[ad_1]
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has highlighted the huge bonuses received by his teammates after the historic Champions League victory in 2005.
Unfortunately, Warnock – who graduated from the Reds’ academy before spending five years in the senior team – was unable to play a part in the historic comeback against AC Milan due to a mix-up. And that makes his return to Istanbul remain one of his greatest and most devastating memories of his football career.
Warnock, 42, expected to play in Istanbul but was left heartbroken when he learned a misunderstanding with then-manager Rafa Benitez would sideline him for the match. This not only deprived him of participating in an iconic game, but also missed out on the substantial bonuses on offer.
LEARN MORE: Emre Can sends clear message to Liverpool after reaching Champions League final
LEARN MORE: EXCLUSIVE – Fabio Carvalho on showdown talks with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool transfer collapse
During a recent appearance on the Undr the Cosh podcast (via The Mirror), Warnock candidly admitted: “I remember thinking at the time – this shouldn’t come into it, but it does – it was one of the biggest football games of the year, but our bonus was huge anyway.
“It was £100,000 to lose it and £200,000 to win it. And I was like, ‘Holy shit, that’s a huge amount of money.’ Because I didn’t have a lot of money at the time. [That’s for] whoever is in the [matchday] 18, this is not prorated across the entire team. Literally, if you’re in the 18, you understand.”
Warnock made his senior debut in 2002, but spent the first two seasons of his career on loan at Bradford City and Coventry, timing his entry into Liverpool’s senior set-up ahead of the iconic 2005 European campaign. However, he was still not ready for the big sums offered for a Champions League final.
He continued: “So the other part is I think, ‘Holy shit, it’s a nice, nice bonus, anyway… but you’re a young boy, you know what I mean, I just thought about it. [the] Last year I thought I’d be playing in the league for Coventry, on a pretty decent salary, but nowhere near this amount of money. »
LFC: Join our WhatsApp community, subscribe to a newsletter or listen to our podcasts HERE
The retired full-back added that Steven Gerrard tried to console him on the pitch in Istanbul and assured him he would “get his money back” as the team sympathized with what happened between him and Benitez. However, Warnock still hasn’t seen a cent of those Champions League wins.
[ad_2]
