Crazy, the story of a Liverpool legend who lied to Rafa Benitez

Opportunities in football don't just happen by magic. You have to know how to create them and, if you have talent and imagination, you could go higher than you think. And when you're a player, if you get a call from Liverpool, you don't have to let it go for a minute because they may never look at you again.

Rafael Benítez is engraved in gold letters in the history of the Reds. A steely Spanish coach, he may never have won a Premier League title, but he was the architect of, in the opinion of the pundits, the greatest UEFA Champions League final in history, when the Englishmen came from three goals down to beat AC Milan on penalties to win the trophy in 2005.

The Spaniard was still with Old Trafford for several more seasons. He was never able to achieve such great glory, but his legacy is still talked about in the local pubs and it is hoped that one day the exploits of his team, with such important players as Steven Gerrard, Jerzy Dudek and Luis García, who made the difference during the Iberian manager's six seasons at the club, will be recounted.

One of his last signings was an Argentinian who had very good seasons with Atletico Madrid and was one of Benitez's requests in his last season with the Reds. But there was a situation he didn't know about that could have changed the fate of his career, so, although he risked being sacked at the time, his pique saw him play for three seasons in England.

What happened to the player and Benítez at Liverpool?

In an interview with TyC Sports, Maxi Rodríguez, a midfielder who retired but was signed by Liverpool in 2010, confesses that he could not speak English and had to lie so that Rafael Benítez could sign him. In his story, the Argentine had to confess the situation in the middle of his presentation to the media, so he had to be assisted by an interpreter. Benítez sent him to study the language immediately, but did not release him because of his desire to stay on British soil.