The last few weeks had been fraught. As the season headed to its definitive point, Dirk Kuyt had become impatient and frustrated.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Feyenoord's head coach, had only given Kuyt 33 minutes of playing time since April 16 and a defeat by Excelsior, Rotterdam's second club, had plunged his hopes of winning the Eredivisie into the balance.
But then came Sunday. Glorious Sunday. Van Bronckhorst restored Kuyt to his starting line-up for the decisive afternoon and what followed was a story straight from the realms of fantasy. A beautiful day, a packed stadium and a hat-trick to make his boyhood team champions.