Former Liverpool striker Christian Benteke reflects on his time at the club
Christian Benteke was one of Brendan Rodgers’ last signings at Liverpool. The Reds back in 2015 paid a fee of £32.5m to Aston Villa to secure Benteke’s services. However, it was a misfortune for both parties that he could not repeat his success at Merseyside.
Coming into Liverpool after having a largely booming spell at Villa wherein he scored 49 goals and got 12 assists in 101 appearances, the fans had a lot of expectations from him but had no clue that only a dreadful spell of sorts would follow.
Following Rodgers’ sacking, and the arrival of Jurgen Klopp, Benteke kind of fell off the radar, and had fallen down the pecking order too, with Roberto Firmino just starting to blemish under the German manager around the same time. After only one season at the Reds, scoring 10 goals and getting six assists from 42 appearances, Benteke moved on to Crystal Palace.
As per Liverpool Echo, Benteke felt ‘ignored’ by Klopp towards the later stages of his Liverpool career, and spoke about it back then as well, during his time at the club.
“What’s annoying me the most is that I would have never signed for Liverpool if I wasn’t the manager’s first choice.”
“Since I went to England in 2012, I’ve never been on the bench for such a long period. It hurts, especially since I never was as fit as I am now.”
The Belgian international is trying his luck at MLS Club DC United under Wayne Rooney. However, it is unfortunate that the Reds could not enjoy success alongside Benteke, as at the time, it seemed like an extremely good piece of business, getting the player on board.
Horrid time for Benteke at the club
In hindsight, the trajectory of Benteke and Liverpool, after he left the club, seemed to have gone opposite ways, with the Reds back on top being the European superpower they once were, and Benteke was not among the best players at Crystal Palace.
However, another Belgian striker at the club received all the love and affection of the Kop, especially in the final couple of years here at Anfield. Divock Origi came in clutch for the Reds more often than not and remains a cult hero in the Reds’ history.
Benteke was maybe overwhelmed with the price tag that he carried and hence could not give his best for the Reds. Or, our playing style just didn’t suit a striker that wasn’t the best at defending and creating chances for other players.
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Roberto Firmino typified this playing style and has been an iconic presence under Klopp. However, it is a thing of the past, and both the club and the player have moved on.
