The Liverpool hero looked very different when he appeared on TV
Liverpool icon Dirk Kuyt looks completely different now compared to his playing days. Yet, despite rumours that he has undergone cosmetic procedures, the Dutchman insists he has only had an unrelated eyelid surgery.
Kuyt, 45, spent six years of his prime at Anfield, where he became a fan favourite for his tireless work-rate and unselfish wing-play. The versatile forward retired in 2018 and was largely forgotten by the UK public for several years.
That was until the former Netherlands star, now a manager, went viral in 2021 while working as a pundit for Dutch television network Ziggo Sport. Covering a game between Liverpool and Tottenham, Kuyt looked extremely dapper wearing a black turtle neck.
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But viewers and online fans were left stunned by what they perceived to be a marked change in his physical appearance, too. Gone were his famous blonde curls and clean-shaven look. Instead, he sported a slicked-back, short back-and-sides hairstyle and had grown out his facial hair.
The consensus was that Kuyt’s appearance looked refreshed, with fans on social media even joking that he resembled a trendy hipster. Some even speculated he had enjoyed a facelift.
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But the Liverpool cult hero shut down those claims by denying having cosmetic work done. He explained that he underwent a very different procedure, saying: “What I did have was eyelid surgery on both eyes.
“That was necessary because when I was tired or had a glass of wine, my eyelids would droop. After the procedure, my face was a bit swollen, just when I was filming for Ziggo Sport. And I have a different hairstyle.”
Kuyt also made headlines when he announced his divorce from his wife, Gertrude, in June 2020, after 22 years of marriage. No reason was given publicly for the split, though he described it as the most painful stage of his life.
He said at the time: “It’s a sad situation the family and I are in. Both Gertrude and I have to process the separation, and I have to make sure it’s handled well for the children as well.”
It even led him to step away from his coaching role in charge of Feyenoord’s Under-19s, after he’d been tipped to eventually make the step up and manage the club where he played 199 times across two different spells.
Kuyt had left Liverpool in 2012 to join Fenerbahce, having scored 71 goals in 286 games for the Reds. After three years in Turkey, he returned to his former club Feyenoord and retired after a stint at amateur side Quick Boys in 2018.
He has since returned to coaching, being appointed by Belgian side Beerschot in December 2023. He guided them to promotion to the Belgian Pro League in his first season, but relegation the following season saw him sacked in June 2025 after just five wins from 36 matches.
A week later, Kuyt took up the position of head coach at second-tier Dutch side FC Dordrecht, who are currently seventh in the table.
