‘Our fans died travelling to Madrid. We played to honour them and the Bernabeu applauded us’ Former Premier League striker remembers the most difficult game he ever played in

Madrid, SPAIN: Recreativo de Huelva' players celebrate after scoring their first goal Real Madrid during their Spanish league football match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, 20 December 2006. AFP PHOTO JAVIER SORIANO. (Photo credit should read JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images).

Florent Sinama Pongolle is a name most Liverpool fans will be familiar with but we'd wager not too many know what came of the former Anfield youngster once he'd left England.

Upon leaving the club in 2006, Sinama Pongolle joined newly-promoted Spanish club Recreativo, who had spent most of their existence in the second and third tiers.

Having earned promotion to LaLiga, Recreativo were pitted against giants of European football in Real Madrid and Barcelona, giving supporters the opportunity of a lifetime to attend arenas such as the Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabeu, watching their team as divisional equals.

'We didn’t talk about tactics or strategy – we played with heart'

Recreativo players celebrate beating David Beckham, Raul and co at Santiago Bernabeu (Image credit: Getty Images)

In 2006/07, Recreativo pulled off one of the greatest upsets in recent LaLiga history, defeating Real Madrid 3-0 at Santiago Bernabeu five days before Christmas.

Sinama Pongolle opened the scoring that day but it is a fixture remembered for tragic events which had occurred prior to the match.

Florent Sinama Pongolle signs for Recreativo from Liverpool, 2006 (Image credit: Getty Images)

"The lead-up was awful," Sinama Pongolle recalls to FourFourTwo. "On the morning of the match, we got the news that four Recreativo fans had died on the road to Madrid. In Huelva, we all knew each other.

"Mentally, we weren’t ready to play. We actually requested that the match be postponed and genuinely thought they would agree. But in the end, we played because it was Real Madrid. TV rights were too important to move the date; that’s the only explanation I can come up with.

"I’m sure that today, in 2025, that match would not have been played. No way. We’re far more aware and sensitive now than 20 years ago.

"Once we had no choice but to play, we didn’t go out there for the points – we played solely to honour our fans. They lost their lives coming to support us. Football didn’t matter anymore. We didn’t talk about tactics or strategy – we played with heart.

"The Bernabeu ended up applauding us – something that they’ve only ever done before for opposing players like Ronaldinho."

Sinama Pongolle in action for Recreativo against Barcelona (Image credit: Getty Images)

Recreativo didn't just stay up that year, they excelled, finishing eighth in the LaLiga table, narrowly missing out on European football under the stewardship of future Valencia, Villarreal and Athletic Club manager Marcelino.

Sinama Pongolle scored 12 goals in 34 outings for the regional side, before going on to hit double figures once more the following season, earning a move to Atletico Madrid.