Anthony Le Tallec, a retired former forward for Liverpool, has shared his biggest regret. When Rafa Benítez arrived, he made a grave mistake from which he never recovered.
For the majority of Liverpool’s players, playing at Anfield represents their ultimate goal. The grass isn’t always greener, even for individuals like Philippe Coutinho who moved for what they thought was a better club.
Anthony Le Tallec, a former striker for Liverpool, expressed sorrow to L’Equipe about his 2004 request to leave the Reds. Le Tallec, who signed with the Reds in 2001, spent a total of seven years with the team before leaving to sign with Le Mans. He played 32 times in that period, including some time out on loan, and only managed one goal.
When asked about his greatest regret after retiring, Le Tallec was able to name a specific instance. In the summer of Rafa Benítez’s arrival from Valencia, he requested to depart.
“For having asked Benítez to leave on loan [in July 2004], I was stupid and he was mad at me,” Le Tallec stated. I returned from Saint-Étienne in January due to injuries at Liverpool, and at the end of the season, Benítez told me, ‘You are crazy, in my opinion.'” Since you were one of the three attackers, you are now ranked eighth.
“He didn’t want to know anything when I was younger and kept lending me money every year. I hold him accountable. That one incident killed me, but it could have been a different course for my career.”
Le Tallec had other regrets from his time at Anfield than that one. Benítez’s first season saw Liverpool win the Champions League final in Istanbul, but the French forward was not part of it.
“I was left off of Benítez’s Champions League final squad in 2005. I started crying,” Le Tallec said. Harry Kewell recovered from his injury, but twenty minutes later he sustained another one. I watched the final from the stands, but I didn’t join in the march through Liverpool or celebrate the win in Istanbul. I remained at home. I was so depressed.”
