Peter Crouch is looking forward to donning the red shirt of Liverpool once again on Saturday for the LFC Foundation’s annual charity legends’ game, but he might not be the most excited in the Crouch household on the night before the big match.
It’s his five-year-old son who is eagerly anticipating the clash with a team of former Chelsea stars, even more so than dad. Having recently attended his first Liverpool away match and heard his dad’s name being chanted by the visiting supporters, he will finally get to see the ex-England international play for his boyhood club in the flesh.
“My boys support Liverpool,” Crouch senior said in Friday’s pre-match press conference at the AXA Training Centre. “I'll take them to games and they were kind of pushed into it a little bit, but they absolutely love it and I'm very pleased that they do because for me, I can now be a part of it.
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“It would be massive for me, for my little boy to see me. He missed out; he's only five, so for him to see me pull on the red shirt again and play at Anfield will be a huge moment for our family.
But Crouch, like all those attending the game, is no doubt what the real focus is. “First and foremost it's about the Foundation,” he explained, ahead of the game which has sold out 59,000 tickets and will raise millions of pounds for people around the Liverpool city region. The LFC Foundation supported over 127,000 people last year through its programmes, which aim to tackle social inequalities in the local communities.
This year’s match against Chelsea will raise funds for health initiatives, which provide physical and mental wellbeing programmes for people of all ages across Liverpool and support people to live a healthy lifestyle.
“I've still got lots of friends in and around the city,” said Crouch. “I'm up here quite a lot visiting family and friends and I see the work that's getting done. It's down to the Foundation in the city.
“Of course, like most cities now, it needs help in areas and the work that's done here… It's fantastic for us to play in a match at Anfield again, but obviously the bigger cause is the surrounding areas and they do so much work and all for the good. It's a great fun day out for the fans and for us as players, but obviously the bigger picture is the foundation.”
During a glittering career, Crouch played for 12 clubs, but it’s Liverpool who has stuck with the 44-year-old and his family. “It [Liverpool] is an unbelievably special [club],” he explained. “It's amazing how many ex-players end up supporting the club or want to be a part of the club. It's something really special.
“You see the players, it all feels connected and I think that's to do with the club looking after the ex-players. All the players I played with have a connection to Liverpool. I know I certainly do, I know I'm married to Scouser, which helps, but I definitely have a connection to the club and always will.
Crouch is part of a legends team that includes the likes of Sami Hyypia, Dirk Kuyt and Jerzey Dudek, but there’s no doubting the star attraction for the majority of fans in attendance. “That would be nice,” Crouch said when asked if hopes to renew his on-field relationship with former captain Steven Gerrard. “He carried me in the three years that I've played here, so hopefully he can do the same again tomorrow,” he added, in typically jovial fashion.
It’s not just players on the Red side who Crouch is looking forward to reconnecting with and he joked that a pre-match request to Robert Huth not to kick him might fall on deaf ears.
The game has also been conveniently staged to coincide with the 20-year anniversary of Liverpool’s memorable Champions League semi-final victory over Chelsea and the infamous ‘ghost goal’ scored by Luis Garcia.
In Crouch’s eyes, those battles between Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho’s sides briefly eclipsed the rivalries against Manchester United and Everton. “They were far ahead of us in the league, really, but it felt there was something special about Liverpool and the European Cup and the Champions League and it felt like we had that kind of edge over them.”
The Blues’ squad contains the likes Gary Cahill, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Gianfranco Zola, with Chelsea also raising money for its own Foundation. Tickets for the game are still available on Liverpool’s website and could afford fans who usually can’t obtain a ticket to attend a game at Anfield and see some former fan favorites.
