Dickie Felton | 28 May 2022
Few Liverpool fans had memorabilia on their minds in the moments after the greatest Champions League comeback in history.
They’d just witnessed the Reds overturn a three nil deficit against AC Milan to win the 2005 final on penalties.
As Rafa and Stevie G paraded the giant trophy around the Ataturk there were scenes of delirium and disbelief.
Once the celebrations died down, and fans started streaming into the Istanbul air, I noticed many were leaving behind their red and yellow souvenir seat covers.
Sponsors MasterCard had placed them on the back of seats in the Liverpool end.
What a lovely souvenir I thought. While some fans snubbed them – I hoovered up 20.
A few years later I got Didi Hamann, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard to sign my yellow one.
Along with my match ticket and programme, the seat covers are a unique and slightly odd souvenir from one of the greatest nights in Liverpool FC history.
I say ‘odd’ souvenir. I mean, what exactly do you do with seat covers?
I know one lad used his at the back of his chair in his home office. Other fans framed theirs along with their ticket stub.
I had 20 of them, so over the years I’ve given them away to fellow Liverpool fans who missed out on Istanbul.
Dickie Istanbul 2005
I got into collecting football memorabilia long before I even started going to the match.
Dad would get his mates to save their Everton or Liverpool ticket stubs from big games and give them to me.
I’d stare in wonder at Wembley cup final tickets and programmes. I thought to myself: ‘One day, I will go to cup finals’.
When Liverpool reached the 2007 Champions League Final in Athens, my collecting went into overdrive – but only thanks to an open gate at the Olympic Stadium.
In a re-run of 2005, Liverpool again faced AC Milan, but lost 2-1.
The following day, in the sobering daylight of defeat, we returned to the stadium.
A gate was open. Bold as brass, we held our breath and calmly walked straight in.
UEFA officials were clearing the stadium of all the branding.
Expecting to get ejected any moment, we made the most of our unofficial stadium tour with an impromptu kick around on the Champions League Final pitch.
We then sat in the dugout used by Liverpool the night before – taking photos sat in the seat Rafa had occupied a few hours earlier.
Finally an UEFA official spotted our antics and came over.
“This is it” we thought, we’ll get lashed out.
But no.
“Lads – do you want any souvenirs? Take what you want”
This fella was a contractor tasked with decorating the stadium with the Champions League branding.
“Lads, We are throwing away everything, it’s no good to us…”
We were like kids in a sweet shop. With, mostly everything, FREE.
I almost had the shirt off his back. In fact, I did have the shirt off his back.
“I don’t suppose you want to sell me your Adidas tracksuit top mate?”
I slipped him 20 Euros and it was mine.
I took a sign from a toilet. Yes, I know, why did I do that?
Nevertheless said sign has hung in my downstairs loo for the last 15 years.
The greatest item from Athens was a stadium hoarding.
The contractor kindly got out his Stanley knife and cut a 20 foot section of the banner which had been hung at the half way line.
I rolled it up like wallpaper. Lord knows how I got it back on the plane…
What exactly do you do with stadium signage from a Champions League Final that you lost?
I’ve long wanted to present the Athens sign to an AC Milan supporter’s club.
I did make a few tentative enquiries over the years but nothing ever came of them.
My son has sometimes used the hoarding as a water slide on hot days…
There is some method in my madness for football souvenirs.
I have worked in museums for the last 15 years so understand the importance of objects and the stories they tell.
What wonders await Liverpool fans in Paris tonight?