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Who are the last three Liverpool players to play in a World Cup final?
Dejan Lovren - Croatia (2018)
The most recent entry in this list comes from former centre-back Dejan Lovren, whose Croatia side famously broke England hearts in the semi-finals before losing to Didier Deschamps’ France in the final. The Vatreni started the campaign on blistering form, finishing top of Group D with a maximum nine points before successive shoot-out wins against Denmark and Russia in the knockout stages. A 2-1 victory over Gareth Southgate’s side after extra time set up a memorable final against the European giants.
Unfortunately for Lovren and his colleagues, Croatia were on the wrong side of a 4-2 scoreline, as France went on to win their second title which they are defending in Qatar. Deschamps' side have odds of 5/6 on World Cup bets to retain their crown, although come up against a side that knocked out the Vatreni in the semi-finals. Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi, have odds of 7/4 to win the game in normal time when users bet on Argentina vs France, meaning Les Bleus face arguably a tougher test than in 2018.
Fernando Torres - Spain (2010)
From a story of heartbreak, to one of triumph. Before 2008, Spain had never won a major trophy at international level. By the end of 2012, they had won two European Championships with a World Cup wedged in between. Their campaign in South Africa 2010 actually started with a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland, in which Fernando Torres came on as a second-half substitute. The forward then started the next two matches against Honduras and Chile which Spain won to qualify top of Group H.
While Torres failed to get on the scoresheet, he formed a vital partnership with the prolific David Villa as La Roja won their next three knockout games by a 1-0 margin, eliminating Portugal, Paraguay and then Germany. That set up a date with the Netherlands in the final, who had also never tasted World Cup glory. Torres came on in extra time in a fiery match which famously saw 13 yellows and a red dished out, as a 116th-minute Andres Iniesta strike sealed the game for La Roja and crowned the most recent Liverpool World Cup winner.
Dietmar Hamann - Germany (2002)
2006 hosts Germany reached the World Cup final four years earlier in which former Red Dietmar Hamann played the full 90 minutes. Unlike Torres, though, it would end in disappointment for the defensive midfielder, despite Germany getting off to a blistering start in South Korea and Japan. Die Mannschaft recorded one of the biggest scorelines in World Cup history with an 8-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia, which was followed by a 1-1 draw against Ireland and a 2-0 win over Cameroon to see them qualify top of Group F.
Suspension meant Hamann missed his side’s 1-0 last-16 victory over Paraguay, but he did play the full 90 minutes of every other tournament game, which included consecutive 1-0 victories against the USA and the joint-hosts South Korea, setting up a date with Ronaldo Nazario’s Brazil in the final. Sporting his famous haircut and out for redemption following disappointment in 1998, O Fenomeno scored twice to lead his side to a 2-0 victory at the expense of Hamann and Germany, who would have to wait 12 years for their next taste of glory.
While the entries on this list experienced differing fortunes in the grand finale of the quadrennial tournament, their prominence in such teams highlights the quality of players Liverpool consistently have on offer. Future World Cups will be no different, as club teammates become international rivals in world football’s showcase event.
