Luis Alberto left Liverpool in the summer of 2016 having spent three years on the club’s books but contributed almost nothing on the pitch.
The Spaniard arrived from Sevilla in June 2013, signed by Brendan Rodgers for £6.8 million, as a 20-year-old seen as a player of genuine potential.
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His single active season on Merseyside – 2013/14, produced just 12 appearances. Two loan spells followed, first at Malaga and then at Deportivo La Coruna, before Lazio came calling at the end of his contract.
What happened next transformed his career. At the Stadio Olimpico, Alberto developed into one of Serie A’s most influential midfielders, earning a reputation as a creator of the highest order.
The years in Rome, playing alongside Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and forming a partnership with Ciro Immobile, gave him everything Anfield never could – consistent game time, trust, and the space to express himself at the highest level.
At various points over the years, Alberto had been candid about his Liverpool experience.
In one interview he called his exit “the best decision of my life,” and in another he acknowledged that he had not done “everything necessary” during his time on Merseyside in terms of work and focus.
The picture he painted across those years was of a young player who struggled to adjust but ultimately found his level elsewhere.
Now 33 and playing for Al-Wakrah in Qatar, Alberto has returned to the subject once more, and this time his assessment carries a different weight.
Speaking to ABC in a wide-ranging career interview, Alberto addressed how the Liverpool move came about and what he made of his time at Anfield.
“I came to England because of Brendan Rodgers,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy; going from Barcelona B to Liverpool was a big change, and that was to be expected. I trained, did what they asked of me, and got a few games and some playing time.”
That measured reflection then gave way to something more pointed.
“I always say I made a mistake by not accepting reality,” Alberto admitted. “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.”
He also revealed that in 2016, his original intention had been to remain at Liverpool for the final year of his contract, with a verbal agreement in place to return to La Liga the following season.
Lazio’s approach arrived at the last minute and the decision was made quickly. The early days in Rome were far from smooth.
“I wasn’t enjoying the day-to-day,” he said. “I went to training completely disconnected. I needed help to get back into football, or I would have quit.”
Luis Alberto credits a chance introduction, a coach referred by a mutual friend – with turning everything around. Within days, he says, his mindset shifted entirely. What followed was close to a decade of sustained excellence in the Italian top flight.
His 12 Liverpool appearances included nine in the Premier League, with his sole assist for the club coming in a 5-0 victory over Tottenham at White Hart Lane in December 2013, a late pass that set up Luis Suarez’s second goal of the afternoon.
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