I never thought he'd have the career he did. He was 21 but played with so much experience he looked like a player in his 30s he rarely had a bad game' Liverpool goalkeeper reveals special' teammate tipped for Anfield return

"Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld joined the Reds in 1999 as a relatively young stopper and would spend three seasons at Anfield. His spell on Merseyside was the most successful of his career, in particular the trophy-laden year of 2001 in which Liverpool hoisted the UEFA Cup, League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FA Charity Shield over a 12-month period. After departing the north-west of England, Westerveld headed to San Sebastian where he turned out for Real Sociedad."

"It was there, in the idyllic Basque region of Spain, that the Dutch goalkeeper recalls the impression left upon him by a young midfielder who would go on to star for the Reds and the Spanish national team in years to come. Before Xabi went to Liverpool, I played with him at Real Sociedad in the season we nearly won La Liga," Westerveld recalls. La Real, as they are known in Spain, missed out on the LaLiga title in 2002/03 by two points as Real Madrid ascended back to the throne. After breaking into the team two years earlier, consolidating his place in the senior setup during 2001/02, the season Real Sociedad finished second in the table was the one in which Alonso excelled. "You could see he was special, but I never thought he'd have the career he did. "He was 21 but played with so much experience he looked like a player in his 30s. He was never nervous, rarely had a bad game and his passing was unbelievable," Westerveld adds."

Sander Westerveld joined Liverpool in 1999 and experienced his most successful spell there, including a trophy-filled 2001 season. After leaving Liverpool he moved to Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. At Real Sociedad Westerveld witnessed a young Xabi Alonso develop into an influential midfielder during the 2001/02 season and the club’s near-miss for the LaLiga title in 2002/03. Westerveld described Alonso as unusually mature for his age, rarely nervous, consistently reliable and possessing outstanding passing. Liverpool signed Alonso the following summer, and Alonso later starred for Liverpool and the Spanish national team.

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