Over the years, thousands of away supporters have travelled to Anfield to support their teams in European competitions.
Liverpool’s ventures in the Champions League and other competitions have seen them welcome people from across the continent to their famous ground for some of the most memorable games in recent times. Fans of Barcelona, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Galatasaray and Porto are just a handful of the clubs who have made the trip to Merseyside over the years.
Likewise when Liverpool supporters travel abroad for away fixtures, the matches also provide an opportunity for fans to experience a new city and what it has to offer. Ajax supporters most recently made the trip over for the Champions League group stage clash, of which Jurgen Klopp’s side ran out 2-1 winners on the night.
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The biggest compliment, though, came from supporters of the Dutch club after the game as they praised both Liverpool and local authorities for making them feel so welcome in the city both before and after the match.
"No big police force or anything this time," read a first-hand account on supporter-run website Ajaxlife. "At least not visible. A lot of stewards, but they almost formed a guard of honour. Everyone greeted me kindly. No straight faces. No tension. No stress. No fuss. Just enter with your ticket. It went smoothly...that deserves a big compliment.”
"It was no different after the narrow, but justified 2-1 defeat. After being held briefly, the doors opened. We could go in any direction we wanted. No police escort. No blue flashing lights or intimidating robocops anywhere. Ajax [fans] could just go into the pubs around the stadium.
"On the way back to our rented house we saw Ajax supporters singing 'Three Little Birds' in a Liverpool pub. On a stage and with a microphone. They are happy scenes. It's actually a shame it hit me so hard. I am simply not used to this relaxed state of affairs, while it should be normal. A day after the game we spoke to some police officers. They asked how we had all experienced it. They seemed happy with our response and indicated that this is exactly what they are hoping for. 'We think this works the best,' said the agent.”
Last season, Liverpool welcomed supporters for AC Milan to the city for a group stage clash in September 2021. The Reds edged a narrow 3-2 victory over the Serie A giants, a positive start to the group stage as they went on to win every single match and top group B on 18 points.
AC Milan fan and co-owner of sempremilan.com Oli Fisher was one of a reduced number of supporters in the away end that night, as Covid restrictions were lifted too late to organise regular ticket sales and travel arrangements. However, that didn’t dampen the spirits of supporters who did make the trip over and for Fisher - the trip up from London.
“I was excited to be making the trip up from my London home for the game against Liverpool with Milan Club London, who are a fantastic supporters group that provide the chance for members to get tickets to games that are played in England,” he told the ECHO. “It was a slightly strange occasion given that it was not known until very close to the game that fans would be permitted to travel from abroad, so in the end there were less than 1,000 Milan fans there - the vast majority of whom will have been UK-based - though the atmosphere was still fantastic.
“In terms of being welcomed into the city I have nothing but positive words. We were told to go to the Arkles pub which is of course very close to the stadium in order to meet and collect tickets, and in there it was a split between Liverpool supporters and Milanisti. The manager there was incredibly friendly, engaged in banter with us all over the microphone and was generally very welcoming, as were all the fans that we spoke with who wanted to know our stories of how we came to support Milan.
“Even though there has been a rivalry between the two clubs on the biggest European stage (in the 2000s at least), there was never any feeling of animosity but rather a feeling that it was good to have us (Milan) back in the big time. When walking around to the away end there was a fan march/corteo put on by Milan fans and again the Liverpool supporters seemed to be in awe more than anything, with some photos exchanged, so overall it was very welcoming.”
Despite the smaller number of away supporters, the atmosphere at Anfield lived up to expectations. Fisher, also a regular follower of Championship side Huddersfield Town, had previously visited Anfield for Premier League meetings, but says everything ramps up on a European night.
He added: “The atmosphere on the night itself was electric. Anfield has a reputation for being rocking on European nights and it very much was, aided by the fact Liverpool ran us all over the park for the opening 20-30 minutes. The anthem You'll Never Walk Alone is of course iconic and it was great to witness that again under the lights, and generally speaking the home fans were loud and really got behind their team, barring the period where Milan struck twice quickly just before half-time and everyone (including us) was a bit shell shocked.
“It is a stark contrast to when I attended twice with Huddersfield during our time in the Premier League. When being at Anfield for those games we (me plus those I attended with) agreed that the atmosphere was a big disappointment as the fans were largely quiet and because the wins were routine they weren't needed to motivate the team. I also acknowledge that playing Huddersfield is not a game against Manchester United, a Merseyside derby or a big European night, so that factors in.”
Throughout the remainder of the campaign, Liverpool welcomed Atletico Madrid and Porto to Anfield - also in the group stage. Inter Milan made the trip over for the round of 16, while Benfica were the opponents in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the Reds took on Spanish side Villarreal, who were competing in the knockout stages of the competition for the first time since the 2008/09 season.
Radio Vila-real contributor Victor Rubio made the trip to Merseyside on the Tuesday, the day before the meeting at Anfield on the Wednesday night. Rubio made a brief stop in Manchester to watch City’s clash with Real Madrid at the Etihad before gearing up for the Villarreal game in Liverpool.
He said: “I'm lucky enough to know a Liverpool season ticket holder since the two teams met in a friendly in Villarreal in 2008, so I arrived at Liverpool Lime Street and I already felt at home. I stayed with them, there I was able to see the City match against Madrid, and on Wednesday I already met with the people of Villarreal.
“Before the game, I visited Everton’s stadium Goodison Park before leaving a Villarreal shirt at the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield. Around one o'clock, Mathew Street looked like a sea of yellow and Tony, the Liverpool supporter I stayed with, invited me and two of my friends to lunch at William Gladstone, and from there to Concert Square.
“The atmosphere at the game was spectacular. I was in the semi-final of the Europa League in 2016, but the Champions League is unbeatable and unrepeatable. I have been lucky enough to be in the stands at Athletic Club, in Barcelona and even in Naples, but nothing is comparable to Anfield. In most of the minutes of the game it was impossible to hear the person next to me.
“I've been to the Ernst Happel watching Rapid Wien, Villarreal and in Naples watching Villarreal play there, but nothing is comparable to Liverpool. And I insist that 2016 already seemed incredible to me, but this year, I think it will never be surpassed.”
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