Feyenoord hero Dirk Kuyt retires on high note

Few players have said goodbye to a celebrated career like Feyenoord's Dirk Kuyt.

Days after bagging a hat-trick to secure De club aan de Maas' first Eredivisie title since 1998-99, the former Liverpool standout announced his retirement from football Wednesday.

Kuyt, 36, spent a 19-year career with Utrecht, Feyenoord, Liverpool, Fenerbahce, and again with the Rotterdam lot, pairing league successes with a runners-up spot at the 2010 World Cup and a third-place finish for Oranje four years later.

His three goals Sunday in a 3-1 victory over Heracles - a close-range finish, a flicked header, and a penalty - were a fitting conclusion to a career notable for a work rate that was second to none.

When Kuyt returned to the Dutch top flight two seasons ago after a spell in Istanbul, the humble player from modest roots in fishing town Katwijk aan Zee told Feyenoord gaffer Giovanni van Bronckhorst that his only goal was to win the league.

Kuyt single-handedly cemented as much Sunday, capping off a decorated yet unassuming career that mirrored the virtues of a player often overlooked, but who will not soon be forgotten.