Rafa for Reds
> Benitez says Liverpool are more than capable of beating Madrid as he compared the current side to his in 2005 <
JURGEN KLOPP will achieve Godlike status if he wins the Champions League. So says the last Liverpool boss to win the biggest club competition in European football.
It may be 13 years since Liverpool’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ but former manager Rafa Benitez remains just as popular today with their fans. And he believes that Klopp too is just 90 minutes away from Anfield immortality.
The epic 4-2 penalty shootout win against AC Milan after a 3-3 draw in 2005 and its aftermath remains fresh in the memory of Benitez, who admits he must have watched one of the greatest comebacks in history hundreds of times.
“It changed my life in England,” said the Spaniard, whose side also lost to the same opponents in the 2007 final.
“To win the league with Valencia in Spain after 31 years changed my life. To win the UEFA Cup with Valencia changed my life.
“But to come to England and win the Champions League with a different team was massive. It changed everything. Will it change Klopp’s life? He’s an idol now – but he will be more.”
The 58-year-old still laughs at the memories of finding himself locked out of the post-match celebrations after his side came back from 3-0 down at halftime to claim the club’s fifth European Cup.
“We had a party and some friends were coming but they were on the outside,” recalled the Newcastle boss.
“So someone who was already in had to go with some accreditation to fetch them but security said they had to stay outside. He would not let them in.
“Then I went out but the security man was saying ‘It’s a private party, you cannot go in.’
“A friend of mine turned to him and said: ‘do you know who this man is? He is God, he is God.’”
Just as it was back then, Liverpool will be underdogs in Kiev on Saturday against reigning champions Real Madrid.
But ex-Real boss Benitez believes Klopp’s men are better equipped than his side were.
“I always say Istanbul was the most emotional final ever because of the way we won, the way we came back,” he said.
“Everything was going wrong, massively wrong and then after halftime, you see the Liverpool fans singing even though we were 3-0 down.
“People say we were lucky in the final but were we lucky in the earlier rounds when we beat Chelsea, Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen?
“The players had a great belief. Milan were the best team in Europe. They had Pirlo and Kaka, no-one could better them – but we beat them.
“We were unlucky at the start when we lost Harry Kewell and we had to change everything.
“And we were lucky when we scored our three goals in a few minutes.
“But we were much better than them in extratime. We changed to three at the back and had control of the game.
“And when it came to penalties, we had done a lot of work on that.”
Comparisons between past and present are inevitable and Benitez happily concedes Klopp has more big weapons at his disposal.
“We had Stevie Gerrard of course and players with quality and experience in Xabi Alonso and Dietmar Hamann. There was a good balance.
“This team also has good balance but the three players up front can make a difference on their own.
“We had one who can make a difference, they have three.”
When asked which of his two former clubs will win, Benitez said: “It’s often how you manage the pressure and Real Madrid have been managing this kind of pressure for a while,” said Benitez. “They have more experience. Liverpool are in a new situation but they have the energy, the passion and the desire.
“They have the intensity to hurt you if they do it well but Real have the qualities to cope with that.
“It will be interesting to watch but Liverpool can do it.” – Daily Star