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European legend expresses sorrow after remarks about Liverpool; he would exact revenge in the Anfield triumph
A famous striker who rose to legendary status in Serie A has disclosed that Liverpool previously made contact with him over a potential transfer to Anfield; however, those transfer negotiations came to no fruition.
The Reds signed Andrea Dossena from Udinese and added Robbie Keane to their forward line in the summer of 2008. However, they had also been keeping an eye on another Friuliani talent.
Di Natale discloses negotiations with LiverpoolAntonio Di Natale spoke candidly about LFC’s interest in him sixteen years ago in an interview with Sportweek, an Italian magazine. He also mentioned that, aside from Udinese, where he spent more than ten years playing, the Merseysiders were the team he would have like to play for.
According to the Daily Star, the former Italy striker stated: “Liverpool spoke with me when Andrea Dossena signed in 2008, but it all came to nothing.” I learned work ethic and respect from the Udinese. Liverpool is the only other team I would have loved to play for because of the stadium and atmosphere.In 2012, Di Natale returned to hurt Liverpool.After making 445 appearances for Udinese and scoring 227 goals, Di Natale went on to become a Serie A icon. One of those came during a brilliant performance by the Friuliani in their 3-2 Europa League victory over Liverpool at Anfield in 2012–13.
Dossena spent two seasons on Merseyside, whereas Keane only spent half a year with the Reds before leaving to rejoin Tottenham, in contrast to the Italian’s prolonged stay at Udine.
Only the superstar combo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could match the now 47-year-old’s tally of 67 goals across all competitions, making him the third-highest scorer in Europe’s five largest domestic leagues between August 2009 and May 2011 (The Wall Street Journal).
Even though Liverpool hasn’t had much luck with Italian players, Di Natale’s incredible scoring stats during his heyday imply that he would have continued to flourish at Anfield in the latter stages of Rafael Benitez’s tenure.
But in the 2008–09 campaign, a certain Fernando Torres made sure we wouldn’t have any regrets—the Spaniard led the Reds to the verge of their first Premier League championship.