‘I’m an Italy legend – Liverpool almost signed me however simply acquired Andrea Dossena’
Goalscoring legend Antonio Di Natale once confessed that Liverpool were the only club he would have left Serie A for.
The Italian played for Udinese for 12 years after leaving Empoli, the club where he spent his youth, in 2004. A truly loyal player, Di Natale became club captain in 2007 and remained a player for the team until his retirement in 2016.
Between the years of 2009 and 2011, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored more league goals than him. This was all when Di Natale was in his 30s. Often described as a late bloomer, he hit his prime later in his career than what is often seen.
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He also had an impact for his international side, scoring 11 goals in 42 appearances for Italy. He was brought on as a substitute when Italy lost to Spain in the Euro 2012 final, however, he had equalised against Spain in the opening match.
However, some of his best years could have been spent at Anfield as Di Natale, who turned 47 yesterday, let drop that he held conversations with Liverpool in 2008.
His team-mate at Udinese, the left-back Andrea Dossena, had signed for Liverpool that year under Rafael Benitez, and Di Natale was close to following him. While Dossena flopped on Merseyside, Di Natale could have been a big hit.
He told Sportweek magazine in Italy: “When Andrea Dossena signed in 2008, Liverpool spoke with me, but it all came to nothing. Udinese taught me work ethic and respect. The only other team I would have loved to play for, for the atmosphere and the stadium, is Liverpool.”
Fernando Torres was the current striker at Liverpool and Steven Gerrard was the top scorer in that year for the club. The Italian forward chose to stick to Udinese, and four years later, played a key role in their legendary win at Anfield in the Europa League.
Di Natale was able to soak up the atmosphere in Liverpool just as he wanted to, however, he did it through his side beating Brendan Rodgers’ Reds 3-2. A goal for the skipper helped his team to win the match that will still be talked about amongst the Udinese supporters.
What the Italian would have been able to do at Liverpool will never be known, but it would be a sure bet that he would have scored some goals.
