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Having agreed to part ways with Stephane Henchoz, Liverpool needed
defensive back-up mid way through the 2004/05 season and Rafael Benitez
returned to his former club Valencia. Argentine defender Maurizio
Pellegrino, described by Benitez as a better defender than Roberto
Ayala, had fallen out of favour with new boss Claudio Ranieri and
Valencia agreed to let him go for free. Pellegrino immediately won the
fans' admiration when it emerged that he had turned down the opportunity
to sign a two year contract, arguing that it would be fairer on the
club to review the situation at the end of the season. It was an
honourable gesture and, as it would turn out, quite a fortunate one for
Liverpool's sake.
For it quickly emerged that Pellegrino wasn't quite
suited for the English game. Some senior players can mask their lack of
pace with an ability to anticipate attacks. That was probably the case
for Pellegrino in Spain but nothing he'd come across during his career
had prepared him for the pace of the English game. His first game ended
in a home defeat against Manchester United with slip ups against
Southampton and Manchester City contributing directly to two further
defeats. As games wore on, Mauricio started to find his feet but still
appeared quite uncomfortable and at the end of the season decided to
return to Spain with Alaves.
If Benitez's appraisal of Pellegrino failed
to be accurate as far as his on-pitch performances were concerned, off
the pitch it was easy to understand the Spanish managerís faith in the
Argentine. Through his limited knowledge of the English language he was
always trying to instruct those around him, particularly the younger
members of the squad whenever he played for the reserves. Indirectly, he
also contributed to Liverpool's success in the Champions League. Prior
to Pellegrino's arrival Sami Hyppia had appeared decidedly jaded, but
with the Argentine at his disposal Benitez could afford resting the Finn
and the defender replied with a series of majestic displays en-route to
the Istanbul final. (Paul Grech)
1990–1999 Vélez Sarsfield 186 (11)
1998–1999 Barcelona (loan) 23 (0)
1999–2005 Valencia 140 (5)
2005 Liverpool 12 (0)
2005–2006 Alavés 13 (0)
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