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#8 Patrik Berger
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The 1996 European Championships took place in England and was almost like a shop window for the Premier League’s clubs. One man who caught the eye was Czech Republic’s attacking midfielder Patrik Berger, who was signed that summer by Liverpool for £3.25m.
With his flowing locks and rock star looks, Berger was practically guaranteed to become a cult favourite with the Anfield crowd, and sure enough, he settled in immediately, claiming the FA’s Player of the Month award for September 1996 after scoring four goals in five games. He even had a Football Focus video package dedicated to him, set to a popular hit at the time, called You’re Gorgeous.
The next season saw Berger fall out with manager Roy Evans, but when Evans was fired and Gerard Houllier took over at Liverpool, the Czech attacker enjoyed the best years of his Anfield career, eventually playing a part in winning both the UEFA Cup and FA Cup in 2000/01. He even set up Michael Owen’s winner in the FA Cup final against Arsenal.
While he went on to have brief runs with Portsmouth and Aston Villa as his career waned, his peak was definitely at Liverpool – in the end, he spent seven seasons there, and why he’s largely forgotten today is a mystery really.
