A young, beardless, Alonso joined the Reds in 2004 from Real Soceidad for £10M and became an instant hit at Anfield. He had been bought to help Steven Gerrard in the centre-of-midfield and played the holding role to give the skipper a bit more freedom going forward. Alonso anchored the midfield, breaking down play extremely well. Not only that, he started off Liverpool attacks with his exceptional passing ability he retained, being able to pick any pass he wished and creating many goals. The Spaniard was key to Liverpool lifting the Champions League in 2005, featuring in most games including a 0-0 draw away against Juventus in the quarter final when not at full fitness. Alonso also netted in the final against AC Milan, when he followed up his saved penalty to level the game to 3-3. He continued his good form and lifted the FA Cup the following year along with reaching the Champions League final once again in 2007. When Fernando Torres joined Anfield, Alonso gained a superb understanding with his fellow Spaniard and they linked up well with the midfielder usually being the provider. Eventually, Alonso left to make his dream move in 2009 to Real Madrid for a fee of £30M and many believe Liverpool have never recovered from his loss.
