Ryan Babel swaps football for music and fashion after retiring at 37

Ryan Babel has carved out a life far removed from professional football since hanging up his boots in 2024, managing music artists across Los Angeles, Amsterdam and the UK while also running a fashion agency in Paris.

The Dutch winger joined Liverpool from Ajax for £11.5 million in 2007, aged 20, under Rafa Benitez. He made 146 appearances and scored 22 goals across three and a half years on Merseyside before being sold to Hoffenheim in January 2011 — a transfer window overshadowed by the club’s decision to offload Fernando Torres to Chelsea and sign Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez on deadline day.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in various ventures. For a long time, I’ve been part of the music business,” Babel said. “I have artists mostly in Los Angeles, one in Amsterdam, and a producer in the UK. Music has always been a part of me — it started as a hobby and grew into a business that I loved managing during my spare time.”

Babel’s fashion agency focuses on athletes with an interest in the industry, helping them build brand relationships, organise fashion weeks, and manage social media strategies.

After leaving Liverpool, Babel’s career took him through Germany, Spain, Turkey, England, the United Arab Emirates and back to the Netherlands before he retired at 37. Despite the breadth of that experience, a move into coaching has not yet appealed.

“As for coaching? Maybe in the future, but mentally I’m not there yet,” he said. “Since retiring, I’ve occasionally run training sessions for under-16 or under-14 players. That passion is still there, but I’ll never say never.”

Babel left Liverpool without a trophy, though he was part of the side that finished Premier League runners-up in 2009. On the international stage, he was included in the Netherlands squad that reached the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa.