‘Ghost goal’ means Anfield will stay Luis’s special haunt
LUIS GARCIA turns to ‘that chant’ as he explains what Liverpool means to him.
“He came from Barca...” the former Reds star cuts in.
Garcia may have spent only three years at Anfield between
2004 and 2007, with 30 goals from 121 games, but his name still booms out from the Kop.
They sing about the Spanish midfielder’s love of sangria and how they saw him as “football heaven.”
Though he played for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, it is on Merseyside that the 41-yearold is most adored, Merseyside where his heart lies.
“I grew up supporting FC Barcelona and that was my team when I was a kid,” he said.
“As the song goes, ‘He came from Barca...’
“Atletico was a club that gave me the opportunity to earn the chance to play in Barcelona and they always support me very much.
“But Liverpool is special. It is part of me, of my family, and of my day-by-day life.
“I’m in contact with former players, with people in the club. We talk week in and week out and I have the chance of keeping in touch with thousands of fans on social media.
“Once a Red, always a Red. To be part of the Red family is something very special, to be part of the history is something I would never have thought.
“But the feeling of hearing the supporters singing a song about you, even 13 years after you left the club, is something I can’t express with words.
“I’m very honoured to be an ambassador of the club and represent it all around the world. This way I can repay all the support and love I’ve received during all these years.”
Garcia has recently completed UEFA’s Master for International Players programme. The educational programme is designed to ensure those who excel on the pitch are not lost to the game and can continue to apply themselves at the highest level of administration. He is also completing his coaching badges, even though he insists he is not looking for a manager’s job yet.
Garcia’s love affair with
Liverpool was made more intense by a debut season which saw him lift the Champions League, the club’s fifth, on an unforgettable night in Istanbul when Rafa Benitez was in charge.
The Spaniard helped them get there with the infamous ‘ghost goal’ against Chelsea in the semi-final.
“It was a very important night for me, probably the most important,” said Garcia of the contentious 1-0 win at Anfield in the second leg.
Garcia would complete the dream of winning the Champions League in Istanbul after the famous comeback against AC Milan in the Ataturk Stadium.
It couldn’t have been a better debut season, could it?
“Yes, it could have been,” said the Spaniard, annoyed even now that Liverpool finished the season a massive 37 points behind champions Chelsea.
“You always can do better, those were Rafa’s most-used words,” he said.
“We had an amazing season, reaching the Carling Cup final (against Chelsea) and winning the Champions League, but the Premier League was really tough. Finishing so far from the top gave us something to work on the year after. But of course we’ll never forget that Champions League final.”
Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League that season, qualifying for the Champions League again only because they won the trophy.
The current Liverpool side are on the verge of a first league title in 30 years, to add to the Champions League they lifted last season, and Garcia laughs when asked how the two sides match up.
“It is not fair to compare,” he added. “Different moments, different football, different managers.
“To be honest I think this current team is stronger than our 2005 team.
“We had our strengths that were different from the current team and with those we did pretty well, as Liverpool have done with Jurgen Klopp’s players the past few years.”
The names of many of Liverpool’s current side will still ring around Anfield 13 years from now.
But in Kop hearts there will still be a special place for Garcia, too.
Liverpool is special. It is part of me and part of my family
You can always do better. Those were Rafa’s most used words