"We never said a word to each other" - Didi Hamann claims he smoked a cigarette with then-Liverpool chairman after Istanbul heroics

Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann spoke about the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, which the Reds won against AC Milan. Liverpool produced a brilliant comeback in the final, where they went down 3-0 in the first half.

The Reds scored three goals in the second half, before going on to win the match on penalties. Hamann said that he smoked a cigarette with then-club chairman David Moores after the game.

Speaking on That Peter Crouch podcast, the former Reds midfielder said:

"You come in and it's all a bit surreal. We left the dressing room two hours before dead and buried, and now the cup is in the middle of the floor. There were no wild celebrations. People just sat there in disbelief."

He added:

"I thought, now I'll have a celebratory smoke, but I'd left my fags in the hotel. A minute later the chairman in, David Moores. He was the biggest [Liverpool] fan, he loved being with the boys. He walked in and before he could even say anything I grabbed and said, 'Chairman, I need you in the shower for a second'."

Hamann concluded:

"I told him to give me a fag and he said, 'I can't. What if the manager walks in?' And I told him, you're the chairman, just sack him. So reluctantly he gave me one and sparked up himself, and we just stood there. We never said a word to each other."

Liverpool backed to win the Premier League by Didi Hamann

The 2023-24 Premier League season is heating up with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City closely contesting the title race.

Speaking on the same podcast, Hamann backed Liverpool to win the title because of the following reasons:

“I do think they’re going to win the league this year. They play City at home. They’ve got quite a good record at home against City. If they beat them, they’re ahead of them. I think they will."

He added:

"I think it gives them that extra boost because everybody wants him to go and send him off with the most possible success. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they win more than the Premier League this season."

The Reds have 54 points after 24 games and are currently first in the table. City are second with 52 points after 23 games, while Arsenal are third with the same tally after 24 matches.