Ryan Babel: Liverpool was great, but Hoffenheim... | OneFootball

Ryan Babel has spoken of his initial move from Ajax to Liverpool.

Babel, now 34, says he enjoyed his time at Anfield.

He told ProShotsMagazine: “My agent Winny Haatrecht called that there was interest from Liverpool and that they were willing to pay the price. We were allowed to think about it for a week.

"I went to live on my own for the first time and then again abroad. I was only twenty. Dirk Kuyt had been there for a year and he helped me a lot. Good guy who helped me a lot there.

"In four years at Liverpool I have had Rafael Benítez as a trainer the longest, then a short piece of Kenny Dalglish. Great matches can play in the Premier League and the Champions League. Scoring the winning goal against arch-rival Manchester United at Anfield was beautiful. Or rolling up Real Madrid at home with 4-0. In England you had to know where you showed yourself on the street."

However, Babel admits his next move to Hoffenheim was the biggest mistake of his career.

He continued: "Well, it's the only move in my career that I regret. I did that to stay in the picture with the Dutch national team. That is why it was doubly disappointing that I missed the boat with the Oranje as well. You come from the Ajax school where you always dominate, you go to Liverpool where exactly the same is the case and then you go to a team where you just have to run after the ball.

"Hoffenheim then played tenth, eleventh and twelth. You were happy with a win and then you lost three more in a row. They thought they also brought in the savior with a Liverpool player. That was of course not the case. It was quite a shock because I had to deal with blows in football for the first time."