Iago Aspas might remain one of the most prolific strikers in Spain, but in England he will always be regarded as something of a flop following a disappointing season with Liverpool. Signing in a £7m deal from Celta Vigo, the striker is still best-remembered for an awful short corner in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, which played its part in costing them the Premier League title in 2013/14.
Scoring just once from 15 appearances for the Reds, he would return to La Liga after just one season. However, he has more then proven his quality over the past eight seasons since returning to his homeland, cementing his place as a Celta Vigo legend.
Boasting 129 goals in 255 appearances since re-joining Celta in 2015, the striker never looked like showing such form on Merseyside. However, with Luis Suarez pushing for a move to Arsenal following their infamous £40m and £1, and also serving a 10-match suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic, and Daniel Sturridge injured the summer he arrived, it is forgotten he had actually enjoyed a prolific pre-season with the Reds.
READ MORE: Mohamed Salah realisation could decide his future with Liverpool set to benefit after World Cup exit
Scoring four goals against Preston North End, Melbourne Victory, Thailand and Valerenga, he had initially looked like a fairly shrewd signing by Brendan Rodgers and had started the season in the Liverpool starting XI. However, with Suarez staying put at Anfield for another year, going on to enjoy the campaign of his career up until that point, the minutes soon dried up for Aspas as he struggled to settle.
Going on to leave Anfield for La Liga along with the Uruguayan 12 months later, he ironically would have been more use to the Reds had they been able to call upon him in 2014/15. Instead, Rodgers was left with Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini floundering in attack following the sale of Suarez and with Sturridge enduring an injury-plagued campaign and Liverpool ultimately struggling as a result.
Yet Aspas has no regrets about leaving the Reds, even if he hints things could have perhaps worked out differently had he not had the problem of competing for a place against Suarez.
"I didn't play as much as I wanted to," recalls the 34-year-old when explaining his Anfield struggles and decision to leave the club in 2014. "But it is a big club, big players - we were really fighting to win the league right up to the end.
"I had lot of expectations in pre-season, I did quite well and then, after Luis Suarez came back, I didn't have a lot of minutes to play. Maybe I could have enjoyed more minutes there and consolidated my football in the UK and enjoyed the Champions League, but if you are not happy, not enjoying being out on the pitch, I can never get the best talent out of me like that.
"So I thought it best to come back to La Liga, come back home, and to play football with my people. That has proved to be good for my football, my good characteristics. I played at a World Cup, scored a goal at the World Cup and that was one of my biggest dreams."
While Aspas' time at Liverpool did not work out, he remains grateful for being able to play alongside Steven Gerrard. And having shared a dressing room with the Reds legend, he is not surprised to see him now impressing as a manager at Aston Villa.
"It was a true luxury to have shared the dressing room with him," he told BBC Sport. "I can always tell my kids I have played with Steven Gerrard and Liverpool.
"He was always one second ahead of the others. Now it is easy for him to transmit all these things to his players when he coaches."
Given his age, Aspas understandably has one eye on retirement. And while he'd like to remain in football, he is not keen on following in Gerrard's footsteps and becoming a manager.
"I am really interested in sports management because I have always loved football from an analytical point of view, looking at the players," he explains. "Halfway through the match I analyse the different situations, especially to improve the way I am playing.
"From when I was very young I always played manager games - the older people know what I am talking about, Football Manager! It is a change from our daily football life, lots of training, but I don't know yet."
