Feyenoord fans gathered at a fountain in the centre of Rotterdam immediately after the victory to celebrate the club’s Dutch title win.

Dirk Kuyt says “everyone laughed” when he said Feyenoord could win their first Dutch title since 1999 when he returned to the club about two years ago.

However, the 36-year-old captain’s prediction came true on Sunday as his hat-trick saw the hosts beat Heracles Almelo 3-1 to secure the Eredivisie and on Monday, the former Liverpool forward led the parade as thousands of fans rejoiced in Rotterdam.

“This is the best moment of my career,” said Kuyt.

He added that the title topped his appearances for Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final and the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final.

“I knew when I came back two years ago that we could win the championship and everyone laughed at me when I said so,” said Kuyt.

Kuyt who is now retired, originally started his career as a striker, played much of his career as a winger, and has also been deployed as a wingback on few occasions.

Kuyt began his professional career with Utrecht in 1998 and quickly became part of its first team. He spent five years at the club, and in his final season he won his first senior honour, the KNVB

He then left Utrecht in a €1 million transfer to Feyenoord, becoming the club captain in 2005 and was a prolific goalscorer at the Rotterdam club; he was the club’s top scorer for three consecutive seasons.

The Liverpool legend left Feyenoord after three years, having scored 71 league goals in 101 appearances, and joined Premier League side Liverpool for £10 million.

Kuyt announced his retirement from football on 17 May 2017, having scored a hat-trick in the last game of the season to secure Feyenoord their first title since 1999 three days earlier.