Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Wijnaldum has dreamed of Euro glory ever since joining Liverpool
HELPING Liverpool win a sixth European Cup in Kiev would be an accomplishment Georginio Wijnaldum has dreamed about since the day he joined the club two years ago, the midfielder said.
Liverpool take on holders Real Madrid in Ukraine tonight and Dutch international Wijnaldum is eager to join the ranks of Liverpool players to have won Europe’s elite club competition.
“It’s true, when I came here I was dreaming of moments like this,” Wijnaldum, who arrived at Liverpool from Newcastle in 2016, said. “When I came here, I wanted to help this club win more trophies than they already have.”
No one in the current squad has played in a Champions League final before and the 27-year-old is acutely aware that a victory would only represent a tiny fraction of the success some of the club legends have achieved in the past.
“There are players here who won a lot, they are legends. If you take Kenny Dalglish I don’t think one Champions League win will put you up there with him,” he added.
“You have to play a lot more games, win a lot more trophies then you will come up with the big legends. Of course, if you win a Champions League (it’s historic). How many players can say they’ve won a Champions League? There are not a lot.”
Wijnaldum has played 11 games in the competition this season and his versatility across the midfield has been fully utilised by German manager Juergen Klopp.
“I have learned to play in a lot of positions. I have played in the holding role, the number six position more than I used to,” Wijnaldum added.
“It’s gone well. It gives the manager an extra option... you have to learn the position and I’m still learning in all the positions he has put me so I can grow more.”
Today’s clash at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium is a repeat of the 1981 final, when Liverpool prevailed 1-0 in Paris.
Liverpool are looking to deny Real a 13th title and a third in a row.
● Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has despatched 300 club jerseys to supporters in his home village of Bambali in Senegal ahead of today's final.
Mane’s family still live in the village of 2 000 inhabitants, which is expected to come to a standstill as their favourite son looks to help the Premier League club claim a sixth European Cup in Kiev.
The 26-year-old has ensured the village can cheer his team in style as they look to beat 12-times champions Real.
● Real Madrid’s Marcelo has played a defining role in their run to Champions League final and their previous three European Cup triumphs but the left back’s defensive weaknesses could make his side vulnerable to Liverpool’s fierce attack tonight.
The Brazilian has scored in every knockout round of this year’s competition, volleying in the third goal in the 3-1 win over Paris St Germain which proved a turning point in Madrid’s season. He also scored in the 3-0 victory at Juventus in the quarter-final first leg.
He showed the downside to his cavalier approach to the game in the semi-final tie against Bayern Munich, drift- ing off and allowing Joshua Kimmich to score down his left flank and put Bayern 1-0 up in both legs.
But he displayed his best attributes as an attacker in the opposing half, hitting a crisp volley to equalise in the 2-1 win in Munich and provid- ing a superb arching cross for Karim Benzema to head in the equaliser in the 2-2 draw in the second leg.
Marcelo says his favourite player growing up was Brazil and Madrid great Roberto Carlos, who was still at the club when he moved to the Spanish capital aged 18 in January 2007.
“I took inspiration from him on the pitch. Roberto Carlos would go up and down that left wing like a beast. Whether you love me or you hate me, you know what you’re getting when I’m out there. I love to attack,” Marcelo told website The Players Tribune.
“And then later on, at the back? If we got a problem, we’ll fix it. We’ll figure it out. But first, we attack,” added the 30- year- old, who scored Madrid’s third goal in their 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the 2014 final. — Reuters