Liverpool legend Dietmar Hamann has named a shocked player instead of Steven Gerrard as the real hero of their 2005 Champions League miracle.
19 years ago, Liverpool took on AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
Milan raced to a 3-0 halftime lead thanks to a goal from Paolo Maldini and a brace by Hernan Crespo.
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During the second half, Liverpool produced a miraculous display as strikes from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso made it 3-3.
In the end, Liverpool completed the miracle as they won 3-2 on penalties to lift their fifth Champions League trophy.
Since then, the final in 2005 has been labelled as one of the best matches in the competition’s rich history.
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Many fans felt Gerrard was the hero as he kick-started the comeback with his goal and also won the penalty which made it 3-3.
However, speaking recently on That Peter Crouch Podcast, former Reds midfielder Hamann said the real hero was in fact, Djimi Traore.
He said: “The guy is in the shower, two minutes later somebody comes, ‘Djimi, you’ve got a carry on’.
“Now, once you finish mentally with a game, to get back into that zone, into the focus again, it’s near enough impossible.”
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Hamann continued: “Djimi played as well as anyone in the second half and I always say my hero, the reason we won the Champions League, it’s not me, it’s not Steven Gerrard – it’s Djimi Traore.
“Because he had a goal-line clearance, he had a few last ditch tackles, one of the best tacklers, one of the quickest players and Djimi played as well as anyone and this is what set us apart from other teams.”
14 years after their triumph in Istanbul, Liverpool won their sixth Champions League crown when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid, Spain.
Topics: Liverpool, Champions League, Steven Gerrard, AC Milan
Marcus Chan