When you think of Liverpool these days, you probably think of Jurgen Klopp. The German coach is so animated on the touchline, and possesses such a huge charisma and personality that he seems to take the attention by mistake.
Because of Klopp, though, it seems that Liverpool are linked constantly with Borussia Dortmund players, given the link between their manager and his old club.
And yet, Klopp is far from the first link between Dortmund and Liverpool.
Back in 1996, Czech Republic midfielder Patrik Berger featured for his country at Euro 96, held in England. The Czech team reached the final where they were eventually beaten by Germany. But it was in that tournament where he came to the attention of Liverpool, who agreed a fee with Berger’s club Dortmund to bring the midfielder to Merseyside. In the same summer, his fellow countryman Karel Poborsky moved to North West rivals Manchester United.
Used as a defensive midfielder during his time in Germany, Berger was used as more of an attacking player in England, scoring five goals in his first five games for Liverpool. He managed to chip in with goals frequently in his first few seasons at the club, before injuries curtailed his playing time somewhat.
During a seven-year stay in Liverpool, Berger was part of the famous treble-winning 2000/01 side who won the UEFA Cup, the League Cup and the FA Cup in the same season under Gerard Houllier.
Although Berger left Liverpool in 2003, he stayed in England. First, he signed for Portsmouth who had recently been promoted to the Premier League, staying on the south coast for two seasons before signing for another giant of the English game in Aston Villa, where he spent another three seasons.
A short loan spell in the Championship with Stoke City ended Berger’s time in England before finishing his career back in his hometown of Prague.
Berger will be playing at the Icons of Football golf tournament at the Belfry from June 23rd-25th as part of a Rest of the World team, including Pep Guardiola, Andriy Shevchenko and Alessandro Del Piero, and captained by former European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke as they take on a team of English footballing legends, captained by Lee Westwood.
Tickets for Icons of Football 2017 are available now at icons-series.com
