Indian Football Needs To Focus On Grassroots Development: Liverpool Legend Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia recounts his Champions League victory.
It’s not everyday that Europe’s top football trophy comes to town. This year, Mumbai was chosen as one of the stops for the global UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken. And the trophy, one of the most revered pieces of silverware the world over, was unveiled in Mumbai by former Champions League winner, Luis Garcia on Monday.
The former Liverpool player was thrilled to be back in Mumbai. “It brought back so many good memories. As you know, we won the ISL with Atletico De Kolkata in Mumbai. It was a fantastic night for us. I’m so happy to be back here and I’m enjoying every moment,” he told BloombergQuint.
Garcia said India certainly has what it takes to compete with top football leagues around the world when it comes to passion for the game, the atmosphere and even the Indian Super League. India has to look at growing and nurturing talent at academies when the kids are as young as five years old, he added.
Although Garcia has played competitive football in Spain, England, Greece, Mexico, India and Australia, his most prolific stint was in the northwest of England at Liverpool Football Club.
During his three years at the Merseyside club, he scored several goals and was instrumental in the 2004-2005 UEFA Champions League winning season for the Reds. Not only did he bag the crucial goals against Chelsea and Juventus that season, but he also played all 120 minutes of the famous final in Istanbul, where Liverpool won its fifth European cup after a miraculous comeback in the second half.
The club’s manager at the time was Rafael Benitez, who ostensibly turned Liverpool’s fortunes around in the half time break, when his team were trailing by three goals to AC Milan. When asked what kind of motivational talk the gaffer gave the side at half time, he says, “Not much, really! What was most important for all of us was to see Rafael Benitez so calm. He had it all planned. We were all thinking why he didn’t smash a bottle of water or something. He wasn’t angry with us, and for us it was very important to feel that confidence...”
In the semi-final, Liverpool were up against English rivals Chelsea FC and Garcia scored the decisive goal in the second leg. Chelsea fans and Jose Mourinho still don’t believe that the ball crossed the line and the goal is popularly called the “ghost goal”. Garcia clarifies, “It definitely crossed over the line. But my reaction after scoring is the one that’s going to tell you the truth. Because I saw the ball going in and went straight to celebrate. I have no doubt at all.”
