Departing Fulham striker Ryan Babel feels he wasn't allowed to make the most of his career.
Babel was regarded as one of the game's hottest prospects when he broke through at Ajax and moved to Liverpool in a £14million deal in 2007. But four years on he was left in the wilderness.
He told the Mirror, “When I played for Liverpool, I was always picked for Holland. But when I left, I didn't get picked for my country once between 2011 and 2017.
“That was a stage in my career when I had mental problems because I was not sure if I was actually a decent footballer. If nine out of 10 people are saying you are no good as a player, you get some bad moments of reflection. When I was in the prime of my career, nobody wanted to sign me. Not a single club showed interest.
“My agent started to ask managers and club directors why they didn't want to sign me. The answer was always the same, 'Decent player, but not for us'. Every time. It knocks your confidence. I just had to accept it and, in the end, I decided to go for the money and I moved to the United Arab Emirates."
