A LIVERPOOL legend looked unrecognizable as he appeared on TV for the Champions League draw.
Some fascinating ties were pulled from the hat as Europe’s Premier League reaches its final round.
Of Liverpool out the game on Tuesday night, their fans may have thought there would be little point in tuning in to the draw.
But if they had, they would have seen a man who left their club in 2005 – and who wrote himself into Reds folklore in the infamous Champions League final of that year.
The 49-year-old looks different now and fans who missed his introduction may not have even recognized him.
The midfielder spent six years at Anfield and became a fan favorite with his knack for producing big moments.
The man in question is Vladimir Smicer, who sported a small beard and a neat comb over the haircut as it appeared on TV.
This was very different from the spiky hair and clean-shaven look that fans will have been accustomed to in his playing days.
Smicer arrived on Merseyside in 1999 during the reign of Gerard Houllier and would make his influence felt throughout the years.
‘Vladi’ is best remembered for his goal in the 2005 Champions League as Liverpool staged one of European football’s most infamous comebacks against AC Milan.
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The Czech midfielder was not even in Liverpool’s starting line-up that day, but had to come on in the first half after an injury to Harry Kewell.
The Reds were 1-0 down when Smicer took the field and it would be 3-0 at halftime.
But then the miracle began and Smicer’s brilliant shot from distance was sandwiched between goals from Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso as Rafa Benitez’s side worked their way out of their graves.
Smicer then scored the decisive final Liverpool penalty – his final kick of the ball in a red shirt – before Jerzy Dudek saved Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty to seal the victory.
The match would cement his legacy, but Smicer also scored big goals over the years Chelsea and Dortmund.
Only a serious injury suffered in 2003 would ruin his time at Liverpool.
The star would go on to play for Bordeaux and Slavia Prague before his retirement.
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