This Sunday the Liverpool Legends side take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Our hosts have pulled out all the stocks, with their squad including the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Carlos. However, Ian Rush’s side have plenty to offer as well, in what promises to be a truly fantastic match.
SEE MORE:
Rating Liverpool’s last ten back-up goalkeepers as Adam Bogdan signs
Non-League Macclesfield Town launch audacious bid for Raheem Sterling…
Mario Balotelli claims he doesn’t speak Italian anymore
So ahead of the game, which kicks-off at 5pm our time, why not enjoy a trip down memory lane by sizing up the 19 players that are going to be representing the Reds in the Spanish capital tomorrow night.
Goalkeepers:
- Jerzy Dudek – The Pole arrived at Anfield in 2001 and quickly established himself as our number one. He famously saved two penalties as we won the Champions League in 2005 and helped us win a fifth European title. He stayed with us until 2007, spending his final two years at the club as back-up to Pepe Reina.
- Sander Westerveld – Sander spent two years at Liverpool and picked up five winners medals in the process. He was one of the heroes of our 2001 treble winning season, making the vital penalty save to win the League Cup against Birmingham City. He departed for Spain and Real Sociedad soon after.
Defenders:
- Jamie Carragher – This club legend spent 17 incredible years as a first-team player for Liverpool, winning every major honour going except that allusive first Premier League title. He played more than 700 games in all competitions and became known as one of the best defenders in England for more than a decade.
- Stephane Henchoz – The Swiss defender arrived at Anfield in 1999 to partner Sami Hyypia in defence. He spent six years at Anfield, making almost 200 appearances in all competitions. Unfortunately, following the emergence of Carragher, he lost his place in the team and departed soon after the arrival of Rafa Benitez.
- Steve Harkness – The left-back spent a decade at Liverpool, playing just over 100 games in the Premier League. He finished his career with spells at Benfica, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday and Chester City.
- Abel Xavier – The Portuguese only made a handful of appearances at Liverpool but will always be remembered for his rather striking appearance. Having joined the Reds from Everton in 2002, he made just 14 Premier League appearances before moving to Germany.
- Bjorn Tore Kvarme – The formidable Norwegian spent two years at Liverpool in the late 1990s. He would eventually lose his place to Hyypia and Henchoz, who were both brought in by Gerard Houllier, and he eventually moved to France just before the turn of the decade.
- Rob Jones – The right-back made 185 league appearances for Liverpool. He left in 1999, shortly before being forced into an early retirement at the age of 28. Thankfully, his knee has had more than 15 years to recover and we’re all hoping to see the Rob Jones of old running out at Madrid.
Midfielders:
- Jason McAteer – Played exactly 100 Premier League games for Liverpool, leaving for Blackburn in 1999. The Republic of Ireland international, who was also capable of playing at full-back, finished his career with spells at Sunderland and Tranmere, for whom he severed as assistant manager in 2009.
- Salif Diao – The Senegalese star arrived at the club off the back of his fantastic performances at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, where he helped his side reach the last eight. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to reproduce those performances at Anfield and he was soon allowed to leave.
- Patrik Berger – The Czech midfielder spent seven years at Anfield, winning the treble in 2001 and putting in many a good performance from the left-hand side. He also played for Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Stoke City during a lengthy spell in English football.
- Luis Garcia – One of the heroes of our 2005 Champions League run. Everyone remembers the goal against Juventus. Everyone remembers the ‘goal’ against Chelsea. The Spaniard instantly endeared himself to the Liverpool faithful and even now holds a special place in our hearts.
- Steve McManaman – Intriguingly, Steve could just as easily have been lining up on the opposite side, having won two La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues during his time in Madrid. However, Liverpool is his home, the place where he made more than 250 Premier League appearances.
- Harry Kewell – One of the greatest players Australia have ever produced. His time at Liverpool was sadly littered by a variety of injuries but he can still look back fondly on starting both the 2005 Champions League final and the 2006 FA Cup final – although he was substituted in both games.
- David Thompson – Still only 37 and subsequently one of the youngest players in this match. Like Jones, he was forced into an early retirement due to injury problems. He was never quite able to make the grade at Liverpool after emerging from our academy but still enjoyed a decent football league career.
- Vladimir Smicer – The man whose last kick of a football for Liverpool effectively won the Champions League – with Dudek’s save from Andriy Shevchenko sealing the deal. The Czech spent six years at Anfield, making more than 100 Premier League appearances.
Forwards:
- Michael Owen – The striker burst on to the scene as a teenager, scoring 118 goals in just 216 league games for Liverpool before earning a move to Real Madrid in 2004. His career continued to go downhill from there as he struggled with injury problems. He finished up at Stoke City in 2013 despite being only 33.
- Craig Bellamy – The Welshman, who like Owen is only 35, retired from football at the end of last season. He enjoyed two spells with Liverpool, scoring 13 Premier League goals in the process. His journeyman career took him all over England and regularly saw him impress at the top level.
- Robbie Fowler – Completing a relatively youthful striker is our 40-year-old icon. Fowler also had two spells at Anfield, bagging 128 league goals in the process. Like Owen, he burst on to the scene and enjoyed his best years during his youth. His first four seasons with us saw him score 116 times in all competitions.
Manager: Ian Rush
Liverpool’s greatest ever striker takes charge of the team for Sunday’s game. He scored more than 200 league goals for the Reds, guiding us to 18 major honours including five first division titles and two European Cups. He was our top goalscorer on nine occasions and also bagged a number of major personal honours, including the European Golden Boot and five selections to the PFA Team of the Year. Retired in 2000 after a spell in Australia.
