One of them, although not always the best player, is Champions League hero Vladimir Smicer. The Czech, who scored the second goal as Liverpool snatched their fifth European cup in Istanbul, never got to say a proper goodbye to the Liverpool faithful — something he’s looking forward to doing at the Hillsborough Anniversary match. “I am really looking forward to going back for the Hillsborough game,” said Smicer. “When I finished playing for Liverpool I never really had the chance to say goodbye to the fans at Anfield. I didn’t play in the last home game that season against Aston Villa before the Champions League final and that was a disappointment.”
His final touch for the club was his successful penalty as the Reds downed AC Milan in Turkey, but you’d have to look all the way back to the semi-finals of the Champions League to find the last time he stepped on the pitch at Anfield. “I’ve been back to Anfield twice since I left to watch a game there but I haven’t stepped foot on to the pitch” he continued. “Anfield is such a special place and now I will finally get the chance to play there again.”
The Czech international, who went on to play for both French outfit Bordeaux and Sparta Prague after leaving Merseyside, is looking forward to seeing his old friends as much as stepping foot on the hollowed pitch once again. “In football you can be good friends with someone one day and then find that you are moving on to another club the next,” Smicer said. “It will be good to see my old team-mates again. When we all get together we will be able to remember the great times we had at Liverpool and all the special memories.”
