Liverpool has proven to be a huge draw for some of the world's biggest players, and one Italian legend revealed he was tempted to trade in becoming a club legend for the chance to move to Anfield

The lure of Liverpool is strong, and it can often be enough to tempt even the biggest club legends to consider a move to Anfield.

The Reds have of course forged a storied history. Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have won the Champions League/European Cup more times, while Liverpool holds the joint-most English titles alongside Manchester United.

It’s not just the success over the years that draws players to the red half of Merseyside though. The famed atmosphere of Anfield has led to some of the most famous nights in the history of soccer, and left a lasting impression on some of the world’s biggest names. Kylian Mbappe is perhaps the most famous example in recent years, with the Real Madrid superstar having held talks with Liverpool when he was lining up his first big move after bursting onto the scene at Monaco.

It’s no surprise then that even a player with over 400 appearances for one club would have been tempted by a move to Liverpool - as was the case with Antonio Di Natale.

The former striker, who was part of the Italy side which finished as runner-up at Euro 2012 and was named in Serie A’s team of the year three times during his career, became a legend at Udinese, where he spent 12 years as a player and made 446 appearances, scoring 227 goals in the process.

He had the chance to move on at various points in his time in northern Italy. Juventus came calling after offloading Brazilian forward Diego in 2010, although Di Natale decided he wasn’t interested.

That wasn’t the only opportunity he had to move elsewhere, and two years earlier, Liverpool proved to be a much more tempting prospect.

"After Juventus sold Diego they wanted me, but I was happy in Udine,” Di Natale revealed in an interview with Prime Video Sport last year.

“The only team that made me think about leaving was Liverpool. I loved everything about them: the environment, the stadium and also have gone there to see it."

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Di Natale came up against Liverpool twice during his career, and scored during a 3-2 win for Udinese during a visit to Anfield in 2012. Had things turned out differently six years prior though, he might have been on the opposite side that night.

During an interview with Italian magazine Sportweek in 2014, Di Natale spoke of his admiration for the Reds, and lifted the lid further on the opportunity he had to move to Anfield.

“[Udinese] taught me the work ethic and respect. The only team that I would like to play for, for the stadium and the atmosphere, is Liverpool,” he said.

“When Andrea Dossena signed in 2008, Liverpool spoke with me, but it all came to nothing.”

Delving deeper into the approach during a later interview with Tuttosport, Di Natale revealed: “I wanted to remain in Udine and had just signed a four-year contract, I’d won the Capocannoniere title, felt important here and simply didn’t want to change everything.

“Liverpool wanted me at all costs too, they were prepared to do anything to get me to sign for them, but it would’ve made no sense for me to go to England when I’d already turned down Juve.”