I am a Liverpool star who hates Rafa Benitez for subjecting me to a Champions League parade s****show

Former Liverpool star Stephen Warnock has revealed his rage at being left out of the Champions League final squad for the epic 2005 win in Istanbul.

Warnock, a boyhood fan and regular that season, discovered he was not included in the list after the initial announcement. The news came as a crushing blow, especially as he had already told his family to book flights to Turkey. Warnock watched the dramatic 3-3 comeback and penalty shootout victory over AC Milan from the stands, an experience he described as bittersweet. He admitted to feeling anger and resentment towards the then-manager Rafa Benitez, but also joy for his teammates' success.

"It was hard for me because I'm a Liverpool fan, I grew up on the Kop and everything. I thought 'I f***ing hate this team, like what's going on here'. I was fuming, I was so angry," he said on the Under The Cosh podcast. "I didn't hate the team, I hated Rafa. I sat there thinking 'I'm so happy for the lads, but I'm also p***ed off with the way things have played out'. If you ever played in a final or you've not played in one, you don't feel part of even if you've played your part to get it."

Warnock's experience highlights the complexities of emotions and the thin line between joy and disappointment in the world of professional football. Warnock was dealt another harsh blow when last-minute changes prevented him from joining the trophy parade in Liverpool, forcing him to watch the festivities on TV instead.

He recounted: "I remember that night just going to bed and they said 'right, the plane leaves at this time in the morning to go for the parade in Liverpool'. And then they changed it and said 'all the squad who were involved, the 18, and their wives or girlfriends'.

"So they put all