Former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel has launched a scathing attack towards our old manager, Rafael Benitez, as the Spaniard edges closer to a deal that will see him takeover the vacant position at Real Madrid (via The Guardian).
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Benitez signed Babel for Liverpool in 2007 but the player struggled to have the desired impact at Anfield and was sold by Kenny Dalglish in 2011; he made 146 appearances in total, scoring 22 times.
The man once dubbed ‘the next Thierry Henry’ (via The Guardian) has never quite managed to live up to his hype and it seems that he at least partly blamed Benitez for his problems, as you can see below.
Benitez on his way to Real? He will make Ronaldo a great defender…
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
U don’t understand lol… I could fill your timelines with lots of stories what i’ve experienced…
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
But….
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
I guess i have to wait when i officially retire to tell them in my book…
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
Not that i was planning to write one but i know some ppl who will convince me doing that… Lol
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
Oh and for the record… Cause i see already see ppl take my comments the wrong way…
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
I’m not saying he is a bad manager… He’s actually tactically one of the best… I’m talking about the person behind closed doors
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) May 28, 2015
So what went wrong? The Dutchman, now 28 and playing in Turkey with Kasımpaşa, was mostly used as a wide player by Benitez, rather than as an out-and-out striker.
As many guessed at the time, Babel clearly lamented the defensive responsibilities he was given and his unwillingness to comply eventually led to his departure – as The Guardian article explains. His reference to Cristiano Ronaldo – who has scored an incredible 313 goals in 300 games for Madrid, is the killer quote, of course.
Despite having had spells at Inter Milan, Chelsea and Napoli since leaving Liverpool in 2010, Benitez remains a firm favourite among the Anfield faithful, and Babel’s words are likely to do little to help him gain favour with us. It’s not liked he proved himself to be any better than he was while under Benitez, is it…?