A former Liverpool attacking midfielder who now plays in Qatar has been speaking about his time at Anfield where he signed for Brendan Rodgers before going on to have a good career
Claudio Luiz Leonel of Al Sadd and Luis Alberto of Al Duhail.
Claudio Luiz Leonel of Al Sadd and Luis Alberto of Al Duhail.(Image: Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool attacking midfielder Luis Alberto has admitted he feels he should have stayed longer at Anfield, having left after three years, with two loan spells during that period.
Now 33, Alberto plays for Al Wakrah in Qatar, having already spent two campaigns in the Middle East with Al Duhail. During his time at Liverpool, after being signed from Sevilla for around $9.2 million (£6.8 million) in 2013, he was sent out to Malaga and then Deportivo La Coruna before a permanent departure in 2016, a few months after Jurgen Klopp's arrival.
"I came to England because of Brendan Rodgers," Alberto told ABC. "I knew it wasn’t going to be easy; going from Barcelona B to Liverpool was a big change.
"That was to be expected. I trained, did what they asked of me, and got a few games and some playing time.
"I always say I made a mistake by not accepting reality. I should have stayed longer, even if it would have taken me some time to break into the plans; I wasn’t patient enough, and I left the following year."
The Spaniard also revealed that he initially intended to leave Anfield in 2016, but the Lazio opportunity came around at the right time, and it proved to be a good call.
Luis Alberto of Liverpool and Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool during a training session at Melwood Training Ground
Luis Alberto of Liverpool and Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool during a training session at Melwood Training Ground
"I'd had a good season at Deportivo and was going to stay at Liverpool for the final year of my contract.
"I even had a verbal agreement with another club to return to La Liga the following year, but this opportunity came up at the last minute. I arrived there almost without thinking, and it was incredibly difficult at first.”
"I wasn’t enjoying the day-to-day; I went to training completely disconnected. I needed help to get back into football, or I would have quit.
"I was recommended to a mutual friend, I started working with him, and in a matter of days, everything changed.
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"And then you know how the story went, year after year, playing every game, enjoying myself, and competing at the highest level."
Alberto went on to have a very good career. At Lazio, he starred alongside Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and is viewed as a hero, and he made his senior Spain debut in 2017.
At Liverpool, he made a total of 12 appearances in all competitions, never scoring or establishing himself in the side.