WHEN Newcastle's players arrive in Holland this morning they will find that, while British teenagers dream of 'Bending it like Beckham', Dutch youngsters have their hearts set on 'Yanking it like Yildirim'.

The England captain might have made his name as a dead ball specialist, but only one player can officially claim to be the best free-kick taker in the world - and he doesn't play for Real Madrid.

Instead he plays for Heerenveen and, in striker Ugur Yildirim, the Dutch side might have found the perfect player to scupper Newcastle's hopes of making the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.

After all, why shouldn't a Magpies defence that has already conceded 49 goals this season be wary of the world's number one exponent of the dead ball art?

It is not as if they have not been warned. In his last two seasons at Dutch First Division club Go Ahead Eagles, Yildirim scored 18 goals direct from free-kicks.

That prompted a host of top-flight clubs to register an interest when his contract expired in the summer and, since moving into the Eredivisie, the 22-year-old has provided 11 assists in 20 games for a Heerenveen side who have scored more goals from headers than any other club in the league.

Impressive enough statistics, but Yildirim's finest hour came in Marbella in December when he beat all-comers - including Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane - to claim the title of free-kick expert.

Competitors struck shots from three different distances (18, 21 and 25 metres) at goalkeepers, including Spain international Santiago Canizares. After modelling his action on Romanian legend Gheorghe Hagi, the youngster proved too good for everyone else.

"I suppose it means I can call myself the best free-kick taker in the world," beamed Yildirim, who also played a pivotal role in guiding Heerenveen through a UEFA Cup group that included Stuttgart, Benfica and Dinamo Zagreb. "Although I would think people like Beckham might want to argue about that.

"You had to take a number of free-kicks from different parts of the pitch - some were on the left, some were on the right and others needed a lot of power from the middle.

"There were two rounds. The best people got to go again in the last round and that was when I was up against people like Zidane.

"I'll be taking the free-kicks if we get any against Newcastle, although I won't be giving any secrets away of what I want to do with them.

"I understand that Laurent Robert takes a lot of free-kicks for Newcastle. I don't think I've seen him play, but I'll definitely be trying to score more than he does."

Yildirim might not know a lot about Newcastle's mecurial Frenchman but, after immersing himself in Dutch football from a young age, the Heerenveen striker needs no introduction to another of the club's foreign stars.

Patrick Kluivert remains something of a Dutch legend after scoring 40 goals in 79 games for the national side and helping Ajax lift the European Cup at the age of just 18.

The former Barcelona and AC Milan star has failed to make much of an impact since moving to England in July, but Graeme Souness is expected to hand him a rare start in the Abe Lenstra Stadion tomorrow.

Yildirim is thrilled at the thought of lining up against one of his former heroes and, given time, he still expects Kluivert to be a massive success in a black and white shirt.

"I've never come up against Patrick in the past," he said. "So I'm looking forward to playing against him in these two games.

"People remember how well he did when he first broke through at Ajax, and they remember all the goals he has scored for the national side.

"When I was growing up, I can remember watching Patrick with my friends and being impressed by just how great a striker he was.

"I wanted to be a striker from a young age and Patrick was one of the players that I watched and tried to learn things from.

"When he moved, I expected him to be a big success at Newcastle. It doesn't seem to have worked out like that yet, but there is still time. With that time, I am sure Patrick can still be a very important player for Newcastle."

Ironically, Yildirim's emergence has sent Kluivert crashing even further down the international pecking order.

Marco Van Basten handed the striker his first cap in last week's goalless draw with England -- but the decision was not without its controversy.

Yildirim might have been born in Holland, but his Turkish parentage sparked a heated tug-of-war between the Dutch and Turkish FAs, with both countries laying claim to his services.

He eventually plumped for Holland - Turkey coach Ersun Yanal later claimed he had demanded assurances of his place in the side before turning his attentions elsewhere - and, after making a 26-minute substitute appearance at Villa Park, he is desperate to draw a line under the wrangling of the last month.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make," said Yildirim. "I was born in Holland and have grown up there, but both of my parents are Turkish and I still feel an identity with that country.

"Turkey will always be important to me, but I chose Holland and, luckily, Marco Van Basten called me up straightaway.

"As far as I'm concerned, the matter is closed now. I chose Holland and I'm 100 per cent behind everything they do in the future."

That future seems as certain to be bright as it is to be orange. With Yildirim around from now on, any international defender conceding a free-kick on the edge of his own box had better beware.