Ryan Babel first bought the house in the hopes of making a tidy profit on top of his footballing salary, but his dream soon turned into a nightmare thanks to one of his teammates
19:05, 16 Oct 2025Updated 19:24, 16 Oct 2025
Ryan Babel
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Ryan Babel said he was having to sell the house after 18 years of ownership(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
A former Liverpool star has opted to sell a house he used to own and rent out to one of his former team-mates. That tenant would go on to breach several laws and establish a nightclub inside the property.
Former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel confirmed that he would be selling the house after admitted back in March there was a chance he could lose the place due to issues with his mortgage. While the dispute was eventually resolved, Ryan has since made the decision to get rid of the house altogether.
The house, which he had snapped up for a huge £1.25million, was confirmed to be on the market by Babel himself. Taking to his social media, he gave the whole reason for why he was ditching the home, after nearly two decades of legal hassle.
Ryan Babel
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Ryan explained some of the memories he had whilst owning the property(Image: Getty Images)
Attaching a photo of the building, he wrote: "My first home in Liverpool. After 18 years, I’ve finally cleaned up all the banking drama and the wild tenant stories that came with my very first property."
Explaining the life the house held with the star, Babel admitted that throughout the time he lived there, it had helped him learn a lot of things. After moving into the house, he revelled in it, as it was the first time that he was able to live by himself.
However, when the time came for him to leave Liverpool FC, he made the decision to keep the house, but instead offer it out to tenants to keep making money on the property. One of the tenants he rented it to was fellow international teammate Royston Drenthe, as reported by the Sun.
Ryan Babel's old house
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The house had a nightclub installed in it by fellow Dutch international Royston Drenthe(Image: ryanbabel/X)
The Dutchman wrote: "Let’s just say he gave ‘tenant from hell’ a new meaning; he somehow forgot to pay rent during his Everton days and even decided to build a nightclub inside my house without permission. You can’t make this stuff up!"
The house that bore a lot of memories, not to mention its prime location within the city. He went on to give the real reason why he was selling up now after 18 years of owning the house.
"The only reason I’m selling now is because of that interest-only adjustable-rate mortgage I was talked into back when I knew absolutely nothing about real estate," he penned. "Lesson learned the hard way!
"Whoever ends up with this house next…I hope it brings you just as much joy (and maybe fewer surprises) as it did me," he finished. Currently the house is valued at around £900,000 on Rightmove and boasts a whopping seven bedrooms and four bathrooms.
Ryan Babel's old house
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The house is currently on the market and is valued at around £900,000(Image: ryanbabel/X)
As well as this now-included nightclub – though it is labelled as a "dance room" – it also includes a slew of luxurious facilities, including a bar, a sauna, a swimming pool and its own cinema room. The house currently remains up for sale at the time of writing.
Babel was a mainstay for Liverpool for years after he first joined the Reds back in 2007. During his time at the club, he helped to net 22 goals, and helped to assist in a further 18, making 146 appearances for the club in total.
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In contrast, Drenthe landed a one-year long loan at Everton during the 2011-12 football season. During his time at the club, he made a total of 27 appearances but could not land a goal during his time there.
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