Xabi Alonso will retire at the end of the season safe in the knowledge he has accomplished the kind of success most players can only dream of.Most would bite your hand off to win the World Cup and European Championships for their country, never mind all of the various other trophies he has picked up for his clubs too.The Spaniard first tasted the experience of winning on the global stage in the 2005 Champions League final, though.Alonso was one of the players integral to masterminding the miraculous comeback from 3-0 down to AC Milan on that famous night in Istanbul.Of course, Liverpool fans don't need reminding how they pulled off such a dramatic victory and neither does Alonso."We did one of the most difficult things in football history,” he told the Liverpool Echo.“It was the miracle of Istanbul. They said a million people were on the streets of Liverpool for the parade.“Everyone went absolutely crazy. To feel that Liverpool were back on top of Europe again - that feeling was unmatchable.”Unfortunately for the Reds, they were unable to pull off a repeat success when they faced Milan - once again led by Carlo Ancelotti - in the final two years later.That time the Italians got their revenge and were deservedly 2-1 winners in Athens.Since then, Alonso has become close to Ancelotti after working with him at Real Madrid and now Bayern Munich.And the former Liverpool star admitted that his current manager always says the same joke whenever the 2005 final crops up in conversation.He added: "We didn’t have the luck (in 2007) we had two years before.“We got one that maybe we didn’t deserve so then it was evens.“I’ve talked so many times about it with Carlo. He always says to me: ‘Xabi, you have a cup that belongs to me!’“I say: ‘Come on, we gave it back to you two years later so don’t worry!’”

Anyone else think Ancelotti is still feeling a bit bitter?

Although you can't exactly blame him given just how ridiculous the 2005 final played out.

He has more than made up for that disappointment, though, going on to win the top honour in European football three times.

Don't be surprised if he adds a fourth during his tenure in Munich!