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Liverpool win bonuses for Champions League final victory revealed by ex-star
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has shed some light on the huge bonuses his team-mates received after the momentous Champions League victory of 2005.
Unfortunately, Warnock - who graduated from the Reds academy before spending five years in the senior squad - wasn't able to play any part in the historic comeback against AC Milan due to a mix-up. And that ensured the comeback in Istanbul remains one of his greatest and most devastating memories from his football career.
Warnock, 42, had expected to play in Istanbul but was left heartbroken when he learnt a misunderstanding with then-manager Rafa Benitez would sideline him for the match. This not only deprived him of taking part in an iconic game but also meant he missed out on the substantial bonuses on offer.
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In a recent appearance on the Undr the Cosh podcast (via The Mirror), Warnock candidly admitted: "I remember thinking at the time - it shouldn't come into it, but it did - it was one of the biggest games of football's year, but our bonus was massive either way.
"It was £100,000 to lose it and £200,000 to win it. And I was thinking, 'F***ing hell, that's a massive amount of money.' Because I wasn't on much money at the time. [That's for] whoever's in the [matchday] 18, it doesn't go pro rata across the squad. Literally, if you're in the 18, you get it."
Warnock made his senior debut in 2002 but spent the first two seasons of his career on loan with Bradford City and Coventry, timing his break into Liverpool's senior setup ahead of the iconic European campaign of 2005. However, he still wasn't braced for the vast sums on offer for a Champions League final.
He continued: "So, the other part of that is me thinking, 'F***ing hell, that's a nice, lovely bonus, that, either way. . .but you're a young lad, do you know what I mean? I've come from thinking [the] last year thinking I'm gonna be playing in the Championship with Coventry, being on decent-ish money, but nowhere near that sum of money."
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The retired full-back went on to say Steven Gerrard attempted to console him on the field in Istanbul and assured him he'd "get him his money," because the squad sympathised with what happened between him and Benitez. However, Warnock still hasn't seen a cent of those Champions League winnings.
