Liverpool star became a New York rapper, mocked refs and blamed Benitez
Liverpool invested in young talent when they brought Ryan Babel to Anfield but the winger had skills in other disciplines it turned out.
Ryan Babel was brought to Liverpool by Rafa Benitez in 2007 (Image: Getty)
Arsenal and Liverpool have contested more memorable games than both sets of fans would care to remember over the years. The two giants of English football have been drawn together once more in the FA Cup Third Round in what is the latest instalment of one of the game’s elite football rivalries.
The Gunners have enjoyed notable cup success against their Merseyside adversaries in the past, twice beating the Reds to win the famous old trophy in 1950 and 1971. Michael Owen would exact revenge in 2001 when the brilliant young striker pounced twice late on to clinch a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Gerard Houllier’s men at Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium.
More drama was to follow in the Champions League seven years later when the two sides were pitted against each other in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. After drawing the first leg 1-1 in North London a pulsating second leg at Anfield ebbed and flowed before a second-half substitute won a penalty (converted by Steven Gerrard) and then went on to score a decisive fourth himself to cap off another tale in Liverpool’s European storybook.
That player was Dutch forward Ryan Babel, a promising talent who had made his name with Ajax after coming through their celebrated youth system. Babel was part of Rafa Benitez’ big summer recruitment drive in 2007, with his arrival coinciding with the arrival of Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun.
Prior to arriving on Merseyside, Babel had been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and even identified Thierry Henry as his hero. But it was Benitez who stole a march on Arsene Wenger, capturing the exciting winger for £11m as he set about trying to bring more success to Merseyside.
But while Torres and Benayoun quickly became first-team regulars, Babel found getting a start under Benitez a tougher nut to crack. The Dutchman’s unpredictable nature, both on and off the pitch was at odds with Benitez’s well-drilled pragmatic approach.
Ryan Babel scores for Liverpool against Arsenal in a classic Champions League quarter-final in 2008. (Image: Getty)
Babel saw himself as a striker but the Spanish boss preferred to deploy the trusted hard-working Dirk Kuyt in that role alongside Torres leaving the former Ajax star to contest for a spot on the wing.
Babel’s first season at Liverpool was by far his most productive, scoring 10 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions. That includes one against the Gunners in that legendary quarter-final.
When Torres put the Reds 2-1 up on the night in the second half it looked like the job was done, but a spectacular breakaway from Arsenal that saw Theo Walcott run the entire length of the pitch allowed Emmanuel Adebayor to side-foot home an equaliser that put the visitors ahead on away goals with just six minutes remaining.
If one substitute had made a telling contribution in the form of Walcott however, another in Babel was about to match it. The silky forward slipped his way into the penalty area a minute later before being brought down by Kolo Toure to give Liverpool a crucial penalty.
Steven Gerrard converted it at the Kop end to put the Reds back in front and as the game moved into injury time it was Babel who made the game safe when he latched onto a ball over the top on a breakaway to send Anfield wild with delight.
That should have been the start for Babel but in reality, it was as good as it got. He played 91 games for Liverpool in the Premier League but only started 31 of them. In 2011 he was offloaded to German club Hoffenheim with the minimum of fuss.
The Dutchman’s antics off the pitch perhaps did not endear him to the manager. In between fighting for a first-team place, he would slope off to New York to record hip-hop tracks as he attempted to engineer a second career for himself in the music industry.
He might not have been impressing Benitez with his flow on the pitch but it seemed to be a different story off it as he successfully collaborated on produced work with some credible artists.
Babel featured on British rapper Sway’s 2010 album ‘The Signature 2’ earning high praise from the artist. As per the Mail, Sway said: “Ryan Babel’s a good mate of mine. He’s a nice guy, he’s a sick rapper. The way he flips his flow is marvellous man, so I wanted him to do a bit – half Dutch, half British, and he really pulled it off man.
“We linked up in New York as well. He’s a nice guy and I have a lot of fun with him. We linked up with Neutrino and I think it’s a track that people are gonna like.”
By this point Babel had already rapped on compatriot Daryl’s record Eeyeeyo, featuring Ali B and Soumia. But the enigmatic forward landed himself in hot water in January 2011 when he was fined £10,000 for posting a mock-up photograph of Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United kit on social media after a defeat to the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
Weeks later he was on his way out of the club after an £8m deal was struck to send him packing. Babel would later return to the Premier League in a surprise move to Fulham in 2019 when he was 32, but by then he was well past his peak.
It was a case of what might have been but speaking in 2017, Babel hinted strongly that Benitez had not developed him into the top Premier League player that he expected to become.
Babel said: “For a 20-year-old the gap from Holland to England is massive. That’s a fact. Not all players are able to settle in directly from day one. I remember even [Robin] van Persie needed two, three years but he became Van Persie. The difference is I think [Arsene] Wenger actually helped him develop and gave him time [at Arsenal].
“He promised me certain things at this time to help me develop which I thought was the same as Ajax but at a different pace. But from the start, I felt basically left out, by myself, no help and that was of course very difficult for a 20-year-old.”
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