Liverpool clinched the Premier League at the end of the 2024/25 season and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch played a huge role in the triumph.
The Dutch international, who moved to Anfield from Bayern Munich for £35m [$46.5m] transfer fee in 2023, has found a new lease of life on Merseyside.
Gravenbech was one of Arne Slot's most consistent players last season after previously operating as a rotating pick under Jurgen Klopp.
The former Ajax playmaker regained his form and brought a new to the Liverpool's midfield as an ideal partner for Alexis Mac Allister.
However, in a recent interview, the 23-year-old has recalled his depressing experiences in Munich where he believed he was going off the rails due to a lack of game time.
"I was going crazy in my head. I was lucky my parents moved to Munich for me. I don’t know what would have happened if I had been there just on my own…it was really tough mentally," Gravenberch told thee Daily Mirror.
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"I was happy we were champions, but my contribution was small. I know we stood there as champions but I did not feel like a champion at all. It was a totally different feeling from all the other times I won trophies.
"Under [Julian] Nagelsmann, I would go three matches in a row spending 90 minutes watching my team. That's when I started to go crazy in my head. In the winter I was totally done with it. In the last two months of the season under [Thomas] Tuchel, I got more minutes than in the entire period before.
"I remember how I felt at Bayern, but I know I have managed to climb out of that low. That's what I'm proud of."
How Gravenberch turned his career around at Liverpool
Gravenberch only featured for Bayern Munich in 34 matches and was left frustrated as the coaches preferred others over the him in the Bavarians midfield.
He showed promising signs in the 2023/24 season under Klopp before making it big with Slot in 2024/25.
According to FBref, Gravenberch averaged 1.99 progressive carries, 0.96 successful take-ons, 1.83 interceptions while registering 89.4% pass completion per 90 minutes in a league-winning campaign for the Reds.
He featured in 49 matches across competitions, registering four assists, all of which came in his 37 Premier League appearances last season. Overall, he has played 87 games for Liverpool across two seasons.
Gravenberch's father also shared his gratefulness to Slot and highlighted how things could have been worse had they not been with him.
"I think if we'd not been there with him, he would have landed in a depression. The whole Bayern Munich adventure never worked out as he expected. He worked really hard, but he was never given a chance to shine.
"At the time, we could not dream he would get a transfer to Liverpool and Arne Slot would become his coach. When I look at what's happened to him with Slot and Liverpool, I have to say in all honesty, that he's gone from hell to heaven."
As Liverpool aim to defend the Premier League in the upcoming season, Gravenberch will once again hold key for Slot in midfield, despite a big-spending summer at Anfield.
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