Former Liverpool Superstar Explains Controversial Departure

If there's one thing Liverpool fans can agree about regarding the past decade, it's that midfielder Xabi Alonso was awesome. After his £30 million move to Real Madrid in 2009, the club struggled to replace his presence in the midfield.

Since then there have been reports almost every transfer window about a possible return to Anfield for Alonso. Even though such a move is now highly unlikely, he remains a beloved figure.

This week, Alonso discussed his decision to leave Liverpool in search of a new challenge at Real Madrid.

"Yes, I can admit that my relationship with Rafa wasn't as good as it had been in the first year," Alonso said to The Guardian. "But I didn't ask to leave [for Real Madrid] because of that. I had been five years at Liverpool. I had the feeling it was the right thing to do."

He also expressed his biggest regret from his time with the Reds.

"The only thing I regret is not winning the Premier League with Liverpool," Alonso said. "I'll never know how that feels and experience the reaction of the city, as I did after Istanbul. It hurts because I know the people want the league title more than anything."

It's a shame he wasn't able to stay at Liverpool for longer, but the club was lucky to have had him.