The day I knew Liverpool had signed the next Zinedine Zidane for £4m

"Bruno has got great skill, good vision and an eye for the pass. I don't make comparisons with Zidane lightly and I believe he can become an important player for Liverpool.

"He has the same kind of touch and style that Zidane has. There's a lot of similarities between the two when they're on the ball."

Gerard Houllier's comments caused a bit of a stir.

Bruno Cheyrou had just joined Liverpool from Lille for a fee of £4m. And his new manager reached for the boldest comparison of them all to welcome him.

Jurgen Klopp drops Liverpool line-up hint ahead of Arsenal FA Cup tie

I regret bizarre red card against Arsenal - I did it without thinking and it cost me £40,000

But this was a club riding a winning wave of momentum, under a boss who seemingly possessed the golden touch. Houllier had led Liverpool to successive fourth, third and second-placed finishes in the league. Not forgetting, of course, that magnificent cup treble collected along the way.

On the transfer front, there was every reason to back Houllier, too. Especially in this department.

Jean-Michel Ferri may have been a curious one and Igor Biscan was usually half asleep. Houllier, though, was a man who correctly saw more mileage in Gary McAllister despite how much was already on the clock. And Dietmar Hamann cost a whole £8m more than the Scot but was an equally inspired signing.

It was clear Houllier had an eye for midfield talent. And that view was supported when Liverpool welcomed Lazio for a pre-season friendly in July 2002. This was the first glimpse the home fans got of Cheyrou. Zidane's heir apparent did not disappoint.

Anfield purred and roared at what the 24-year-old did on that Tuesday night under the lights. For me and many others present it was love at