2005, Istanbul, Xabi Alonso, Vladimir Smicer and Jerzy Dudek - sound familiar?Liverpool's UEFA Champions League final win over AC Milan has long since been considered the greatest comeback in the history of the prestigious competition.Against one of the finest club sides ever assembled, Rafael Benitez's band of plucky misfits snatched victory from the jaws of embarrassing defeat with a once in a life time second-half renaissance.3-0 down and completely written off at the break, the Reds were staring down the barrel of one of the largest defeats ever recorded in a Champions League final.
Enter GiveawayIn the end, that simply was not the lot that destiny had cast and we all know what happened later.However, the fact that Liverpool were even in that final in the first place can be attributed to one man and one man only - Steven Gerrard.Gerrard is widely considered to be the best ever player to pull on that famous Red shirt and his performances in the games prior to the Istanbul showpiece show exactly why.
(Credit: The Football Terrace)
The Liverpool skipper was simply unplayable at times that season, dragging his teammates along by the collar as they marched towards an unlikely final.
A brilliant compilation clip has now emerged showing off just how good he was in Europe's elite competition that season and it's safe to say it makes for tasty viewing.
Whether he was banging in the iconic 'What a hit, son' goal, spraying next to impossible passes from and into every corner of the pitch, or doing his part in defence, Gerrard was simply on a different level.
Two minutes and 20 seconds of pure filth. Imagine being that good in every aspect of the game.
While it is his inspirational performance in the final that will always be remembered most fondly, the above clip proves that Gerrard made the entire tournament his playground.
Unsurprisingly, he was named the UEFA Player of the Year for his efforts .
The fact that Gerrard never grasped the Premier League title will always be the stick opposing fans use to beat him with, but, objectively, there can be no questioning the fact that he was simply one of a kind.