EXCLUSIVE: A Liverpool cult hero was sold by Gerard Houllier in a transfer ‘mistake’ that cost him a huge trophy haul as Liverpool went on to win a cup treble
Liverpool cult hero Dominic Matteo was sold by Gerard Houllier the summer before the Reds swept up three cups.
Matteo joined Liverpool as a youngster and rose through the ranks at Anfield to make his senior debut in 1993 at just 18. The midfielder played 155 times for the club before he was sold to Leeds United for £4.75m in August 2000 after being ushered out the Anfield exit door following the signing of Christian Ziege from Middlesbrough.
The six-time Scotland international left Liverpool the summer before Houllier’s side won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. A move that saw Matteo finish his illustrious career in 2009 without a trophy to his name.
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Speaking to the Daily Star Sport via BetSelect.co.uk, Matteo reflected on his exit from Liverpool, saying: “No regrets, but it was really, really tough. I’d been at Liverpool since I was 10-years-old, and I was 26, having just signed a new 5-year contract.
“I’d genuinely thought that was it, I was going to be there for the rest of my career. I actually get goosebumps thinking about it because Liverpool is so important to me.
“I just didn’t get the game time. I did suffer from injuries when I was younger, not that it’s an excuse. But in those last couple of years at Liverpool, I’d found my feet. I was in the first team, playing more regularly, I’d just signed a new contract, and that’s all I’d wanted.
“Then, all of a sudden, Liverpool decided to buy Christian Ziege, who played in my position. There was never any animosity with Gérard Houllier, because he made me a better player.
“He’d obviously seen something he wanted to improve, and that was Ziege. However, in my opinion, that was a mistake.
“I was getting better at that point and better understanding my position. I’d had another couple of good years at the club, and now somebody else is going to come in. He had a better CV, but that didn’t matter to me.
“All I wanted to do was go and play for Liverpool, and it was going to be taken away from me because Ziege was going to start, and I’d been told that.
“I thought, why can’t we have a preseason and see who is better? In the last game I played for Liverpool in preseason, we won 5-0 against Inter Milan, and I played well.
“I remember thinking there was a chance of me getting back in, but it obviously didn’t go that way. So then my decision was simple.”
Matteo joined Leeds and remained at Elland Road until 2004, playing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup – famously scoring inside the San Siro for the Peacocks.
“When Leeds came knocking at my door, there were a few other clubs interested, but I’m a northern lad. No disrespect to anybody down south, but I was always going to go north, no matter which club it was,” Matteo continued.
“But yeah, I was disappointed. People say to me that if I’d have stayed another year, I’d have won all of those trophies. But I’m not bitter about it.
“I went and played for Leeds, and we didn’t win the trophies at Leeds, but I’m proud of what I did. I had to switch clubs for my career. I could have stayed at Liverpool my whole career, but I probably wouldn’t have played in the games.”