As introductions go, it is one that will forever live in the memory of Liverpool supporters.
If the then big price tag wasn’t enough, your manager telling the world you are the 'Welsh Xavi' is not what you need after just joining Liverpool.
But that is exactly what Joe Allen got when he made the move to Merseyside from Swansea City back in the summer of 2012 for a fee of £15million.
Unfortunately for Allen - who today turns 32 - at the time of his arrival at the club, Liverpool were taking part in a fly-on-the-wall series called 'Being: Liverpool'.
The series was filmed between April and September 2012, covering a turbulent period with the end of Sir Kenny Dalglish’s reign and the opening months of Rodgers’ tenure.
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And in the third episode of the series, Rodgers gives Allen one hell of an introduction, saying: “This is the Welsh Xavi. For me, Joe is a unique player.
"He’s a British player who is hungry for the ball. He’s embarrassed if he loses the ball. He’s 5ft 6in or 5ft 7in but in terms of football talent he’s 6ft 7in.”
The remark was clearly intended as a compliment by Rodgers, but it ended up being a comment used as a stick to beat the player with, and, if the truth be told, it was a nickname the Welshman has never managed to shake off.
Allen Liverpool’s career never really took off, and after Rodgers was replaced by Jurgen Klopp in October 2015, he found regular game time hard to come by.
That resulted in the midfielder deciding to call time on his Liverpool career after four years with the club - in which he scored seven times in 132 appearances.
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Allen was signed by Stoke City for £13million upon his Anfield departure and continues to feature regularly for the Championship side as they bid to return to the Premier League.
Speaking ahead of Euro 2016, Allen admitted the 'Welsh Xavi' tag bestowed upon him by Rodgers didn’t do him 'many favours'.
“There’s been a few floating around, there’s an obvious one I’m not saying. (The Welsh Pirlo is) a dangerous one,” he recalled.
“I had the Welsh Xavi tag for a while and that didn’t really do me too many favours, so I’m trying to steer myself away from the new one too.”
While Jamie Carragher believes Rodgers went over the top with his comments and did his former team-mate no favours with them.
“I wouldn’t say all that stuff affected Joe Allen’s Liverpool career or any of the players. I think that stuff actually affected Brendan more than anyone,” he told The Athletic back in April 2020.
“I think maybe Brendan felt the need to big himself up a bit on camera. He was a young up and coming manager who had just walked into a massive club.
"He embraced the cameras rather than shying away from them. He probably overdid it a bit.”
Allen may not have had a Liverpool song during his time with the club, but he will always be remembered as 'The Welsh Xavi' by those on the Kop.
