A fortunate Liverpool fan won £25,000 on a 125/1 bet after he dreamed Xabi Alonso would do a certain thing during his time at Anfield.
Alonso, 43, is currently the manager of German champions Bayer Leverkusen having led the side to an unbeaten 2023/24 campaign as well as winning the DFB Pokal and reaching the Europa League final.
However, before moving into management the Spaniard was a world-class midfielder and played for the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as well as being part of Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning side.
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He won trophies at all three of the clubs mentioned and is held in high regard by their fanbases, but one Liverpool fan may like him a lot more than most.
On January 7, 2006, Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool side travelled to Kenilworth Road where they played out a 5-3 win against Luton Town.
Despite a spirited performance from the Hatters, the Premier League side’s class shone through in the end.
But one Liverpool fan will remember the third-round tie for more than just the result.
According to BBC, Adrian Hayward of Newbury, Berkshire had a dream in July 2005 that Alonso would find the back of the net from his own half during the 05/06 campaign.
And at 125/1 odds the likelihood of this happening was slim. But against all odds, Alonso found himself in space near the halfway line in the dying embers of the game before controlling the ball and unleashing a left-footed strike straight into a vacant Luton goal with ‘keeper Marlon Beresford caught up the pitch after going forward for a corner.
Hayward placed £200 on the bet which returned £25,000.
“I’ve never placed such a large bet before but I had a feeling about it,” he explained.
“I was watching the Luton match on TV with my family and I saw the keeper off his line. I was shouting ‘Shoot!’ and he did. It seemed to take an age to hit the net but when it did, I just went berserk.”
Even the bookmakers Paddy Power were left shocked by the unlikely win.
“When he placed the bet we thought it was the easiest £200 we had ever made," said the betting giants.
“But fair play to him. It’s great when these unusual bets payout and it shows that dreams do come true.”
Topics: Liverpool, Xabi Alonso, Premier League, Football, Champions League
Luke Davies