Player Profile

The speedy winger/forward has been part of the senior Netherlands squad since 2005 when he scored on his international debut against Romania to become his country’s youngest goalscorer for 68 years.

Part of Holland’s 2006 World Cup squad and named in the 23 for Euro 2008 but was forced to withdraw after tearing ankle ligaments during training. He was part of the Netherlands team that won the 2007 European U21 Championship.

Babel made his Ajax debut aged 17 in February 2004, having scored 40 goals for the youth team the previous season. After four seasons in Amsterdam he signed for Liverpool in an £11.5m deal.

Despite his huge potential, Babel has struggled to pin down a regular place in Liverpool’s starting line-up. He fell out with then-Reds boss Rafa Benitez in January after revealing on Twitter that he’d been dropped from the squad to play Stoke and looked to be on his way to Birmingham, but has since featured in all but one of Liverpool’s last 23 games, although mostly from the bench.

In his spare time Babel likes to listen to and write his own rap music, performing under the name Rio. He has previously recorded a song with Real Madrid’s fellow young Dutch star Royston Drenthe and made a track with UK hip hop artist Sway on the latter’s latest album. Sway said of Babel: “The way he flips his flow is marvellous.”