Former Liverpool winger Maxi Rodriguez has admitted that he lied to Rafael Benitez in order to secure his 2010 move to Anfield.
Rodriguez joined the Reds on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid 10 years ago, going on to score 17 goals in 73 appearances during a two-and-a-half-year stay on Merseyside.
However, the Argentine has now revealed that he "told a little lie" about his language skills in order to seal the deal, with Benitez keen to bring English-speaking players to the club.
"Rafa told me that it was very important for everyone to speak English in the dressing room. He asked me if I knew how to speak the language and I said 'yes, of course, stay calm'," Rodriguez is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
"Of course, I didn't want the negotiations to fail so I told a little lie. When I arrived in England, there was a press conference and Rafa told me he would speak first and then I would continue.
"That was when I grabbed him and said 'look Rafa, I need to confess something to you. I don't know English. The only thing I know is how to say hello'. Rafa said 'you're a son of a b****.' But we were both laughing and afterwards I learned how to speak English.
"I was very good at Atletico. I was the captain and I knew the city very well. But English football drove me crazy and I wanted to play there."
Rodriguez, who celebrated his 39th birthday in January, is currently still playing in his native Argentina for Newell's Old Boys.
Barney Corkhill
