Amid all the wild celebrations following Liverpool’s remarkable comeback in the Miracle of Istanbul 20 years ago, one man cut an isolated figure.
Harry Kewell, who was forced off after just 23 minutes with a groin injury, was not part of the festivities which continued late into the night as he was holed up in his hotel room contemplating imminent surgery.
Not only that, he missed the first two goals of the remarkable comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final as he was deep inside the stadium receiving treatment.
He managed to hobble to the touchline to see Xabi Alonso convert his penalty rebound to complete the comeback from 3-0 down but his injury meant he could enjoy very little of what followed.
“Our doc came running in saying ‘It’s 3-2 and Alonso’s got a penalty’ so me and another player jumped off and hobbled out to watch him knock the rebound in,” Kewell, who is making his debut at this year’s SoccerAid event, told the PA news agency.
“Anything could have happened in that game. The moment came when Jerzy Dudek saved from Shevchenko which then made you think ‘Maybe it could be our night’.”
It was to be their night, winning on penalties with Dudek the hero, but Kewell was not able to join the post-match celebrations.
“I was in my room. I couldn’t really move so I was going in for an operation the next day so there wasn’t much partying from me,” he added.
“I just had to focus on getting myself right for the next season.”
The former Australia international has described the final as the “worst night of my life” and “a personal nightmare” but it made him appreciate being part of something bigger.
Kewell made 12 European appearances in a season beset by injury problems, which began with a torn abductor muscle early in the campaign, and manager Rafael Benitez trusted him enough to give him his first Champions League start since February.
He remains the only Australian to appear in a Champions League final, and in fact has played in two as he was in the Liverpool squad which lost to Milan two years later.
“It’s still a very precious memory in my footballing career. The one thing it did teach me was you are part of a team,” he added.
“There are two parts to the story: as an individual my own injury was heart-breaking but that’s why you play a team sport and what the team did that night was very special and I’ll always be privileged to be part of that team.
“It doesn’t matter how well you do as an individual, you need the team around you.
“It was the biggest game I could play in and you want to be part of that but it’s not about me, it was about my team and they did an amazing thing that night.”
:: Soccer Aid for UNICEF takes place on Sunday 15th June at Old Trafford. Please buy your tickets at: socceraid.org.uk/tickets
