In spite of the bright future that Ryan Babel appeared to have during his youth, he could never really live up to the expectations as the Dutch footballer made his way through various clubs around Europe but failed to become a world-class performer.
The biggest club that Ryan Babel joined in terms of trophies won was Liverpool which he signed for back on July of 2007 for a fee of around €12 million.
In 4 seasons, the Dutch footballer made 90 appearances and scored 12 goals as well as went on to receive various fines for his actions on and outside of the pitch.
During that period of time spent in Anfield wearing the Liverpool jersey, no piece of silverware could be lifted and he was eventually offloaded to the German outfit 1899 Hoffenheim.
Babel’s journey throughout a number of different clubs continued on but he failed to really make a mark and after just 1 or 2 seasons, he was always leaving or joining another team.
There was a point in time, when Ryan Babel said that it’s because of the former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez that he failed to develop himself as a world-class player as the Dutch player said:
“I think I was badly coached. Neither the coach nor the technical team gave me good advice. I was 20 when I arrived to the Premier League. When you are that age, people have to help you, talk to you. When I arrived, no one helped me. I was alone. It’s difficult for any young player. Not everyone is Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.”
However, was Rafael Benitez at fault for Ryan Babel’s disappointing playing career that he sustained?
Not only did the Dutchman have problems only inside but also outside of the pitch as well and this is something that a coach does not really have much influence in players and to blame a single person for a playing career which is filled with disappointment, fines and failure is too much to put on a single individual.