab. By the way, they did not appear out of nowhere. Back in the 2006/2007 season, Babel (also playing for Ajax) suffered a knee injury and recovered for 44 days. In addition, he survived a torn ankle ligament. But, toFortunately, the Dutchman has not received any damage for the past year and a half.
About achievements
Ryan managed to achieve a lot. Together with Ajax, he twice became the champion of the Netherlands, as well as the winner of the Cup and the Super Cup of the country (also 2 times each). With the youth team (under 21) he won the 2007 European Championship. In the same year he became the best young player of Ajax. And in the next, 2008, he won the same status, but only as a Liverpool player.
A footballer like Ryan Babel has a very interesting biography. Not everyone knows, but in 2010 the Dutchman recorded a song with a British rapper known as Sway. A popular musician said that the football player turned out to be not only a pleasant person, but also a worthy performer. By the way, this song was included in the album The Signature 2, released in 2010.
