Back in Liverpool: Xabi Alonso's emotional return

Of course, it's like no other game for him. "Anfield," says Xabi Alonso, "is something very special. It's hard to beat playing there." As the Bayer 04 coach looks ahead to his side's fourth Champions League clash of the campaign following the 0-0 draw in the top match against VfB Stuttgart, he sets aside his own personal memories of Liverpool. Typical Alonso. Team first, full focus on the task ahead. And he describes it as "a big challenge with one of the current best teams in Europe". But it will certainly be an emotional return to Anfield for Alonso. It was just over 20 years ago, in August 2004, that he himself became part of this English club from the working-class city of Liverpool that is steeped in tradition. And back then, too, LFC were one of the best teams in Europe.

Alonso was 22 years old when he moved to the Mersey from Real Sociedad San Sebastian. Not all of his new teammates were instantly thrilled when they first heard about the new arrival from the Basque region. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher once related an anecdote about this on "Redmen TV". Rafael Benitez, the Reds' coach at the time, announced the impending arrival of his compatriot Alonso to the team with the following words: "This player will strengthen us, I think he's a fantastic player. He's already spoken about where the team can improve, other tactical things." Centre-back and vice-captain at the time Carragher remembers his reaction: "I just thought: ’Who the hell does he think he is? 22, coming over here from Spain and wanting to tell us where we're going wrong. Let's see you in the shirt first'!" Carragher's scepticism was soon to be dispelled, however, as it quickly became apparent "that Xabi Alonso actually had a deep understanding of football".

The new number 14 made his home debut at Anfield on 11 September 2004 in a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, coming off the bench in the 65th minute for captain Steven Gerrard. Four days later, again in front of a home crowd, the Spain international started as a defensive midfielder alongside Gerrard in the Champions League group stage match against Monaco (3-0). It was the start of a historic season in Europe for the Reds, which would see them reach the final in Istanbul, defeating Bayer 04 in the round of 16 on the way. Benitez's side won both the first and second legs 3-1, albeit without Alonso, who missed both games through injury. In January 2005, he'd suffered a broken ankle in a match against Chelsea.

2005: Werkself with No chance

Even without their midfielder pulling the strings, Liverpool had little trouble against Leverkusen. Luis Garcia, John Arne Riise and Dietmar Hamann scored for the hosts in the first leg at Anfield, while Franca pulled one back for Bayer 04 just before the final whistle. Liverpool also lost no time establishing a clear lead in the second leg at the BayArena. Luis Garcia had opened the scoring with a brace midway through the first half. Milan Baros added the third for the visitors in the second half, before Jacek Krzynowek scored the consolation goal for Bayer 04 just before the final whistle. While the Werkself could now concentrate on the Bundesliga, Alonso worked on his comeback - and recovered faster than expected from his broken ankle. Three weeks after the injury, Benitez had already written him off for the rest of the season. However, the Spaniard was back on the pitch from the quarter-final second leg against Juventus in mid-April, and also started in the final against AC Milan on 25 May 2005.

The Bayer 04 coach recently reminisced about the "Miracle of Istanbul" on the occasion of the recent clash against AC Milan in the current Champions League campaign: "What happened that night was massively important for my career." In an interview on uefa.com  three years ago, Alonso had already looked back in detail on this memorable final, in which he himself played a crucial role. "You're standing in the tunnel and you're completely focused. You look over and see the Milan team. They were a very experienced side with impressive players. And then you look a few metres ahead and see the trophy. My wife was in the stadium, my father and my brother were there. My mum stayed in San Sebastian and cheered us on from the sofa." And the match had barely kicked off when Milan took the lead after 52 seconds through Paolo Maldini. Hernan Crespo made it 3-0 at half-time with a brace just before the break for Milan, who were superior in every respect. What could possibly go wrong for coach Carlo Ancelotti's team?

Alonso: "I felt like I'd been reborn“

"I remember how unhappy I was with my own performance at half-time," recalled Alonso. "Some players were completely devastated and there were comments like: ‘Okay, it's all over’ and ‘We've got no chance'." This was followed by a "very tactical speech" from Rafa Benitez. "He told us what we'd been doing wrong, what we should change and said: ‘Let's see how it goes'." What happened next was nothing short of incredible. The Reds cancelled out the 3-0 lead in a six-minute spell. Steven Gerrard (54‘) and Vladimir Smicer (56’) started the Liverpool comeback.

And right on the one-hour mark, the time arrived for Alonso to make his grand entrance. "We were awarded a penalty and I was nominated to take it - for the first time in my professional career. It's true, I'd never taken a penalty kick before. I had a very clear idea of where I wanted to put the ball. It wasn't at all a bad shot, but Dida made a terrific save. Fortunately, I reacted faster than I'd ever done in my career." Alonso hammered the rebound under the crossbar with his left foot to make it 3-3. "I felt like I'd been reborn," he said, looking back. "We were back in the game and had been granted a bonus life, so to speak."

There followed "a long period of suffering" for the Reds until the final whistle at the end of extra time. But then, after winning the penalty shoot-out, in which Alonso played no part, there was "an explosion of joy, pure euphoria. I just started running and didn't know what to do. As well as the joy, you also had the feeling that you'd made other people happy. You just knew how ecstatic the Liverpool fans were. That stays with you forever and makes us so proud. That's why we play. Without fans, football is nothing."

2002: Bayer's first visit to Anfield

Alonso's teammate at the time, Dietmar Hamann, later recalled the surreal situation in an interview with Welt: "We couldn't process what had just happened. We'd been sitting in the dressing room barely two hours earlier and were 3-0 down. And suddenly there was the trophy, in the middle of the dressing room." Incidentally, Hamann was one of seven Liverpool players in that cup-winning team who had already played against Bayer 04 in the Champions League quarter-finals three years earlier. Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, defenders Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypiä and John Arne Riise as well as midfielders Steven Gerrard and Vladimir Smicer were also in the Reds' starting XI when the Werkself played at Anfield for the first time on 3 April 2002.

Bayer 04 were top of the Bundesliga when they travelled to Premier League leaders Liverpool. "It's an absolute dream to be able to play here," said Bayer 04 coach Klaus Toppmöller, looking forward to the encounter. Michael Ballack was confident: "We'll get our chances in Liverpool." Well over 1,000 fans of the Black & Reds  - a considerable number for the time - were determined not to miss out on the Anfield Road experience and travelled with the Werkself to England. In the run-up to the game, many of them embarked on a personal Magical Mystery Tour, following in the footsteps of the Beatles.

In the city on the river Mersey, there was great respect for the "aspirin bombers", as the Werkself were dubbed in the Liverpool match programme. "Bayer are perhaps the most underestimated of all the quarter-finalists," warned Dietmar Hamann. The emotional highlights already started before kick-off. Straight after a minute's silence in tribute to the Queen Mother, who had died four days earlier at the age of 101, the stands erupted to the sound of "You'll Never Walk Alone". Liverpool's legendary anthem really resonated that evening. And another nice touch: Anfield gave Reds' coach Gérard Houllier a warm welcome on his comeback. Five months earlier, he had had to undergo life-saving surgery following a heart attack. Over 42,000 fans sang "Olé, olé, Gérard Houllier" as he made his way back to the technical area. In December 2020, the former France coach passed away in Paris at the age of 73.

The game itself offered up few highlights. The then Bayer 04 general manager Reiner Calmund described the first half, in which Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypiä, "a man-made mountain from Finland" (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger), scored the opener just before the break, as "turf chess for specialists". As in the very same Hyypiä who would go on to win the trophy in 2005 in Istanbul alongside Alonso. And who later ended his playing career under the Bayer cross, where he spent a further two years as a coach from 2012. On 3 April 2002, Hyypia's goal was the only one scored in a less than exhilarating match. The Reds deserved to win, but they were brought down to earth with a jolt in the quarter-final second leg in Leverkusen just six days later. In one of the most thrilling matches in the club's history, the Werkself beat Liverpool 4-2 and went through to play Manchester United in the semi-finals. It's still Liverpool's only defeat in 21 European clashes against German teams. And since that day, the Reds remain unbeaten in 13 games against Bundesliga teams (10 wins, three draws).

Alonso's impressive record at LFC

Alonso never played against another German club during his time at Liverpool. In his five years in England, he made 210 competitive appearances for the Reds, scoring 18 goals and providing 19 assists. In addition to the Champions League, he won three other trophies with the team (FA Cup, FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup). When, two years after the Champions League triumph, there was a replay of the final against AC Milan on 23 May 2007, the Rossoneri got their revenge: Milan won 2-1, but Alonso, as an indispensable key player, again played a major part in another successful season for the Reds, who finished third in the Premier League. A year later, LFC again narrowly missed out on reaching the final of Europe's premier club competition, going down to Chelsea in extra time in the semi-final second leg. And in his fifth and final year at Anfield, as a newly-crowned European champion with Spain, Alonso enjoyed another impressive season and finished as runner-up with the Reds. The now 27-year-old had developed into a global star at Liverpool.

And in addition to all the sporting success, Alonso also experienced special moments in his personal life in the city. His wife gave birth to their son Jontxu, the first of their three children, in Liverpool in March 2008. The young family left England the following year, with Alonso joining Real Madrid in 2009. Now he's returning to Anfield for the first time. It'll be an emotional trip for the Spaniard.