Steve McManaman: ‘I adore both but my affiliation with Liverpool is greater’

The man from Marca wastes no time in cutting to the chase. “Which one do you want to win?” he inquires and, albeit briefly, Steve McManaman looks to concoct a delicate, diplomatic, fudge.

“The best team,” replies the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and England winger. “It’s very difficult for me, I’ve a huge amount of friends in both camps, I adore both teams and I want to see everybody happy …”

Fortunately, it does not take McManaman long to remember he has always found perching on fences uncomfortable. “But,” he continues, smiling at a longstanding pal from one of Spain’s daily sports papers. “I think if you had to push me hard one way, my affiliation with Liverpool at this moment is a little greater. I still work in the academy and I’ve got a huge affiliation with a lot of the players, so I’ll go that way. And Real Madrid have won it 13 times and Liverpool six so I think Liverpool deserve another win. Maybe it’s their turn after Real Madrid beat them in the 2018 Kyiv final.”

As McManaman limbers up for BT Sport punditry duties at Saturday’s Champions League denouement in Paris, the memories come flooding back.

He was in Madrid as recently as Tuesday, renewing old acquaintance at Real. “A lot of the people, like the physios, are the same as when I was there and they’re still my friends,” he says before revealing his latest return coincided with a special anniversary.

On 24 May 2000 he scored a career-defining and superlative-defying 67th-minute volley in the Champions League final against Valencia in Paris. It put Real 2-0 up and, once Raúl added the third, glory beckoned.

“I hadn’t realised the date,” he says. “Scoring that goal was great but it was only important because it enabled us to enjoy the last 20 minutes;