Ryan Babel scored the goal that gave Liverpool Legends a narrow win at Stamford Bridge Saturday, and the Dutchman celebrated to dedicate his goal to the late Diogo Jota. Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the match, the former Liverpool forward related the emotions of the moment:
“It brought back a lot of memories. It’s not too long ago that I retired but still, it feels now like a long time. It brought so many memories of course – scoring and the dopamine of celebrating with teammates and fans. It was
a good moment, for sure.”
Babel was not the only recent retiree featuring, with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard pulling on a blue shirt opposite Babel. Hazard, 34, retired as a professional in 2023 after recurring injuries seemed to limit his playing time. Babel retired more recently, in the winter of 2024.
Chelsea and Liverpool allocated money from the Legends match to their club Foundations, and the match began with reflection in memory of Matt Beard, Joey Jones, Diogo Jota and brother Andre Silva, all recent losses much felt by both clubs.
