Daniel Agger Returns to Anfield (for a Charity Match)

It’s always hard to say good-bye to a long-serving member of the squad, but in the case of Daniel Agger, you always got the sense that it was equally hard for the player. He just seemed to “get it” and his actions and comments since leaving Anfield have only reiterated that perception.

For nine years (an eternity in today’s loyalty-free football marketplace) the Dane helped anchor the back line at Liverpool, racking up 232 appearances for the Reds. Despite constant rumors over the last several seasons that he was leaving to other big clubs, he stuck around before finally returning home to end his career with his boyhood club, Brøndby in the Danish Superliga.

Now, Agger will be back at Anfield for a charity match, playing alongside fellow Liverpool legends against the Real Madrid legends.

“I’m always happy to be back here,” the Danish dynamite told goal.com. “It’s really an experience. It’s so difficult to explain what being here means to me, because I can never really put the feeling into words.

“Quickly, it was like I belonged, and the longer you’re in a place that suits you, the more it gets under your skin and becomes a part of you.”

The phrase “under your skin” is an interesting one for a tattoo connoisseur like Daniel Agger. Of course, Agger famously had “YNWA” tattooed across the knuckles of his hands.

“I miss it. I bet if you ask a lot of other players they would say the same. When you leave Liverpool, you notice the grass is not always greener on the other side. Sometimes you have to hold tight to what you’ve got, especially if it’s a good thing - and Liverpool Football Club is definitely a good thing.

“I’ve tried before to say what it’s like to walk out onto the pitch at Anfield, to play there, but I just never get close to describing it properly,.”

As I said above, Agger is just one of those guys who gets it. His obvious love and loyalty for the club are a refreshing change to the every day cynicism and selfish behavior displayed by most other players, agents, managers, and owners in the sport.

The charity match will raise money for the LFC Foundation, and will kickoff at 3 PM GMT.