Liverpool take on Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday night, looking to emulate the 2005 success that was masterminded by Rafael Benitez. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson spoke to the Newcastle boss about his memories of an incredible night in Istanbul

IT is way past midnight on the evening of May 25, 2005, and Istanbul is rocking to the sound of songs praising Rafael Benitez.

A few hours earlier, in the Ataturk Stadium, the then Liverpool manager had masterminded the most remarkable comeback in the history of the Champions League. Three goals down at the interval as they took on AC Milan in the final, his Liverpool side were level by the hour mark. With no further goals by the end of extra-time, they went on to triumph on penalties.

Thousands of Liverpool supporters, delirious with excitement, thronged the streets of the Turkish capital, celebrating their side’s success. At the same time, however, the man who did so much to make it happen was arguing with a bouncer trying to get back into a party that was being thrown in his honour. While the entire footballing world was lauding Benitez’s achievements, the current Newcastle boss had managed to find the one person in Istanbul who did not have a clue who he was.

“We had a party, and we were in the party, and then some friends were coming but they were outside,” explained Benitez, whose memories of Champions League glory will be stirred once again this weekend as Liverpool return to European football’s grandest stage to take on reigning champions Real Madrid. “So one (friend), who was already in, had to go with some accreditation to get them in.

“But the security said they had to stay outside, he would not let them in. Then, I went, but when the security was checking me he said, ‘It’s a private party, you cannot go in’.

“A friend I was with turned and said, ‘Do you know this man? Do you know who this man is?’ (Benitez makes a shrugging gesture by way of the security guard’s reply). ‘He is God. He is God’.”

Suffice to say, Benitez got back in. He chuckles at the memory, and while he might have achieved a host of notable successes during his career, it is clear that Liverpool’s Champions League victory holds a special place in his heart.

It was the night when he achieved the impossible, when he went from being a popular manager who had taken some small steps forward during his Anfield tenure to a lifelong Liverpool legend, worthy of a place alongside Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly on a mural on the Kop.

Restoring Liverpool to the pinnacle of the European game was achievement enough, but it was the manner of the success that resonated so powerfully both on Merseyside and throughout the rest of the continent. No one had come back from three goals down in a European Cup final, but Benitez somehow inspired his players to achieve the feat.

“I always say Istanbul will be the most emotional final ever because of the way we won, the way we came back,” he said. “Everything was going wrong, massively wrong, and then after half-time you see the Liverpool fans singing even though we were 3-0 down. It was massive.

“People say we were lucky in the final, but were we lucky in the earlier rounds when we beat Chelsea (semi-final), Juventus (quarter-final) and Bayer Leverkusen (knock-out round)?

“The players did a great job, and they had a great belief that we could do this. We were a little bit lucky against the best team in Europe at (that) time, but we had also done well.”

Things went wrong from the off in the final, with Paolo Maldini scoring in the opening minute, and Liverpool were completely engulfed as two goals from Hernan Crespo extended AC Milan’s lead.

Benitez had already been forced into making a first-half change when Harry Kewell hobbled off injured, but he grasped the nettle emphatically at the interval, replacing Steve Finnan with Dietmar Hamann and switching to a 3-5-2 formation that prevented AC Milan from outnumbering their opponents at the heart of midfield. The move proved a masterstroke.

“When we conceded the second goal, I was thinking what I had to say,” said Benitez. “I was making my notes, and then we conceded a third.

“I had to give a speech in English, and you know my English now, but then, ten years ago, it was not so good. I was thinking about what I would say in English to motivate the players, but it’s not the same as saying something in Spanish. Speaking English, you lose something.

“I said, ‘You have to get something back because for 45 minutes, we’ve been working so hard’. The main thing was to run through the system and make sure we had everybody ready.

“That was the main thing - Didi Hamann would control the middle and give some freedom to (Steven) Gerrard, so we had more control because Kaka was playing between the lines and we needed to control the space better.”

Gerrard equalised nine minutes after the interval, and Liverpool scored again two minutes later as Vladimir Smicer drilled home a long-range strike. Xabi Alonso equalised on the hour mark, stroking home the rebound after his penalty had been saved, and Liverpool were able to celebrate an incredible victory when Jerzy Dudek made shoot-out saves from Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko.

“Winning the final changed my life in England,” said Benitez. “To win the league with Valencia in Spain after 31 years changed my life. To win the UEFA Cup with Valencia changed my life, it changed everything. But to come to England and win the Champions League with a different team was massive. It changed everything for me.”