28 October 2023 , 05:30
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When Rafa Benitez needed to sell Michael Owen within weeks of arriving at Anfield it left a sizeable void that needed filling.
Enter one Milan Baros, signed by Liverpool two years earlier as an unknown quantity, the Czech star would produce his best goalscoring season in a Reds shirt en route to winning the Champions League. He remains one of only four Czech men to win the competition and, nearly two decades on from that iconic night in Istanbul, he's still playing having turned 42 on Saturday.
Baros is still turning out for amateur side FK Vigantice in his homeland having called time on his spell as a professional after a third stint with boyhood club Banik Ostrava back in 2020.
It was in the Premier League though that he made his name having been signed by Gerard Houllier as Liverpool looked to end their wait for a top-flight success. Two seasons later though and he found himself leading the line for a team that were struggling to make the top four.
Liverpool eventually finished fifth, but in an incredible turn of events conquered Europe, seeing off Juventus, Chelsea and then AC Milan. Baros would start the final in Turkey, playing 85 minutes before Djibril Cissé was bought on as his replacement, but only after he'd publicly lamented Benitez's selection plans.
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He said: "It is not true that I had or have had disputes with Benítez, but I am annoyed that when I'm fit I only warm the bench. Or when Benítez takes me off during a game even if I haven't used up all my energy on the pitch. I need to play. Only then will I be better than I am now."
Only 12 months earlier and Baros had underlined his goalscoring prowess to the whole of Europe as his Czech Republic side made the last four of Euro 2004. They topped a group that included the Netherlands and the Germans, scoring against them both as he finished as the tournament's top scorer.
Had Houllier not been sacked that summer, Baros could well have been on his bike. Boasting the man who's just top scored at the Euros in your squad is no mean feat. Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann and David Villa have been among those to top the charts in other Euros this century.
Milan Baros led the scoring charts for Liverpool in 2004/05The Czech had been told he played better for his country than his club, but denied that and claimed he'd struggled on Merseyside as a result of Houllier.
Baros claimed: "Houllier knocked the confidence out of me. I wasn't being picked and I thought it would be best to leave Liverpool in the summer. I was very hurt at not being in the side. I was fit and felt it was an injustice. But a new coach has come in now and the situation has changed. Every player will start next season from the same point under Rafael Benitez.
"We will all have something to prove. With the old manager gone, I now want to stay and be a part of it. All I can hope is that I transfer this form to next season and I'm sure I can."
Baros would be consistent in what was an inconsistent season for Liverpool as a club, but their run to the Champions League final proved defining. The match is best remembered for Steven Gerrard's contributions. The captain scoring the goal that begun the fightback before he won the penalty that levelled the contest.
The forward struggled with Gerard Houllier during their time at AnfieldGerrard has though hailed Baros for clocking his run into the box, which allowed Xabi Alonso to make it 3-3 on the night. He said in his autobiography: “I was running in behind. I hoped to God Baros saw me. If he did, I was in on goal. Baros heard my prayers, and found me with a spot-on touch. During his time at Liverpool, Baros was slated for being selfish, but he showed unbelievable awareness that night in Istanbul.”
Despite an impressive first year with Benitez, the Spaniard's mind was elsewhere, attempting to source new men who could lead his line. He signed Fernando Morientes, then Peter Crouch and Cisse began to deliver more consistently, all meaning that Baros was surplus to requirements and so a move to Aston Villa occurred.
Baros's £6.5m switch only saw him spend 18 months at Villa Park with the striker admitting he should've stayed at Anfield and bided his time, knowing that opportunities would've come up in what was a long season.
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“Rafa came to me and told me he wanted to bring in Peter Crouch. It meant I would be second or third choice,” said Baros. “It seemed an easy decision at the time, but if I could go back to that moment now, I would choose to stay. There are a lot of games in a season and I'd have got my chance again. Now I know it was a bad decision. I wish I had stayed and been patient.”
The Czech returned to England and won an FA Cup with PortsmouthIn January 2007, with his time in England drawing to a close, it was time to look further afield and, despite his previous criticisms of Houllier it was the Frenchman who would come knocking for a second time as he looked to add some firepower to his Lyon frontline.
Baros said on the move: "There wasn’t a major issue, so when he looked to sign me again for Lyon, I was grateful for a new opportunity to play for another successful club.”
He would win a Ligue 1 title in France and then returned to the Premier League for a loan spell with Portsmouth where he won an FA Cup winners medal in 2008. A move to Turkey would see the Czech forward produce the most prolific season of his career, scoring 26 times for Galatasaray in 2008/09.
He added a Super Lig title winners medal to his CV in 2012 before heading back home to finish his career in the Czech Republic with former club Banik Ostrava, Mlada Boleslav and Slovan Liberec.