Pretty much every player at Liverpool, past and present, could be defined by simply naming a specific match or goal.
In the case of Ryan Babel, it’s pretty clear which game comes to mind.
When Liverpool were drawn against Arsenal in the quarter-final of the Champions League in the 2007/08 season, there was plenty of nerves as well as giddy optimism at Anfield.
For the first time in their history, the two clubs were meeting on the European stage after spending the best part of three decades competing domestically.
A 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium meant that everything was to play for in the return leg at Anfield - and what happened would be remembered as one of the most famous European nights at the stadium.
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Just three days before, Liverpool and Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League, but the Champions League clash was on a different level.
Abou Diaby cancelled out Liverpool’s away goal, only for Sami Hyypia to restore parity to the tie.
Then came a goal from Fernando Torres, before Emmanuel Adebayor seemingly settled the tie in Arsenal’s favour.
But then, up stepped Steven Gerrard with a late penalty to give Liverpool a 3-2 lead on the night, 4-3 on aggregate.
Now this is where Babel comes in, and after a punt forward from Dirk Kuyt, it was the Reds No.19 who broke forward on the counter attack to fire the ball past the Arsenal goalkeeper and settle the tie.
Pepe Reina ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate, but Babel was rather subdued in comparison to the occasion. Rather than scream with euphoria, the Dutchman simply raised his arms in the air before clapping the Anfield crowd.
Of the 22 goals he scored for Liverpool, over the course of three-and-a-half years at Anfield, it was almost certainly his most memorable.
On this day in 2011 (January 25), Babel’s time at Liverpool came to an end after he was sold to Hoffenheim in an £8milion deal.
Will Babel be remembered for all of his goals and being one of the best players in Liverpool’s history? No, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t valued by Kopites and those at the club.
Was he valued by the man who actually signed him for £11.5m, though? Benitez has a reputation for not being overly friendly with players due to his detached management style, and what Babel said after leaving Liverpool seemingly confirms that.
“It was, in my opinion, a weird relationship [with Benitez] because when he signed me I looked at him as the big uncle who wanted to give me a chance and help me succeed,” Babel told the Guardian last year .
“But then as we went on he left me totally on my own and only judged me for the things I didn’t do right instead of telling me how to solve or improve the things I had to improve.
“I was very young and I just needed guidance. I don’t want to blame the coach for me not having the ultimate career at Liverpool but I felt it could have been closer in terms of guidance and support.
“I felt he didn’t put in enough effort to guide a young player, not like you would see today with a Jurgen Klopp or many other coaches who take the time to get the best out of a talent.”
We are now 11 years on from Babel’s exit from Liverpool, and he has since had spells with Besiktas, Kasimpasa, his old club Ajax, UAE outfit Al Ain and even Fulham when they were in the Premier League in 2018/19.
Nowadays he is with Turkish giants Galatasaray, and there are rumours that he is wanted by Championship outfit Hull City .
Off the pitch, Babel recently released a rap album entitled The Autobiography - Chapter One.
In the same interview with the Guardian, Babel explained the surprising move and how he was inspired to create the album as an alternative way of writing an autobiography.
“The whole point was to try to do something different, something creative and something that hasn’t been done before,” said Babel.
"As with the best autobiographies, it does not hold back. I was inspired to do it.
“When I was back at Ajax a little under two years ago a journalist approached me and asked if I was willing to start the process of writing an autobiography.
“My feeling was it was a little too early. I wasn’t ready. But then we went into the first lockdown and had to stay at home and I got bored.
“And that’s where the idea came from. I thought: ‘Why don’t I take the concept of the autobiography in music format?’
“So I called a few music friends here in Holland to see how busy they were and explained the concept.
“They were very excited to help me and that’s how the journey started.”
When you ask a Liverpool fan to think about Babel’s time at Anfield, most will remember him with fondness.
He didn’t win a major trophy with the club, but he played a key role in one of the most memorable nights in Anfield history.
A cult hero, if ever there was one.
