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Would you trust one of your wildest dreams enough to part with £200 if the opportunity came true?
That’s the question Liverpool fan Adrian Hayward faced in the 2005/2006 season – and his answer was yes.
Hayward dreamed of Xabi Alonso scoring from his own half for the Reds in the 2005/06 season and, in a fit of optimism, placed a £200 bet on that actually happening at odds of 125/1.
Keep in mind that this was Alonso’s second season at the club where he scored three in his first season.
Lo and behold, Hayward’s dream came true when Alonso struck from 70 yards against Luton in the FA Cup on January 7, 2006.
Xabi Alonso scored from 70 yards against Luton in January 2006 in a 5–3 FA Cup win
Liverpool fan Paul Hayward bet Alonso would score from his own half after dreaming about it – and won £25,000 after his £200 punt
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In the 94th minute, Luton trailed 4–3 at Kenilworth Road and goalkeeper Marlon Beresford charged forward in an attempt to score the equalizer.
But Rafa Benitez’s team won the ball back and countered, with Alonso unleashing a left-footed strike from the edge of the center circle.
With the net unoccupied, his shot came in and sent Liverpool fans into hysterics – and Hayward, £25,000 richer, to nine.
He said: ‘I’ve never placed a bet that big before, but I had a feeling about it.
‘I was watching the Luton match on TV with my family and saw the goalkeeper come off his line. I shouted ‘Shoot!’ and he did.
“It seemed like forever before I hit the net, but when it did, I just went crazy.”
Bookmaker Paddy Power said: ‘When he placed the bet we thought it was the easiest £200 we had ever made. “But fair play to him.
“It’s great when these unusual bets pay off and it shows that dreams come true.”
As it turned out, Liverpool would win the FA Cup after that third round victory over Luton.
Alonso scored an even better goal against Newcastle later that year, beating Steve Harper
Further wins over Portsmouth, Manchester United, Birmingham – 7-0 – Chelsea and West Ham in the final saw Liverpool win the FA Cup.
In September that year, Alonso again defied the odds to score from his own half, this time against Newcastle in the Premier League.
It was the most famous of his astonishing long-distance efforts, sailing through the air and over a scrambling Steve Harper.
With Jurgen Klopp revealing he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, and Alonso being touted as one of the favorites to replace him, many of the cub’s fans are hoping he experiences more glorious moments.