"That's what Karim Benzema said "We want this Champions League again" after Real Madrid produced another magical night to become "favourites" for a 15th crown."
but Vinicius Jr scored twice, Eder Militao powered in a header and then Benzema claimed two goals as Real won 5-2.
No away team had ever scored more than three goals at Anfield in a European tie. Nobody had ever come from two goals down to win a Champions League game by three.
Real is the Spanish word for royal and Madrid are true European royalty. They have won 14 European Cups, including five in the past nine seasons. Two of those final successes were against Jurgen Klopp's Reds.
"We played with personality, we produced goals - we want this Champions League again," said Benzema. "And that produced a match which was lovely to play in and for those who were watching.
"After those first 15 minutes we saw the true Real Madrid. Football at this level is hard. They started better than us but this was a big game and we were ready."
Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer, watching the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, was hugely impressed.
"Real Madrid don't panic," he said. "They have been in situations like this before and they believe their pedigree will get them through. It has been incredible, unbelievable - because of their experience and knowhow, Real got themselves back into the game.
"Real Madrid have just demolished Liverpool. You have seen a masterclass in how not to panic. It would take a brave man to bet against Real Madrid. Absolutely they can win it - yes.
""They are a club with huge experience. They have seen it all and done it all. They know what they have to do."
Adam Lallana, now at Brighton, played for Liverpool in the 2018 final in Kyiv which Real won 3-1.
"I was in awe watching Real Madrid. This team is evolving. It felt like I was watching the favourites of the competition," he said.
In La Liga, Real are eight points behind Barcelona - who did not even make it out of their Champions League group. But Carlo Ancelotti's side are always a different beast in Europe.
Dramatic comebacks were the theme of their success last season. They trailed Paris St-Germain 2-0 in the last 16, were behind against Chelsea with 10 minutes to go in the quarter-finals and in the semis they needed two goals in the final minute from Rodrygo to catch Manchester City before winning in extra time.
n the first leg of that City game, in Manchester, they were 2-0 down after 11 minutes and lost 4-3.
"Obviously we didn't expect to start like we did but at 2-0 down I thought about the City away leg last year in the hope that we could do the same," said Ancelotti. "But it turned out even better.
"Liverpool are a great team which made us suffer in the first half so I'd say that, unfortunately, this tie isn't finished."
Real's team is a mix of youth and experience.
Five of the them who played at Anfield have won five European Cups - Benzema, Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos (who won one of his five with Bayern Munich).
Only one player in history - Real legend Paco Gento - has won more, with six from 1956 to 1966.
Benzema (six) and Vinicius (five) have scored more goals in the Champions League or European Cup against Liverpool than any player. Benzema netted in the 2018 final with Vinicius scoring the only goal at Stade de France in May.
Vinicius is only 22 years old.
"I think that, right now, Vinicius Junior is the most decisive player anywhere in the world - the one who determines matches most on a consistent basis," said Ancelotti after this latest win.
Klopp concurred. "Vinicius is one of the best players in the world," he said.
The Brazilian is Real's top scorer in all competitions with 16 goals this season. Current Ballon d'Or winner Benzema is next on 14. At 35, he became the oldest visiting player to score at Anfield in Europe.
Former Reds midfielder Steven Gerrard said on BT Sport: "Benzema is one of the best players I have ever seen at drawing players out. He's one of the best players in the world by a mile."
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand called the Frenchman "the most complete number nine I have ever seen".
Real midfielder Modric also caught the eye at Anfield. "To play like that at 37 is incredible," said Lallana, 34.
"We are talking about true greatness here," said Gerrard. "Modric and Benzema perform on a completely different level from most players."
“If there is no agreement, all the irregularities will come out. Without regard, "he told the former
president of Barça by burofax when he cut off his payments in 2018, according to the newspaper El Mundo.
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Impact of the news collected by Cadena SER and completed by this newspaper with the contribution of documentation proving that during the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 FC Barcelona paid 1,392,680.02 euros to the company DASNIL 95 SL, a company whose only The partner was José María Enríquez Negreira, a former referee and then vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, has turned Spanish football upside down. Beyond the legality of the contracts, the exorbitant market price that was paid for "technical advice", the problem is that the image of Barcelona has been questioned and that neither the club nor the Technical Committee of Referees have been able to give a coherent explanation. Many mysteries remain to be solved.
1 When did the payments from FC Barcelona to DASNIL 95 SL begin? The great mystery of this mess is knowing when this business relationship with the company of the vice-president of the referees began. Let's start at the end. It is known that the relationship ended in May 2018 and the last invoice was issued in June of that year. This is certified by the Tax Agency and Josep Maria Bartomeu himself, who has acknowledged to this newspaper that in 2018, in the face of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, he decided to cut expenses in all divisions of the club. One of those who canceled in the football area was the one that made reference to payments for technical advice. It is also a coincidence that at that time Enríquez Negreira stopped being vice president of the CTA. Bartomeu has also made it clear that these contracts were already found in 2003 when Laporta's first meeting came in. That is to say, it would go back to the times of Joan Gaspart, who actively and passively assures that he is not "sure" that he has contracted these services.
2 Why was such an exorbitant amount paid? Through the documentation held by this newspaper, the Tax Agency specifies that in 2016 DASNIL 95 received 532,728.02 euros for advice, a figure that increased the following year to 541,752 euros and fell sharply in 2018 to 318,200 euros. That yields an average of 464,226 euros per year. The salary of the President of the Government is 90,000 if it serves as a guide, but does not think of referees.
This newspaper has consulted several LaLiga clubs and all sports directors who acknowledge having arbitration analysts on their staff (always already retired referees, not CTA officials) consider that this number is enormous.
What's more, FC Barcelona itself admits that the current arbitration analyst hired by the club, who is integrated into the sports field, Ramón Segura, charges 25,000 euros per year for making reports for the first team and the subsidiary. But that is not all.
3 Have seven million been paid since 2021? Information published yesterday revealed that the amounts paid during the years not investigated by the Tax Agency could be stratospheric. In the morning, El Confidencial published that since 2003 the figure would rise to 4.7 million. But, in the afternoon, El País added that the figure billed since 2001 reaches seven million.
If you have paid seven million euros for non-existent services, an unfair administration crime could have been committed, which is punishable by up to three years in jail. The Prosecutor's Office must decide whether to file the case or if it sees evidence of crime and files a complaint.
4 Can Barça be penalized? Sportingly, many crimes have prescribed, another thing is criminal cases. In fact, from the Blaugrana entity and from LaLiga it is considered that Barça, if nothing else comes to light, could have behaved in a debatable way, but legally the one who committed fraud was Enríquez Negreira, who by the way was already fined by tax authorities. .
5 How is it possible that no one denounces it, neither from Barcelona nor from the CTA? Since the SER and AS broke the news, testimonies have appeared (from former referees to journalists and former managers) stating that their suspicions are now confirmed. But the truth is that neither the control mechanisms of the Technical Committee of Referees, which depends on the Spanish Federation, nor those of FC Barcelona itself detected anything. Both things deserve clarification because that is a mystery.
Since 2003, Barcelona has had four presidents (Laporta, Bartomeu, Rosell and Laporta again) that the first thing they have done as soon as they take office is to examine the management of their predecessors to the millimeter. Sandro Rosell discovered that Joan Laporta, with the club's card, had spent 24.5 euros in the Lolita chicken shop in Sant Cugat, or 128 on cigars in a tobacconist's shop. How was a million-dollar contract like the one for DASNIL 95 overlooked?
Negreira threatened Barça with uncovering "all the irregularities"
Enríquez Negreira tells Bartomeu: "My surprise and
the disappointment has been capital. After all this time
together I take it as an absolutely unjustified personal insult (...).
I have the firm intention of filing a complaint in court, of which I am sure
will have negative consequences. So far I have not started those performances.
precisely to avoid serious consequences, harboring the hope of reaching
to a due understanding in relation to my claim," he added.
Immediately afterwards, he raised his tone even more: "I don't think another scandal will favor the club."
Then, he said: "To date and taking into account the reciprocity in the treatment received by you,
the rest of today's former presidents and the club, I have considered that I owed myself to the respect and decorum received
the current action towards me, with the grievance and prejudice that this entails, unfortunately, frees me
of such self-imposed obligation”.
All the information published by El Mundo has also been corroborated by Josep María Bartomeu, through the
presenter of El Larguero, Manu Carreño. The then president of Barcelona acknowledges being aware of this
burofax and affirms that at the end of May it is the club itself that contacts José María Enríquez
Negreira and communicates his position to suspend the contract and terminate his contractual relationship.
Once Enríquez Negreira's decision was known, he himself contacted the former president of Barcelona
and, by means of a telephone call, threatens Bartomeu with all kinds of possible blackmail in case of breaking his
contract.
Enríquez Negreira threatened Barça in 2019
BARÇA
The former referee sent a burofax to the club assuring that "if there is no agreement, all the irregularities will come to light"
Despite his threats, four years later, he never aired or explained any wrongdoing.
FIFA could intervene in the controversy over the advice of Enríquez Negreira to Barça
Former referee José María Enríquez Negreira threatened FC Barcelona in 2019 in a burofax where he assured the club that "if there is no agreement, all the irregularities will come to light." This was revealed exclusively by the newspaper 'El Mundo' this Friday, in a piece of information that explained the content of the burofax: "I do not profess animosity towards anyone from the club and I do not want to publicize all the irregularities that I have known and experienced first hand in relation to anyone from the club, but you (for Bartomeu) will force me to do it if you do not reconsider your decision and comply with the agreement we had to continue counting on my services until the end of the presidential term".
This is the complete burofax that Enríquez sent to Barça and that is published by 'El Mundo':
Dear Mr. Bartomeu
I am sending you this letter after being informed of the response that the Club has sent in relation to the request that you are submitting through my law firm.
My surprise and disappointment has been enormous. After all this time together I take it as an absolutely unjustified personal insult.
I have the firm intention of filing a complaint in court, which will surely have negative consequences.
Up to now I have not started these proceedings precisely to avoid serious consequences, harboring the hope of reaching a proper understanding in relation to my claim since I do not believe that another scandal will favor the Club, much less Mr. Rosell given that the judicial situation that both he and Mr. Contreras are facing, who is no better off than Mr. Rosell either, depending on whether the latter bills the Club or the latter bills him.
To date and taking into account the reciprocity in the treatment received by you, the rest of the current former presidents and the Club, I have considered that I owed myself to the respect and decorum received. However, his current action towards me, with the damage and loss that this entails, unfortunately frees me from such self-imposed obligation, forcing me to have to involve Mr. Rosell and Mr. Contreras in the judicial process that I will initiate to defend, logically, my interests. and rights that the Club, without decorum or respect, has allowed itself to be trampled with impunity.
Despite this, and despite being within my right to publicly inform the authority of everything I know and can prove and that perfectly contextualizes the scenario in which I have moved and related to you and the previous presidents, I do not want to let go the opportunity. reach a fair agreement for both parties and not disproportionately unfair to which the club wants to submit me.
I do not profess hostility towards anyone from the club and I am not willing to disclose all the irregularities that I have known and experienced first-hand in relation to someone from the club, but you will force me to do so if you do not reconsider. his decision and comply with the agreement we had to continue counting on my services until the end of the presidential term. Both you and Mr. Rosell, as vice president and president and vice versa, without counting more, agreed with me on the agreements that today they intend to break with impunity.
Unfortunately, in the face of such a proposal I cannot sit idly by. My work and the services that I have provided have been impeccable, neither the CNA nor the RFEF can and will not reproach me for anything in this regard.
I request that we hold a private meeting between the two of us, absolutely confidential, to definitively resolve this matter for and for the good of all.
I am waiting for you to call me urgently about it. Otherwise, I will understand that you not only force me but provoke me to do everything in my power to defend my interests, without regard."
In a new chapter of the arbitration Barçagate revealed by SER Catalunya and AS this Wednesday in which the payments from the Barça club to the former vice president of the Referees Committee, José María Enríquez Negreira, came to light, the newspaper El Mundo, in its digital version, reveals that "the former number two of the referees threatened Barcelona in writing with shooting
from the blanket and cause a big scandal" when the club informed him that it would stop paying his million-dollar consultancies in 2018.
El Mundo explains that José María Enríquez Negreira sent a burofax to the then president of the Barça club, Josep Maria Bartomeu, in which he warned him that if he stopped paying him "I would publish all the irregularities that I have known and experienced first-hand in relation to the club ". What's more, he stressed that he would do it “without consideration”.