Quite a tale, this.
Ahead of this Saturday’s game between a Liverpool legends side and their Real Madrid counterparts, Robbie Fowler has told the story of the time he found himself in the middle of the Spanish side’s title celebrations on their open-top bus.
Fowler had gone to Madrid in 2003 to meet his friend, Steve McManaman, who had been injured for Real’s final game of the season – a game they needed to win to secure the La Liga title.
“Steve is a massive mate of mine but with my playing commitments I hadn’t been able to visit him,” Fowler explained. “But I was on holiday in Portugal at that time so we made plans to go over there.
“Madrid needed to win their last game in order to win the league and they ended up winning but the night was much more memorable than the game.
“I was in the lounge afterwards when Steve walks in with two Real Madrid T-shirts and says: ‘Put them on, you’re coming on the bus’.
“So Real Madrid are doing their tour of the city on their bus with hundreds of thousands fans lining the streets and there’s myself and my cousin – two little scallywags from Toxteth – with them going up to the fountain in the middle of Madrid.
Fowler explained how he tried to keep a low profile, only to be recognised..
“When they got to the fountain, the players got off and I was asked to go and do that with them but I stopped short of that as I think that would have been too much.
“When the bus stopped I was cowered down as I was bit embarrassed but there were about 20 English lads who spotted me and started singing my name.
“Real Madrid have just won the league, their players are around the fountain, celebrating the title, and you can hear these lads chanting ‘Fowler’. It was a great night. Surreal actually.”
Fowler will take part in this weekend’s game for the Liverpool Legends side and all money raised from the match will be going to the Liverpool Foundation.
