Gabriel Paletta has opened up about joining Liverpool in 2006 and why he was hesitant to move to Anfield
Gabriel Paletta had admitted he was hesitant about joining Liverpool, conceding he was scared about the prospect of joining the Reds. The Italy international made the move to Anfield in the summer of 2006, signing in a £2m switch from Atletico Banfield.
Only 20 years old at the time, the centre-back made eight appearances, scoring one goal, during his first season at the club. But he returned to Argentina after just 13 months, signing for Boca Juniors in a swap deal for Emiliano Insua.
Compared to Argentina legend Roberto Ayala by manager Rafa Benitez upon his arrival at Liverpool, Paletta ultimately struggled on Merseyside. The defender has admitted in the past he was unhappy during his time with the Reds, leading to his premature return to his homeland the following summer.
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But in a new interview with Milan TV, as quoted by PianetaMilan, the 38-year-old has acknowledged his year at Anfield was vital for his development even though it did not work out and he was not entirely comfortable making the switch in the first place.
“After the (Under-20s) World Cup there was this possibility, Liverpool were watching me,” he recalled. “I was a bit hesitant, going from Argentina to England. It’s not that I wasn’t convinced but I was a bit scared.
“River also wanted me, in Argentina. In the end, with the agent I had at the time, we chose Liverpool. It was an incredible change for me.
“That Liverpool was a spectacular team, with Rafa Benitez. That year was very useful for me to understand the rules within a group. There were great people who told you what you had to do.
“It was also useful on a tactical level, because in Argentina you don’t work a lot. That year, even though I played very few games, made me grow.”
He continued: “The first game I played (against Reading in the League Cup), I scored under the Kop. Very nice.
“Then a memory that wasn’t very nice, but I remember the Champions League final in Athens against Milan… I was in the stands, I stayed off the bench but I was at the stadium.
“We certainly prepared it as a final, but I don’t remember it being any different from other games. How did I feel after the match? Sad, for sure. But many had already won it.
“They were certainly disappointed, but those who had already won it, I didn’t see them very sad. But it was definitely a revenge for Milan.”
While Paletta struggled to settle in England, it wasn’t for lack of trying from the likes of Pepe Reina and Liverpool’s other Spanish-speaking players. But the defender was given one early wake-up call at Melwood after not cleaning his own boots.
“When you arrived at training they would clean their boots,” he explained. “In Argentina we had the storekeepers do it, each one of them would clean their own boots.
“One of the first times I left them there, the storekeeper came to tell me that I would have to clean the boots myself.
“Then there was Pepe Reina and many other Spaniards who gave me a hand with their tongue. This was an advantage for me. I learned a few rules that then apply to every day. It was a wonderful experience.”
Paletta would come to Liverpool’s attention after being a member of the Argentina Under-20s side that won the FIFA World Youth Championships in 2005. At the tournament he played alongside both Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero.
“It was a beautiful experience,” he recalled. “I had been playing in Serie A for a year, it was really nice. The two of them were underage, they were the youngest.
“In fact Aguero then played in another U20 World Cup and won that too. It was beautiful. All the rules you followed in the national team, in terms of training and matches, it was a beautiful thing. It was different from what I did at the club.
“He (Messi) was a little shy. He was smaller than all the others. He spoke little, played a lot on the PlayStation, was always paired with Aguero. But he was very strong, you could see it.
“The coach didn’t start him in the first match. Argentina, before the U20 World Cup, called him to make him Argentine; there was always Spain who wanted to call him up for the national team. But he wanted to play for Argentina.
“Before this World Cup, the president of the federation had purposely organised a friendly to ensure he was called up.
“And so in the first half, he was on the bench. If I’m not mistake, we lost against the United States. But from the second half, he started to be a starter and from there he played them. Everyone knew it (how talented he was and how good he could become).”
Paletta would return to Europe with Parma, AC Milan and Atalanta after spending three years at Boca Juniors. After a year in China with Jiangsu Suning, he returned to Italy with Monza before retiring in 2023.
The former Liverpool defender is uncertain about a future career in coaching, now he has hung up his boots. For now, he is happy spending time with his family and playing padel with two former Argentina internationals.
“I know it’s difficult because then the players get annoying!” he said of coaching. “Managing to have 25 people all happy is not very easy. This thing doesn’t give me much enthusiasm.
“I was, I am, someone who gets quite p**sed off. But I was, I think, a good team-mate with everyone.
“I’m calm, for now. I’m enjoying my family. I have a lot of time for them that I didn’t have before. I play padel, I’m quite good. I’m paired with Lucas Biglia, we play with Rodrigo Palacio and a teacher we know.”
