Golden Goal: Steve McManaman for Liverpool v Celtic (1997)

16 February 2019 11:25
The midfielder was the Merseyside club’s most consistent attacking threat for a decade and dazzled in GlasgowIf there is a phrase that sums up Steve McManaman’s time at Real Madrid, a four-year spell in which the Spanish club won La Liga and the Champions League twice apiece, it was perhaps the one delivered by an unlikely source. “El socio del todos” – “a partner to everyone on the pitch”– is how Johan Cruyff described the Merseyside-born Madridista, and he meant it neither sarcastically nor begrudgingly.Cruyff’s assessment was instead genuine and warm-hearted, underlining the understated yet important role the midfielder played in Madrid’s success at the start of the millennium, linking defence to Galácticos attack. This was the era of Raúl, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and the original Ronaldo, and McManaman’s role was to give them the ball as often as possible. Related: Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool: the Class of 92, Spice Boys and Cantona’s return Related: McManaman in Madrid Continue reading......read full article

Source: TheGuardian