Daniel Agger on Anfield return and his love of Liverpool FC

The 32-year-old, who announced his retirement in June last year, returns to the ground on Saturday for the LFC Foundation Legends Charity Match. 

He will play in the heart of defence for Liverpool’s greats against their Real Madrid counterparts, and the moment the Dane steps out of the tunnel will be an incredibly emotive one.

Agger, who has the abbreviation of the club's anthem 'YNWA' inked across his knuckles, spent eight-and-a-half years on Merseyside after a £5.8 million transfer from Brondby in January 2006.

And he did not just develop a deep affinity for the club, but the city and its people are also tattooed to him.

“I’m always happy to be back here,” Agger tells Goal at the Titanic Hotel in Stanley Dock, looking out at Liverpool's stunning architecture coated in unrelenting sunshine.

“It’s really an experience. It’s so difficult to explain what being here means to me, because I can never really put the feeling into words.

“Quickly, it was like I belonged, and the longer you’re in a place that suits you, the more it gets under your skin and becomes a part of you.

“The people, the place, just everything about it felt right, which is why I stayed here for almost nine years.

“I miss it. I bet if you ask a lot of other players they would say the same. When you leave Liverpool, you notice the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Sometimes you have to hold tight to what you’ve got, especially if it’s a good thing - and Liverpool Football Club is definitely a good thing.

Agger turned out 232 times for the club, scoring 14 goals in the process - 10 of those recorded at Anfield.

Two came against Chelsea - one of which helped Liverpool progress to the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, with another against Arsenal and one in an FA Cup victory over Manchester United.

Agger has a memory bank full of wonderful moments at the stadium and is itching to get back on the turf on Saturday.

“I’ve tried before to say what it’s like to walk out onto the pitch at Anfield, to play there, but I just never get close to describing it properly,” he says.

“When you play football, you don’t notice all the details - everything is going on, so you can’t see and hear everything. But somehow through that, you do pick up on things maybe during the warm up, or in a break in play and it’s a different picture each time.

“For me, personally, there were a lot of great memories at Anfield; looking around, listening to the songs and that’s part of why I’m so eager to be back.”

Agger returned to Brondby in the summer of 2014 and the centre-back, who for a long period was courted by Europe’s elite, has not been involved in a game since calling time on his career.

“I’m also excited to play football again,” he admits. “I haven’t done so since May so it’ll be good to touch the ball again. I miss the atmosphere and that rush you get in a competitive game - nothing compares to it.

“I haven’t seen a lot of my former teammates for a long time so it’ll be good to spend time with them on and off the pitch. It’s definitely a few days full of positives.”

Source: Goal.com

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