Kromkamp played a total of 201 games in the Eredivisie and scored eight goals in nine seasons, playing for both AZ and PSV. He also played in England and Spain, and started and finished his career at Go Ahead Eagles.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Kromkamp signed with Villarreal of Spain. On 29 December 2005, however, the La Liga club agreed on an exchange deal with Liverpool, with Josemi going in the opposite direction.[4][5]
Kromkamp made his debut for the Reds on 7 January 2006, in a 5–3 win over Luton Town in the third round of the FA Cup. During his stint at Anfield, however, he was unable to dislodge Irish international Steve Finnan from the starting lineup, but did make a number of appearances from the bench, most notably in the domestic cup final; he was described as being a fair crosser of the ball with a lack of pace, who had difficulty in stopping opposition wingers getting crosses in.[6]
PSV, later career
Kromkamp played one league game for Liverpool in the 2006–07 season. On 31 August 2006, he was sold to PSV Eindhoven,[7] taking over the number 2 jersey from André Ooijer who left for Blackburn Rovers. He appeared in 54 league games in his first two seasons combined, both ending in League championship wins, and also faced former club Liverpool in two UEFA Champions League matches, PSV managing only one draw in four games.[citation needed]
From 2008 to 2010, Kromkamp played rarely due to injuries. On 22 February 2011, he rejoined his first professional team, Go Ahead Eagles – effective as of July – again in the second division.[8]
On 23 June 2013, aged 33, Kromkamp announced his retirement from professional football due to chronic knee problems.[9]
Shortly after Kromkamp's move to Liverpool, however, van Basten admitted that he would rather see the player appear more regularly for his club – labelling the transfer as a bad move. Kromkamp hit back at this criticism by saying that he was very pleased to have joined Liverpool and that he would work hard to make it into van Basten's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad; in May 2006 the manager announced his final list of 23, which included Kromkamp, although he was not used during the tournament itself.[citation needed]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[10][11]