Ryan Babel, the Dutch starlet, spills the beans on why his Liverpool escapade fell short of the hype. Despite the glitz of his £11.5m transfer from Ajax in 2007, his Anfield journey was more fizzle than sizzle.
Ryan Babel: The Shadowed Dutchman
With only 65 starts out of 146 appearances, Babel’s dream turned into a bench-warming reality. Unveiling his dismay, he hinted at dashed assurances from the Reds, leaving him in a mental muddle.
“It was a little bit disappointing for myself because when I eventually chose Liverpool. I was promised to get time and was told they would really work with me.
But from day one, I was on my own, left to figure stuff out myself and that was very tough.
He told the Athletic.
“I was 20 years of age, it was my first time living abroad, the first time living by myself because I was still at my parents’ home in Holland.
So it was a lot of new challenges that I had to deal with at once. That made it very difficult. I had times where I felt unhappy, not completely myself or was anxious.
I think now we live in an era where you want to support a player who is vulnerable.
I came from a time when showing weakness was unacceptable. You would have been written off by some.”
However challenging his time at Liverpool was, Babel stands firm in his decision, brushing off regrets despite secretly yearning for Arsenal.
“The rumours surrounding myself and Arsenal were exactly that; just rumours.
We never actually spoke directly with the club, unfortunately, because that would’ve been my wish, naturally, as an Arsenal supporter.
But at the same time, I’ve always been the kind of person who has made decisions based on how wanted I’ve felt, and Liverpool made me feel like they really wanted me.
They made me feel important, and that’s why I chose to sign for the club… it’s not a decision I regret at all.”
Yet, amidst the disappointment, he refrains from regret, labelling it a learning curve.
“Living by myself in a new country, with a different culture, took a lot of getting used to.
But it was a really exciting time and I felt ready for the challenge.
I learned a lot about myself, both on and off the pitch; I became a man at Liverpool; I developed a winning mentality, a certain attitude, and I understood what it took to win games at a big club, which is something I took with me further on in my career.”
He exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone:
“I never felt like it was too much for me, joining up with that team. It was just a case of me proving to everyone that the move was justified.
You know, I signed for £11.5 million, which was a lot, at the time.
Nowadays, people would say that’s peanuts, but back then it meant I had to earn my teammates’ respect as soon as possible, and really try to fit in.
It wasn’t easy, but eventually I felt like I had enough respect that I was involved in many big moments with that team.”
Then he continued:
“You know, coming into that Liverpool team at the time, it wasn’t easy. The coach, Rafa Benitez, wasn’t easy on us.
I had to adapt to a new style and formation; I was used to playing 4-3-3 and now I had to play 4-4-2 which meant I had to do so much more defending than I was used to with Ajax.
At Ajax, I was told I wasn’t really needed defensively, they just wanted me up-front, but I moved to Liverpool and had to track back constantly, and it was drilled into me that I had to help my defenders.
I had to learn all of that in a short space of time, and while there were lots of up and downs, I still managed to play almost four years for the club.”
He told the Athletic when looking back on his career.
“I’m a die hard Liverpool supporter today; I want to see them succeeding, I still have a good relationship with a lot of people in the club and I’ve never felt like they’ve forgotten about me and what I did for the club, even though maybe it wasn’t as impactful as a, say, Fernando Torres, or Steven Gerrard.
But I appreciate the people in and around that club so much because of the respect they have for me.
You know, they don’t have to respect me, but they do.
It’s a special club for me, and I’m proud to be involved in the Legends team nowadays.”
Acknowledging potential doubters, Babel points fingers not at himself but at the lack of guidance that dimmed his star.
“It was a rocky journey, a lot of ups and downs, a career with many emotions.
In terms of the way I was introduced to the world, in terms of talent, in terms of potential, there’s definitely a majority of people who would say, ‘Oh, Ryan maybe didn’t fulfil his potential’.
That’s the easiest judgement to make.
However, I think some players need a different approach and a certain type of guidance.
And I feel like there was a time when a certain type of guidance was very important to get the best out of me – and I didn’t receive it.
That can have an effect on a player’s career. It did on mine.”
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