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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher mocks former team-mate after Istanbul dressing room claim
LIVERPOOL legend Jamie Carragher has slammed former team-mate Djibril Cisse after the Frenchman made a bizarre claim about ‘That night in Istanbul’.
Cisse came off the bench during his side's historic Champions League final with AC Milan in 2005, scoring in the penalty shoot-out after the Reds had clawed back from 3-0 down at half-time to 3-3.
The forward believed half-time to be the turning point in the match, not because of what manager Rafael Benitez said, but instead because of an inspiring team talk by captain Steven Gerrard.
“I will never forget Steven Gerrard’s team-talk at half-time," Cisse explained.
“Benitez comes into the dressing room, he does his coach speech, that we must not give up and that we need to score quickly.
"Steven gets up and asks all the coaching staff to leave the dressing room, because he wanted to be alone with just the players.”
Cisse explained that all of the staff left the room, including physios who were giving treatments to the walking wounded.
“Stevie gets up and says that Liverpool is all he has, it is his club, all he has ever known and he does not want to be the laughing stock of the history of the Champions’ League,” Cisse added.
"He says that if we respect him and love him as a captain, then we need to dust ourselves off and get back in the match. He scores the first goal, he gets the penalty.”
Steven gets up and asks all the coaching staff to leave the dressing room
Carragher, however, has a different memory of the night, and claims that Gerrard’s speech never happened.
He posted online: “It all adds to the myth!” and when asked if it happened, he stated: "I don't think so, maybe I left with the dressing room with the staff!"
The retired defender then rubbed salt into the wounds for Cisse by replying to the Twitter account ‘Didn’t Happen of the Year Awards’, stating this was 2005’s winner.
Speaking four years ago, Carragher reflected on the 2005 Champions League final as the proudest moment of his career.
“Definitely when Jerzy Dudek saved the final penalty in Istanbul,” Carragher said.
“We were all running towards him and the realisation hits that you’re European champions.
“It took months for it all to sink in – what you’ve done, how the game went and just how stressful it was.
“I was very lucky to have been a part of it.
“2005 was freaky, it was a miracle and, without a doubt, that homecoming was special.
“I never thought we’d be able to beat the post-treble celebrations in 2001, but then to come back and see those scenes, you realise the impact the game had on people’s lives.
“That reception is something I’ll never forget.”