Xabi Alonso has revealed the story of why he joined Liverpool.
The midfield maestro arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2004 after Rafa Benitez paid £10.7m to land him from Real Sociedad.
He spent five years on Merseyside and made more than 200 appearances for the Reds, winning five trophies including the 2005 Champions League final and FA Cup in 2006 to be rightly remembered as a legend at the club.
Alonso was still living with his parents at the time he made the move from his hometown and said that he realised what a "special club" Liverpool was after arriving there.
After leaving Anfield for Real Madrid in a £30m-deal in 2009, Alonso went on to win two Copa Del Reys, the La Liga title and another Champions League trophy in 2014.
He then spent three years at Bayern Munich which yielded three Bundesliga titles, the German League Cup and the DFB Pokal before he retired in 2017 after a glittering career.
The former Liverpool star has since reflected on his time with the Reds, and told of how he came to Merseyside in his early twenties.
"It was time for me to test myself and make a jump, to see if I was ready for the big leagues and to challenge with the big players," he told Nico Rosberg his Beyond Victory YouTube series.
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"To be part of Liverpool from the first year with Rafa carrying out his project was a challenge for me.
"He gave me a lot of confidence but testing myself to see if I was ready for that level is what I wanted.
"I had a hunger to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League and I believed that I could do it.
"Of course, I had to deliver and you need to be selfish to do that but you also need to be a team player, you need to be not arrogant but confident in your ability.
"At the time I moved to Liverpool I wasn't scared at all, I was just very motivated and very focused."
