Ryan Gravenberch says it was Jurgen Klopp’s determination to sign him that convinced him to leave Bayern Munich for Liverpool on transfer deadline day.
And the Netherlands international has revealed how he has tried to model his game on France and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane since he broke into the Ajax team as a teenager. Gravenberch became Liverpool’s fourth and final signing of the summer when he moved from Bayern for around £40m on September 1. It brought an end to a summer-long pursuit for the Reds as they completed a midfield rebuild that also saw Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo added to their ranks.
Despite the last-gasp nature of his deadline day move, Gravenberch had been a long-standing target for Liverpool with the club meeting with the player’s representatives earlier this year before Bayern finally agreed to allow the wantaway midfielder to move to Mersey.
And Gravenberch has detailed how Klopp’s keenness to bring him into the fold at Anfield let him know it was the right time to move away after a year at Bayern that involved few first-team opportunities. “Before I came in, I spoke with the coach and he gave me a good feeling,” Gravenberch revealed. “He said to me: ‘Yes, I want you’. And he gave me his plans and explained everything. He gave me such a good feeling that my decision was a fast one.
“Of course, I spoke a little bit with Virgil (van Dijk) too and he said that Liverpool was a top club and that I was going to play, for sure. So he said those sorts of things to me and that also gave me a good feeling to come here.
“I don’t think there was one particular player I was looking forward to playing with here at Liverpool but rather the whole team because I played against them with Bayern in pre-season in Singapore and they are a really good team. “The club also added some excellent signings in the summer and also I think it’s not just about one big, big player. I think the whole team is good and that’s why I trust the whole team.
“My decision [to wear] the No.38 jersey was because I made my debut at Ajax in the 38 and when I went to Bayern Munich I chose that number again because I felt I had something special because I had made my debut for Ajax with it. I think I will keep wearing 38 all my life, so 38 is definitely my favourite number.
“Scoring against Union SG in the last [European] home game was an incredible moment for me. Like I said after the game it might have been the easiest goal of my career but that didn’t matter. The fans have given me such great support since I arrived here and it has been great that they have given me such a good feeling so I want to give them something back.” The midfielder, who made his full Premier League debut in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton, said he used to admire Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo growing up but explained how it is 1998 World Cup winner Zidane who he has tried to emulate on the pitch since becoming a senior professional.
Gravenberch added: “When I was young I looked up to the bigger players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But when I was getting older, at 17 or 18, I was watching clips of Zinedine Zidane. If I had to choose one player who I have been influenced by in terms of my game, it would be Zidane.”
