Ryan Babel gets international debut in style

Ajax Amsterdam striker Ryan Babel was given the spotlight over the weekend in his first international debut. He kindly rewarded the adventurous nature of Dutch coach Marco van Basten with a goal as the Netherlands beat Romania 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

If you’ve seen him play, notice the raw pace. Most of his game comes from what drivers did with the turbocharged era Formula 1 cars: “point and squirt”. Babel gets himself into positions where he can toepoke, sidestep, 1-2, etc, the ball forward and sprint like the wind. He’s an instant defense stretcher.