Ryan Babel

Ryan Babel
Babel playing for Kasımpaşa in 2014
Personal information
Full name Ryan Guno Babel
Date of birth (1986-12-19) 19 December 1986
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1992–1994 SV Diemen
1994–1997 ASV Fortius
1997–2004 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2007 Ajax 73 (14)
2007–2011 Liverpool 91 (12)
2011–2012 1899 Hoffenheim 46 (5)
2012–2013 Ajax 16 (4)
2013–2015 Kasımpaşa 58 (14)
2015–2016 Al Ain 8 (1)
2016 Deportivo La Coruña 11 (4)
2017–2019 Beşiktaş 62 (22)
2019 Fulham 16 (5)
2019–2022 Galatasaray 77 (15)
2020Ajax (loan) 5 (0)
2022–2023 Eyüpspor 28 (5)
International career
2002–2003 Netherlands U17 6 (3)
2003–2004 Netherlands U19 6 (2)
2004–2005 Netherlands U20 4 (2)
2005–2007 Netherlands U21 5 (2)
2008 Netherlands U23 5 (2)
2005–2021 Netherlands 69 (10)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up2010 South Africa
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up2019 Portugal
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner2007 Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 August 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:04, 30 March 2021 (UTC)

Ryan Guno Babel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɑiɑm ˈbaːbəl]; born 19 December 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Babel began his career at Ajax in 1997, working his way up through the youth team and into the senior squad. He played three seasons for the first team before he was transferred to Liverpool in mid-2007, where under three successive managers he failed to secure a regular first team position. Babel was sold to 1899 Hoffenheim in January 2011, for a sum around half of that which Liverpool paid for him. His time at Hoffenheim was marred with disciplinary problems with three managers at the club. In the summer of 2012, Babel bought out the remaining final year of his contract, making him a free agent, and re-signed a one-year contract with Ajax. He then played for Kasımpaşa, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray in Turkey, Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, Deportivo La Coruña and brief returns to the Premier League with Fulham and a loan to Ajax.

Babel was part of the Netherlands national team from 2005 to 2021 and has represented his country at all youth team levels. He played in two World Cups, 2006 and 2010, reaching the final of the latter.