{"id":472018,"date":"2025-12-26T03:37:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/472018\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T03:37:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:37:20","slug":"liverpool-icon-gets-dramatic-new-look-as-hes-plastered-in-tattoos-and-has-huge-beard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/472018\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool icon gets dramatic new look as he&#8217;s plastered in tattoos and has huge beard"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A former Liverpool favourite has been transformed compared to his days playing at Anfield with the midfielder taking on a different look in retirement<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_berger-maccaPNG.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Berger and former teammate Gary McAllister\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Patrik Berger and former team-mate Gary McAllister(Image: Instagram\/patrikbergerofficial)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Once famed for his long-range goals and flowing hair, former <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/liverpool-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Liverpool<\/a> midfielder Patrik Berger now <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/sport\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"sportsLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">sports<\/a> a strikingly different look. The Czech footballer, who was known for his long-sleeved jerseys during his Anfield days, now flaunts tattooed arms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The 52-year-old, who hasn&#8217;t donned the Reds&#8217; jersey in more than two decades, has <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/liverpool-legend-looks-completely-unrecognisable-34079903\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">swapped his clean-cut image for a rugged appearance complete with a full beard<\/a>. This transformation is <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/liverpool-cult-heroes-unrecognisable-beards-26572634\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">sure to challenge the mental image fans have held of him<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Berger was a key player in Gerard Houllier&#8217;s squad that clinched the treble in the 2000\/01 season. During his seven-year stint at Merseyside, he made 198 appearances and netted 28 goals, nearly half of which were from beyond 18 yards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The international star, capped 42 times, had an illustrious career spanning Sparta Prague, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/borussia-dortmund\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Borussia Dortmund<\/a>, Portsmouth, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/aston-villa-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Aston Villa<\/a> and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/stoke-city-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Stoke City<\/a> before hanging up his boots in 2010. After retiring, he played as an amateur for the sixth-tier Czech Republic club Doln\u00ed Chabry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Berger&#8217;s Liverpool journey ended on a sour note due to knee injuries that limited him to just four appearances, pushing him down the pecking order in his final campaign. Despite scoring against Liverpool in his first match against them, Berger looks back at his time with the club with affection.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/mohamed-salah-leave-liverpool-transfer-36349116\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36349116\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8216;I quit Liverpool after breaking all records &#8211; this is when Mo Salah should leave the club&#8217;<\/a>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/mikel-arteta-arsenal-press-conference-36379806\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36379806\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mikel Arteta got up and left press conference after 14-word question left him stunned<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;You have to live for the day and I enjoyed my time at Liverpool,&#8221; he reminisced about his successful stint. &#8220;On the pitch 2001 was amazing, we won five trophies, qualified for the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/champions-league\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Champions League<\/a> in the final game of the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It was an unbelievable season, great squad, the camaraderie was brilliant, this really helped get over the time. Everything just clicked in those final matches.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_GettyImages-1084272.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Berger looks very different compared to his playing days\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Patrick Berger looks very different compared to his playing days(Image: Clive Brunskill \/Allsport)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;You need luck and we got the luck, but the squad was all connected, all fighting for each other and all had the same belief that we could win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Looking at the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/fa-cup\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">FA Cup<\/a> Final, Michael [Owen]&#8217;s pace was electric, and if any of us could find the pass, he would get onto it. His left foot wasn&#8217;t his strongest, but he took the goal so well, beating two <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/arsenal-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Arsenal<\/a> defenders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Arsenal were the better team that day, but as I said, we rode our luck, stayed in the game and managed to win. It was a year I won&#8217;t forget with so many great memories and many friends I made for life.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_patrick-berger-2PNG.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Berger after catching a fish\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Berger is a fan of fishing(Image: Instagram\/patrikbergerofficial)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The highlight of my career was signing for Liverpool, first off. This was a dream that had come true, signing for such a great club. I loved my time at Liverpool and to still be involved with the club is great.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Since retiring from the game, Berger has remained active in the football <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">world<\/a>. He established the Patrik Berger football agency, which has represented stars like Bayer Leverkusen&#8217;s Patrik Schick and Ond\u0159ej Penxa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/KLOUWbmSQd86jj7ZbbVOHa\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Join our new WhatsApp communityLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Mirror Football<\/strong> content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you&#8217;re curious, you can read our <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/site-services\/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Privacy Notice.Link opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package<\/p>\n<p>This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/affiliates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a343<\/p>\n<p>\u00a335<\/p>\n<p>Sky<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;platform=dl&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Get the deal here<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky has slashed the price of its <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;platform=dl&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Essential TV and Sky Sports<\/a><\/strong> bundle ahead of the 2025\/26 season, saving members \u00a3192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A former Liverpool favourite has been transformed compared to his days playing at Anfield with the midfielder taking&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":472019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[84968,214119,214117,1836,214120,221,214118,62,29631,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-472018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-bayer-04-leverkusen","9":"tag-beards","10":"tag-gerard-houllier","11":"tag-liverpool-fc","12":"tag-patrik-berger","13":"tag-soccer","14":"tag-sparta-prague","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-tattoos","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115783786361760299","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}