The biggest game in Liverpool history
● How do you define a big game? Is it the value of the competition in which the match is played? Is it the strength of the opposition?
Is it the quality of the players on show? Is it the intensity of the build-up?
Is it the impact the game can have on a club? Is it the financial value of the result?
Is it the depth of tradition of the teams involved? Or is it the amount of people prepared to watch the game?
Of course the answer is all of these aspects. And that prompts the question — is the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday the biggest game in Liverpool’s history?
It’s a valid debate given the climate in football, both in terms of worldwide interest and, yes, monetary value.
Big games equal big bucks.
And while the World Cup remains the pinnacle of the sport, in terms of club football nothing comes close to the allure of the Champions League. That has increased in recent years, even if the prestige of winning the competition remains the same as when Liverpool racked up four European Cups in eight seasons between 1977 and 1984.
Such a record underlines grand occasions are nothing new to the Reds. After all, you don’t win 44 major honours without having to negotiate the odd blockbuster or two.
But the landscape has changed since those glory days.
Purists will rightly point out that before 1992, the competition was known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup for a reason — only winners, either of their domestic leagues or the competition itself, were allowed to enter.
By permitting multiple entrants from certain countries, Uefa staved off the threat of a breakaway European Super League and, over time, bolstered the significance of the rebranded Champions League.
Making the final became a big deal, winning it is no easy task. Indeed, no team before Real Madrid last year had successfully defended the trophy. Now the Spaniards are aiming to become the first team to win a third successive European Cup since Bayern Munich in 1976, adding to the narrative.
Liverpool’s first European Cup win against Borussia Moenchengladbach was their most influential, the triumph over Roma in the Italians’ backyard their most impressive, the Istanbul defeat of AC Milan the most remarkable.
And in terms of their recent history, arguably their biggest game since the Champions League final defeat to AC Milan in 2007 was the Europa League final against Sevilla two years ago.
But none of their 12 previous major European finals can quite match the fervour surrounding their Kiev date on Saturday.
Firsts will always have a special place in a club’s history, such as the 1965 FA Cup final win over Leeds United. That, though, was very much a domestic affair.
What of Liverpool’s 18 league titles, though? Each season included key clashes along the way, particularly during the closing weeks of the campaign.
Their most hyped league fixture in the Premier League era was the 3-2 win over Manchester City in 2014 that proved futile.
But no league match, as much as Liverpool fans would wish otherwise, was as historic as the Anfield visit of Arsenal in 1989. We know what happened there, alas.
Europe, however, is a different beast. Particularly in the Champions League era.
With Real Madrid possessing a vast global audience — dwarfing even Liverpool’s sizeable world following — the interest in the game is immense.
Fans of different eras will have their favourites, the games they regard as biggest.
But there can be no doubt. This is the biggest game in the club’s history.
Whether it is remembered fondly is up to Jurgen Klopp and his players. A place in the Anfield annals beckons.
Seven days and counting.