Ryan Babel: Bio, Career, Other Facts About The Dutch Footballer

• Ryan Babel, born in Amsterdam and of Surinamese descent played for clubs such as Ajax, Liverpool, Hoffeinham, Fulham, Besiktas, and Galatasaray
• The Dutch footballer started playing professional club and country football in 2004 and 2005, respectively
• Apart from football, he is a rapper and owner of a record label and also a real estate investor with properties in Amsterdam and Miami worth millions of dollars

Ryan Babel is a 38 year-old Dutch winger who had spells in the Netherlands, England, Germany, Spain, and Turkey for clubs such as Ajax, Liverpool, Fulham, Hoffenheim, Besiktas, and Galatasaray. Additionally, he has represented the Dutch national team since 2005 and at every level from the Under-17 to the Under-23. He was part of the team that represented the Netherlands at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup in Germany and South Africa, respectively.

He was a lethal goal-scoring weapon at Ajax but failed to impress after his almost £12 million move to Liverpool in 2007. Presently, he is out of contract.

Early Life And Background Of The Dutch Footballer

Ryan Babel was born Ryan Guno Babel on 19th December 1986 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands to his parents, Asta Babel and Guno Babel. He is currently 38 years old.

The winger has one younger sister, Janice Babel born on 10th November 1992 who is also an athlete. She was a world under20 championships bronze medalist and a national indoor champion.

He developed an interest in soccer at a young age after he was fascinated by the likes of former Dutch footballers, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard, and went on to play for local teams such as S.V Diemen and Fortius.

By the age of 11, he went for his first AFC Ajax youth trials in 1997 and made it through the first round of selection. Unfortunately, he was unable to go beyond the round.

The following year, he made it and played for the AFC Ajax D1 team in the 1999/2000 season. Subsequently, he rose through the ranks of the youth system and was offered his finest ever promotional contract at 18. Hence, his professional football career began.

Babel’s Professional Football Career Began In 2004

He started His Journey At Home

The Dutch footballer started his professional club career with AFC Ajax in 2004 after giving him a professional contract. He made his debut for the club in February 2004 in a 4-0 victory over ADO Den Haag. Over the next 3 years, Babel impressed the Eredivisie side, scoring a couple of goals and even helping the club to a championship win on 2 different occasions.

His performances attracted the attention of clubs abroad and was heavily linked with a transfer to English clubs; Arsenal and Newcastle United in early 2007. A couple of months later, Liverpool signed the Dutch footballer on a 5-year contract worth £11.5 million.

His Spells Away From Home

During his debut season with the Merseyside club, he showed class and talents and scored some good goals in a few critical games including the champions league against Besiktas, Arsenal, and Chelsea. However, everything changed in his second season at the club. He was short of goals and playing time.

In 2011, he left the English club and joined German Bundesliga side, Hoffenheim for a reported £5.8 million fee, which was half the amount Liverpool paid Ajax for him in 2007. After spending a brief time at the club, he was released in the summer of 2012.

Later on, he returned to his boyhood club Ajax where he played for a year, scoring 4 goals in 16 league games. In June 2013, he moved to the Turkish Super lig side, Kasimpasa for 2 seasons before joining Al Ain of the UAE in 2015.

In September 2016, Babel joined the Spanish side, Deportivo La Coruna for a short time. He impressed in front of goal for the club, scoring 4 in 11 games. Despite that, he didn’t negotiate to extend his stay at the club. So in January 2017, he returned to Turkey and signed a 2 and a half year deal with Besiktas said to be £1.8 million per season.

At the end of his contract with the Turkish side, he returned to the EPL to play for Fulham in January 2019. Unfortunately, he left the English club after it was relegated and joined Turkish giants, Galatasaray on a 3-year deal in June 2019. In January 2020, he was loaned out to Ajax, and as of July 2022, he is without a club.

See Also-Naby Keita: 10 Fascinating Facts To Know About The Footballer

Ryan Babel Scored On His Debute For The Dutch National Team

The former Liverpool winger made his first international appearance for the Oranje in March 2005 at the age of 18 and scored a goal. It was in a 2-0 win over Romania, where he was introduced as a substitute for Arjen Robben. He made history as the youngest goalscorer for the Netherlands in 68 years as well as the 4th youngest of all time.

A year after making his debut, he was in the squad that represented the Oranje in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. However, he only made a single appearance as a substitute due to a knee injury.

Four years later, he was included in the 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but he didn’t play a single game.

At the youth level, he played for the Under-17, 19, 20, 21, and 23 teams in various competitions including the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship.

Here Are 5 Fascinating Facts About Ryan Babel

1. He Shares The Same Heritage As Former Dutch Midfielder Clarence Seedorf

As mentioned earlier, Babel was born in Amsterdam. He has ethnic roots in Suriname, a small country in South America whose official language is Dutch. Interestingly, the former Dutch football legend and one of the greatest midfielders of his time, Clarence Seedorf is of Surinamese descent.

2. The Dutch Footballer Is Also A Rapper

Apart from football, Babel is also passionate about music which started when he was a child, but the former took center stage. However, with his football days gradually coming to an end, he decided to flame his desire for music. He even featured in songs of several Dutch artists such as Ali B, Lange Frans, and Baas B.

He went as far as starting a record label to help upcoming artists. To him, music is his platform to tell stories people don’t know about him rather than use it for fame.

This is why he released The Autobiography: Chapter 1 in 2021 to tell the tales of his football career, especially his experiences with former Liverpool coach, Rafa Benitez and former Dutch coach, Louis Van Gaal. The rap album includes the following tracks:

• Biography
• Young Champ
• Entree
• Story of Glenn
• Resurrection/ Dream Big
• Glory
• Reminder
• Three Miracles

3. He Has A Son

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A post shared by Ryan Babel (@ryanbabel)

Babel has a son, Riley Babe. He was born to the Dutch winger in 2010. This is one of the reasons questions have been asked regarding Ryan Babel’s wife. Unfortunately, the former Liverpool player is discreet about it. He hasn’t revealed any information on his relationship status, even though it was speculated that he had been involved with two women in the past. It is possible one of them is his son’s mother.

Presently, the only woman he mentioned on his Instagram page as his bestie is Adrienne, a fitness trainer. She is also a yoga instructor and a movement advocate.

4. The Father Of One Is Looking At Other Options For Money Apart From Football

The Amsterdam native’s net worth is above $30 million. The fortune is earned from his football career, businesses, and endorsements.

Regrading football, Babel made money from his £11.5 million deal with Liverpool in 2007, £5.8 million in 2011 with Hoffeinham, and £1.8 million per season with Besiktas in 2017. This is in addition to what he made from other clubs as well.

Apart from football, he is earning pretty decently from his music business as a producer and a rapper. Besides the Dutch winger is into real estate.

To him, investing in real estate would keep money flowing in rather than splashing it on cars and other things. Hence,the kind of real estate he invests in is called the “multi-family homes.” He said investing in multi-family homes is solid considering the fact that hotels and big malls are diminishing due to the current global economic crisis.

His investment in real estate is worth $30 million and covers 50 affordable properties from Amsterdam to Miami.

5. He Is Quite Tall

The former Ajax and Liverpool player stand at a height of 856 feet 1 inch (185cm/1.m). He is taller compared to the average height of men in the Netherlands which is 6 feet 0 inches (184cm/1.85m). This height makes him a serious threat to short defenders, especially when in an aerial battle for the ball.

Presently, Ryan Babel is out of contract. It is unclear whether he would be moving elsewhere to continue playing or focus on his music career and real estate business. Whichever direction he chooses to go, it will be beneficial to him in terms of finances.