League, or the European Cup as it was before, for a fifth time.
And then it hit me. I was off. Off trying to catch Carra, off to celebrate with my team and our fans.
The celebrations went on into the early hours of the morning. There was no time to sleep. Each and every one of us was too caught up in what we had just achieved. Relief and euphoria were my over-riding emotions and then I felt drained and tired for days after because the pressure in the build-up and during the game itself was intense. But to have ‘Champions League winner’ on my CV, well, it doesn’t get any better than that.
The trophy we won is on display in reception at the training ground and I walk past it every day. When I see it, or when I am watching a Champions League game at home, moments from that match against Milan flash into my mind. But I don’t really reflect on and wallow in that triumph much any more. I will never forget that night, but it no longer feels fresh. These days, I think more about what else I can win before I finish my career; what other trophies I can lift before I call it a day.
----
“I felt embarrassed. We were being humiliated.”
----
Shock and Awe
----
This picture tells a thousand words. We’re all shell-shocked as we wait for AC Milan to kick-off following another goal in Istanbul. If you look at my face I’m thinking, ‘They’re too good for us. We’re not going to win this game. We’re getting the runaround.’ How often have you seen Xabi Alonso in the last few years look like that, just staring in the distance, helpless? It doesn’t happen to him, does it? You can shout and try to coax some belief back into your team-mates, but it is hard to make yourself heard in that sort of atmosphere. Also, it is tough to say anything meaningful that isn’t just trying to paper over the cracks. We were 3–0 down at half-time and surely down and out.
Coming to Terms With a Disastrous First Half
----
Knowing Rafa, he is probably telling me to get control of Kaka and get someone on Andrea Pirlo. And knowing me, I’m probably saying, ‘It’s impossible.’ We were getting over-run so much in midfield it was a nightmare. Pirlo earned rave reviews at Euro 2012 for the way he played for Italy, especially in the penalty shoot-out win over England in the quarter-finals. If you give him time and space, he will look good because technically, with the ball at his feet, he is as good as anyone in the world. If you get bodies around him, you can run off him and I don’t think he is very physical but he controls games with his passing if you let him.
Heading in the Right Direction
----
I have scored better goals and come up with more eye-catching strikes, but, without doubt, this is the most important goal-scoring intervention of my entire career. It gave us back a little bit of respect, and some belief too, but I still didn’t think it would spark the tremendous fight-back that followed. I checked my initial run because John Arne Riise’s first cross was blocked, then I gambled on going into the box again. What is surprising about the goal when you see this picture is how much space I had between Jaap Stam and Alessandro Nesta, who were two of the best defenders in the world at the time. To get a header right in the middle of them, and in a game of that magnitude, was special for me. The header was instinctive. I went for accuracy rather than power because the cross was that good.
If the Fans Believe It, So Will We
----
At half-time at the Ataturk Stadium we were despondent in the dressing room but we could hear the strains of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ being sung by the Liverpool supporters outside. On the way back to the half-way line after my goal, I waved my hands towards the fans to show that the players were with them and that we hadn’t given up either. They had descended on Istanbul in their thousands and the very least they deserved was for us to keep going. They responded to my gesture by
And then it hit me. I was off. Off trying to catch Carra, off to celebrate with my team and our fans.
The celebrations went on into the early hours of the morning. There was no time to sleep. Each and every one of us was too caught up in what we had just achieved. Relief and euphoria were my over-riding emotions and then I felt drained and tired for days after because the pressure in the build-up and during the game itself was intense. But to have ‘Champions League winner’ on my CV, well, it doesn’t get any better than that.
The trophy we won is on display in reception at the training ground and I walk past it every day. When I see it, or when I am watching a Champions League game at home, moments from that match against Milan flash into my mind. But I don’t really reflect on and wallow in that triumph much any more. I will never forget that night, but it no longer feels fresh. These days, I think more about what else I can win before I finish my career; what other trophies I can lift before I call it a day.
----
“I felt embarrassed. We were being humiliated.”
----
Shock and Awe
----
This picture tells a thousand words. We’re all shell-shocked as we wait for AC Milan to kick-off following another goal in Istanbul. If you look at my face I’m thinking, ‘They’re too good for us. We’re not going to win this game. We’re getting the runaround.’ How often have you seen Xabi Alonso in the last few years look like that, just staring in the distance, helpless? It doesn’t happen to him, does it? You can shout and try to coax some belief back into your team-mates, but it is hard to make yourself heard in that sort of atmosphere. Also, it is tough to say anything meaningful that isn’t just trying to paper over the cracks. We were 3–0 down at half-time and surely down and out.
Coming to Terms With a Disastrous First Half
----
Knowing Rafa, he is probably telling me to get control of Kaka and get someone on Andrea Pirlo. And knowing me, I’m probably saying, ‘It’s impossible.’ We were getting over-run so much in midfield it was a nightmare. Pirlo earned rave reviews at Euro 2012 for the way he played for Italy, especially in the penalty shoot-out win over England in the quarter-finals. If you give him time and space, he will look good because technically, with the ball at his feet, he is as good as anyone in the world. If you get bodies around him, you can run off him and I don’t think he is very physical but he controls games with his passing if you let him.
Heading in the Right Direction
----
I have scored better goals and come up with more eye-catching strikes, but, without doubt, this is the most important goal-scoring intervention of my entire career. It gave us back a little bit of respect, and some belief too, but I still didn’t think it would spark the tremendous fight-back that followed. I checked my initial run because John Arne Riise’s first cross was blocked, then I gambled on going into the box again. What is surprising about the goal when you see this picture is how much space I had between Jaap Stam and Alessandro Nesta, who were two of the best defenders in the world at the time. To get a header right in the middle of them, and in a game of that magnitude, was special for me. The header was instinctive. I went for accuracy rather than power because the cross was that good.
If the Fans Believe It, So Will We
----
At half-time at the Ataturk Stadium we were despondent in the dressing room but we could hear the strains of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ being sung by the Liverpool supporters outside. On the way back to the half-way line after my goal, I waved my hands towards the fans to show that the players were with them and that we hadn’t given up either. They had descended on Istanbul in their thousands and the very least they deserved was for us to keep going. They responded to my gesture by
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