Roberto Carlos. (Wish)
Can only be ....
The Great Gerry Byrne.
Scouser and One Club Man.
The 1965 FA Cup Final
"Gerry Byrne will always be remembered for playing for Liverpool in the 1965 FA Cup Final, which took place on the 1 May at Wembley with a broken collarbone.
He suffered the injury as early as the third minute, but played on throughout the rest of the game and the whole of extra-time as Liverpool won the Cup for the very first time.
The break happened after Byrne was challenged heftily by Leeds United's captain Bobby Collins, but, with substitutes still not permitted by the authorities in 1965, he had little choice but to carry on playing.
He and his team-mates, not to mention Shankly and his coaching team on the Liverpool bench, somehow managed to keep the extent of Byrne's injury a secret from the Leeds United players and staff.
Unfortunately for Byrne the game went to extra-time and Gerry, despite the agonising pain, kept making his familiar marauding runs down the left flank in joining the attack.
Early on into the first period of extra time, he reached the by-line with the ball and pulled back a perfect cross for Roger Hunt to open the scoring. Leeds got back into the game and equalised through Billy Bremner but Liverpool were not to be denied as Ian St. John headed home the winner late on during the second period and Liverpool had finally won their first ever FA Cup.
Shankly spoke highly of Gerry in an interview after the final saying
"It was a performance of raw courage from the boy", high praise from a man who appreciated such endeavour."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Byrne_%28footballer%29and where was I on the afternoon on Saturday May 1st 65?
On a Qantas 707 jet enroute to Oz ! F.F.S.
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