Scott Carson could be the answer to a question in a football quiz.
Carson was Liverpool’s substitute goalkeeper in the 2005 Champions League final, having joined the club from Leeds United a few months previous.
The Derby County ‘keeper reflected on his career to date in an interview with The Guardian. That night in Istanbul, when Liverpool came back from three goals down to beat AC Milan on penalties, inevitably came up.
Carson was only on the substitutes’ bench because Chris Kirkland was injured, and has revealed that he tried to give his winner’s medal to his teammate.
“When we got the medals, I tried to give mine to Chris. He played more games in the group stages than me. So I felt that he deserved it more,” Carson said.
“But Chris, as anyone who knows him will say, is a really nice lad and he said: ‘No. You were on the bench, you played your part as well.’ Obviously I’m delighted I’ve got it, but I think a medal is a lot more valuable to you if you played. For me, just to witness that night was good enough.”
Carson did, however, play some part in Liverpool’s Champions League campaign that season. The former England international started in the 2-1 win over Juventus in the quarter-final first leg and admitted being star struck by the opposition at Anfield that night.
“(Gianluigi) Buffon was in goal for them. I remember I was in awe of him when I was standing next to him in the tunnel,” the Derby ‘keeper said.
“I got his shirt – that had pride of place. He was one of my heroes growing up. Ibrahimovic played, Del Piero, Nedved… It was like playing one of the old style computer games, then all of a sudden you’re up against them, it was just surreal.”
Carson would only play nine times for Liverpool before joining West Brom on a permanent deal in 2008.
