Ryan Babel, former Ajax, Liverpool winger retires from football

​​​​​​​By Can Erozden

Ryan Babel, a former Ajax and Liverpool winger, retired Saturday from football at the age of 37.

"RETIRED. Thank You Football," the Dutch player wrote on X.

"Football gave me everything I dreamed of and so much more. Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, fans and even the media who have been part of this incredible adventure. This game will forever be in my heart. Thank you," Babel said in a video on the social media site.

The Amsterdam native helped his boyhood club, Ajax, win two Dutch titles.

He was a Liverpool attacker for three and a half years; from July 2007 to January 2011, and scored 22 goals in 146 appearances for the English Premier League club.

Babel also played for England's Fulham and Germany's Hoffenheim, as well as Turkish archrivals Besiktas and Galatasaray.

He was the 2017 Turkish champion with Besiktas.

Babel, who amassed 69 caps for the Netherlands, last played for the Turkish club, Eyupspor, in 2023.

He was named to the Netherlands' squad for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.