A former Liverpool star has spoken about his appearance on a reality TV show, where the former international ace took a gamble and tried to find love
A former Liverpool star took a “risky” decision to take part in a celebrity dating show called Love Undercover in 2024.
Ryan Babel says he put his reputation on the line to take part in the reality TV show, which was first streamed on Peacock and is now available on Netflix. The ex-Netherlands international, 39, is best known in the UK for his three-and-a-half seasons at Liverpool, having joined the Reds in 2007 for a fee of £11.5million and achieved cult hero status.
The Dutchman scored 22 goals for the club across 146 appearances before departing for Hoffenheim in January 2011, also managing 69 caps for his country between 2005 and 2021. But the winger says he risked his standing in the game by taking part in Love Undercover – a show where five football stars went undercover to find love in Los Angeles, without the women they dated having any idea who they were.
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Joined on the show by former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, Babel connected with Sofia Quinteros, but the pair ultimately split after filming wrapped due to the challenges of a long-distance relationship.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport thanks to SeatPick, the leading platform for Liverpool tickets, Babel said of the unique experience: “I would say that was a rare opportunity, and I was very careful with eventually making that decision. You never know what to expect with reality TV, and I would also argue that, given my personal brand, it was actually quite a risk to take in my opinion.
“It turned out okay. It wasn’t as bad as a lot of these other TV shows, it was very entertaining, luckily. It was eventually fun for people to watch, a little bit of banter here and there. For me, it was a social experience.
“Part of that decision was also to see whether I could have more opportunities in America to position myself there. But yeah, more TV? It depends on what the format will be, but sure, why not.”
The former Reds forward also discussed where Liverpool needed to bolster their squad to stand the best chance of success in the 2026/27 campaign, after finishing fifth last season.
He explained: “I think Liverpool definitely needed some fresh players and new additions, especially following the departure of Mo Salah. But again, with a new coach [Andoni Iraola] coming in, he has to get to know the team as soon as possible.
“Based on that, as a new manager, he has to make decisions on what he wants to add to his squad. Sometimes it takes time, it’s not always easy to just have players come in. The coach also needs to stand behind these players.
“I know sometimes clubs just buy players for the sake of it and the coach just has to work with them. I think for a club like Liverpool you have to be very precise and make sure that a signing fits the Liverpool profile, as we have seen in the past.
“Sometimes players come in and they don’t actually fit that profile. One that stands out for me was a player like Mario Balotelli. Incredible player, but he was not a Liverpool profile player in my opinion. So while it may have been a slower window, I’m sure they’re trying to do their job and make sure that they improve the squad.”
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