The Argentine midfielder spent two years at Liverpool, despite getting the move off a false pretense.
Maxi Rodriguez has revealed that he told a bit of a fib in order to secure a move to Liverpool.
The Argentina international joined the Reds on a free transfer in 2010 after his contract with Atletico Madrid ended.
Rodriguez spent over two years at Anfield and managed 15 Premier League goals in 57 outings for Liverpool, including 10 in his first full season.
But the 39-year-old has revealed the lengths he went to to ensure that the transfer to Merseyside went ahead.
He said that he assured then-manager Rafael Benitez that he was a fluent English speaker, before the Spaniard sanctioned it – and only told Benitez the truth just before his first press conference as a Liverpool player.
He said via The Mirror: “Rafa told me that it was very important for everyone to speak English in the dressing room. He asked me if I knew how to speak the language and I said ‘yes, of course, stay calm.’
“Of course, I didn’t want the negotiations to fail so I told a little lie. When I arrived in England, there was a press conference and Rafa told me he would speak first and then I would continue. That was when I grabbed him and said ‘look Rafa, I need to confess something to you. I don’t know English. The only thing I know is how to say hello. “Rafa said ‘you’re a son of a b****.’ But we were both laughing and afterwards I learned how to speak English.”
Rodriguez, who now plies his trade with Newell’s Old Boys back in his homeland, managed to win 59 caps for Argentine throughout an 11-year international career.
He was reasonably successful in England, so his initial lack of English didn’t hinder him all that much. Plus, it’s Liverpool. They had five Champions League titles to their name at the time and most players wouldn’t let a thing like language scupper such a massive transfer.
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