James Milner has been a wonderful servant for Liverpool Football Club since the Reds managed to snap up the former Manchester City midfielder on a free transfer.
The Englishman has been around for some wonderful moments at the side, including our remarkable Champions League run and victory in the 2018/19 season.
He recalled the moment Leo Messi didn’t take well to a big challenge from him at the Camp Nou in his book ‘Ask a Footballer’ (in quotes shared on Twitter by @LFCTransferRoom).
💬James Milner (on Lionel Messi):
“I don’t have beef with him. I caught him with a heavy challenge at the camp nou, he wasn’t very happy. I gave him a tap and said ‘are you okay’ and he started shouting ‘burro’ which means donkey.”🇦🇷🐴 pic.twitter.com/XTmGWELS8u— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) November 2, 2022
There are most certainly worse insults the legendary playmaker could have gone with other than ‘donkey’, though it’s good to see that our No.7 didn’t take it personally.
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We got back at the Catalan giants with a historic victory at Anfield en route to the final and a 2-0 victory over Tottenham to seal our sixth trophy from the competition.
Though the former Leeds United star’s contract is set to expire next summer and much of the fanbase will be keen to see that another extension isn’t provided amid our ongoing struggles in the middle of the park, Milner deserves more than a smidge of gratitude his way for the role he’s played at L4.
He’s been a perfect role model at the club and has slotted in wherever Jurgen Klopp has asked him too – a genuine professional that will be missed in a playing capacity come 2023.