Ryan Babel says something ‘disappointing’ happened as soon as he joined Liverpool in 2007

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Liverpool have come such a long way during Jurgen Klopp’s historic reign at the club.

It isn’t just the trophies they’ve won or the wonderful football they’ve played, Klopp brought back a culture at the club which seemed to have disappeared.

In the years immediately prior to the German’s arrival, there had obviously been some very good times at Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers almost won the league, while Kenny Dalglish went so close to doing a domestic cup double. Something was just missing, though.

The worst times of all came during Rafa Benitez’s last years at the club. With cowboys running things, Liverpool almost went bust. Arriving just before that, Ryan Babel has now opened up on how he suffered with the culture at Anfield upon joining in 2007.

Ryan Babel opens up on Liverpool struggles

Babel is a really interesting character. Now retired, the 37-year-old is currently appearing on US dating show ‘Love Undercover.’

Colourful, free-spirited and not afraid to be bold, Babel’s football often matched his personality. As a 20-year-old from the famed Ajax academy, he looked like an exciting signing for Benitez and Liverpool.

However, despite an early goal against Derby County, Babel failed to live up to expectations. With fellow new signing Fernando Torres doing so well, it only increased the scrutiny on the Dutchman.

And speaking to The Athletic about those early days at Anfield, Babel has admitted that he found himself ‘unhappy’ at some broken promises from Liverpool.

“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 says.

“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.”

What was Ryan Babel’s record like at Liverpool

It’s interesting to hear Babel speak about his difficulty adapting to life at Liverpool. You could really see it on the pitch at the time.

He went from being an elegant, pacy wide man at Ajax to being someone who just couldn’t seem to find a role under Benitez.

Nevertheless, it obviously wasn’t all bad for Babel. One late winner against Manchester United in front of the Kop stands out as a really good moment and there were others, too.

In the end, Babel spent three-and-a-half years at Liverpool, leaving for Hoffenheim in January 2011 to link up with a certain Roberto Firmino.

Overall, 22 goals in 146 games and zero trophies didn’t make for an especially memorable Reds career for Babel. It’s a shame he wasn’t given more support when he needed it, the Dutchman had all the tools to be great.