Steven Gerrard was left devastated when Liverpool cashed in on one of their best-loved players
Steven Gerrard of Liverpool shows his frustration during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Aston Villa
Steven Gerrard didn't mince his words over a certain Liverpool transfer(Image: Getty)
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Liverpool have made a number of questionable transfer decisions over the years, as with more or less any top club. However, one sale was still causing pain to club icon Steven Gerrard years later.
Gerrard played with Xabi Alonso at Anfield for five years, winning the Champions League alongside the Spaniard, who is now Chelsea boss. The pair also starred when Liverpool finished second in the league in 2009 but the former Real Sociedad star was sold to Real Madrid mere months later. Alonso was a popular figure with his team-mates and with Reds fans.
That didn't stop manager Rafa Benitez looking to change up his midfield, though. Benitez explored replacing him with Gareth Barry in 2008, though a deal didn't ultimately materialise. Alas, Real Madrid's £30m bid was accepted in 2009 and Gerrard made it clear he believes the manager was the one to blame for what he considered a huge misstep.
"It was a disastrous decision to sell Alonso," Gerrard wrote in his 2015 autobiography. "I blame Rafa entirely for the loss of Alonso. It was clear Alonso was royalty after our first training session together and Rafa Benitez, who had been so clever to buy him in the first place, was equally stupid to sell him to Real Madrid five years later."
LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 24: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard (L) and Xabi Alonso show off the new home and away kits during the Liverpool FC Adidas Kit Launch at Anfield on July 24, 2006 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images for adidas)
Gerrard and Alonso thrived together at Anfield(Image: Ian Walton, Getty Images)
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In a separate interview with FourFourTwo, the former skipper reflected further on the departure. He said: "Devastated, yeah. Devastated. But there was nothing I could do about it.
"Xabi said a long time ago that he wanted another chapter in his career and finally he got it and his team-mates and the coaches couldn't stand in his way. We just have to say thanks and move forward without him."
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While Gerrard may have enjoyed the advantage of hindsight in 2015, there was also resistance to Alonso's departure at the time. Supporters demonstrated their backing after that 2008 exit failed to materialise, with Alonso maintaining he had never wished to leave. Benitez didn't last much longer after the sale.
Alonso's replacement, Alberto Aquilani, started slowly after suffering the effects of injury issues sustained at former club Roma. A seventh-place finish meant the Reds' Champions League-winning boss departed on a low note. It didn't help matters that Alonso was demonstrating what Liverpool were missing, winning silverware at Real Madrid and at his final club, Bayern Munich.
Gerrard also compared Alonso's situation with that of fellow midfielder Javier Mascherano. While the Argentine had been keen to depart, eventually sealing a move to Barcelona in 2010, the situation with his team-mate was an entirely different matter.
"Xabi Alonso could still be playing for Liverpool, six or seven years later, so why should he have left at the age of 27 when he still had almost three years left on his contract?" the former captain wrote in his autobiography.
"Mascherano wanted to go, and he refused to play on until he got his move. [Fernando] Torres came to me to ask for help to leave, and he downed tools until he went to Chelsea. Xabi Alonso never once said to me he wanted a move."
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