Ex Liverpool player Markus Babbel had revealed recently on how he rejected Real Madrid to join Liverpool in an interview with Liverpool Echo.
In an exclusive interview with Liverpool Echo he shares about his time at Anfield, about rejecting Real Madrid one of the greatest clubs at that time.
Markus Babbel rejected Real Madrid to join Liverpool
Ex-Liverpool defender Markus Babbel joined the reds in 2000 in free transfer from Bayern Munich. He enjoyed a great first season at Anfield under Gerrard Houllier. Later in 2001 He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating and paralyzing condition, which left him in a wheelchair.
He made a remarkable return to playing in August 2002, but understandably faced challenges as he struggled to regain his previous form, leading to a falling out with Houllier.
Markus Babbel to Liverpool Echo on rejecting Real Madrid:
“Yeah, yeah, Real Madrid wanted me. And it was a funny story because there was an agent there. He said, ‘Listen, tomorrow I will bring you a $1 million if you’re not going somewhere else, if you sign for Real Madrid. And I said, ‘Oh, thank you very much, but Real Madrid is not my club.“
“If I go to Spain, then the only team I would sign for is Barcelona, because I am a massive Barcelona supporter and Real Madrid wasn’t ever my club and my team. They have the best players, but this is not my club.”
Markus Babbel them would leave Liverpool on loan in 2003/04 season, then left permanently in 2004 to VfB Stuttgart. He also started his managerial career with VfB Stuttgart.
In the cases of Tchouameni and Bellingham, both players completed big-money moves to Real Madrid and Liverpool were left watching. Nowadays it is difficult to compete with Real Madrid for new signings.
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