Why this World Cup winner named his dog ‘Anfield’ before scoring there again

Dubai: Liverpool edged past Atletico Madrid 2-1 in their opening UEFA Champions League game, but the story of the night belonged to World Cup winner Marcos Llorente, who continued his remarkable love affair with Anfield Stadium.

The full-back gave the Spanish giants a 1-0 lead after creeping behind the Liverpool back line before finishing neatly inside 20 minutes.

Yesterday’s strike took Llorente to five Champions League goals against Liverpool at Anfield, more than any other player, moving ahead of former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema on four.

Even more impressively, all five have come at Anfield across just three appearances at the famous stadium.

Llorente’s Anfield love story began in 2020, when Atletico Madrid travelled to Merseyside with a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Liverpool, were at the peak of their powers under Jurgen Klopp, having lifted the Champions League trophy the previous season after one of the most memorable comebacks in the competition’s history saw the side backed by the Anfield crowd overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Barcelona to win 4-0 in the semi-finals.

So when Georginio Wijnaldum levelled the tie just before half-time, it looked like Atletico were in for a long night.

Llorente was introduced from the bench in the second half and played his part in keeping Liverpool at bay as the tie remained finely balanced. But once the game went into extra-time, Roberto Firmino appeared to have delivered the decisive blow, putting Liverpool ahead on the night and seemingly sending the Reds through to the quarter-finals.

But the Spanish international had other ideas, stunning the Reds twice with surging runs forward, before finding the net on both occasions in extra-time to turn the tie on its head.

His second goal put Atletico back in front on aggregate and completed a remarkable turnaround, ultimately sending Liverpool crashing out of the Champions League.

While his heroics at Anfield had already made him a household name among European football fans, the story took an unexpected turn.

Days later, as Spain went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Llorente posted a photo of his new dog and revealed its name: Anfield.

The choice was widely interpreted as a playful tribute to the stadium where he had produced one of the most memorable performances of his career.

The former Real Madrid player had to wait another five years before returning to the iconic stadium, but when he finally did, he certainly made up for lost time.

Llorente struck twice at Anfield again as Atletico pushed Liverpool all the way in another thriller, although the Reds eventually edged a thrilling 3-2 victory.

So when it was announced that Atletico would return to Anfield for a third time on Wednesday night, Llorente was on the verge of making history at a stadium.

When reminded of his heroics in the 2020 victory, he summed up just how special the occasion had been, saying: “It was the best day of my life.”

Some things in football simply feel like they are meant to be. Although Llorente could not complete another famous Anfield victory, his goal in Atletico’s 2-1 defeat made history as he became the player with the most Champions League goals at Anfield, ensuring his latest visit was every bit as memorable as those that came before.