Naby Keita believes he continues to receive “a lot of love” from Liverpool supporters and explained his decision to decline an opportunity to extend his stay at Anfield.
After joining Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on a free transfer last summer, Keita departed the Reds, having been bought for £52.75million from RB Leipzig in July 2018.
During his five years at the club, Keita faced persistent injury setbacks and struggles with form, limiting him to just 129 appearances.
Despite this, he earned prestigious accolades, including Premier League and Champions League winners’ medals.
He also played a vital role in the Club World Cup final in 2019 and the FA Cup and League Cup finals in 2022.
Naby Keita expressed that, although his time at Liverpool was marked by frustration, he feels warmly welcomed by the club’s supporters.
“The Liverpool fans have given me a lot of love,” he said.
“Even today, wherever I meet them, they show me the same love.
“They’re the best fans in the world.
“Liverpool is a family and you never walk alone.
“My aim was to fulfil my childhood dream of winning titles.
“Winning the Premier League after 30 years, winning the Champions League – these are incredible moments that I can’t forget.
“We won a lot of trophies and we were able to make our fans happy.
“That was the most important thing.
“This team was hungry.
“We were lucky to have Jurgen Klopp to push us to give our best on the pitch.
“He’s a fantastic coach and he was the strength of this group.”
On his injury issues, Keita added: “It was tough mentally, of course.
“I was the first to get frustrated.
“I wanted to play every game but unfortunately I had a lot of injuries that prevented me from giving more than I did.
“But that’s the life of a footballer.
“I did everything I could to be there for the team at all times, but unfortunately injuries are part of our job.”
Keita, currently training with the Bremen under-23 squad after a controversial disciplinary fallout in April that limited his appearances last season, has claimed he could have signed a new deal at Anfield.
“I had the option of extending my stay at Liverpool but, after five years, I wanted to get more playing time elsewhere,” said the Guinea international.
“I had several offers but I decided to sign for Bremen because Germany is a country I already know.
“If I wanted the money, I would have chosen to sign somewhere other than Bremen.
“Here, all that motivated me was to have the opportunity to play every weekend, enjoy myself and give pleasure.
“Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan.”
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