Danny Murphy might not be everyone's cup of tea as a football pundit but he delivered a very moving tribute to his former manager Gérard Houllier today. The former Liverpool midfielder was in studio at Talksport on the 'White & Jordan' show this morning when news of Houllier's passing broke in the media. Murphy spoke honestly about how the Frenchman transformed him as a footballer and a man. He also spoke of Houllier's heart attack during the 2001 game between Liverpool and Leeds and how grateful his former manager was simply to be alive after briefly dying on the operating table.
“I would go through a brick wall for him.”
“I’ve got so much to thank him for.”
Danny Murphy was in the studio when he found out Gérard Houllier had sadly died.
This is his beautiful tribute to him 🙏 pic.twitter.com/DiAzzEQhqk— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 14, 2020
Murphy also told the story of how Houllier gave Murphy him his own 2001 League Cup medal after Murphy missed out on the final due to injury.
The first trophy we won, I played every round in the League Cup and scored two in the semi at home - and then I did my medial ligament. I only tweaked it but I couldn't play in the final.
'And then there were only medals for the lads who got stripped. We won on penalties, luckily. We shouldn't have won but we did and you're celebrating without really being too involved because you haven't played.
'I didn't get a medal and I thought, "you know what it's not the end of the world, I'm not that big on medals anyway."
He (Houllier) said, 'you haven't got a medal haven't you?' And I said, "No." So he took his off and gave me his. There and then.
'Now he (could have) done that as an afterthought a day or two later, but to actually acknowledge it there and then - he had that touch of class.
'I couldn't believe it. I said thank you - it didn't mean much to him but it was more of a case of him wanting me to have a reward for my contributions.
SEE ALSO: Football World Mourns Gérard Houllier
