Carlsberg reunites Liverpool legends to commemorate 2005 Champions League triumph

Carlsberg, the Danish brewer with a 33-year relationship with Liverpool Football Club, has raised a toast to one of football's most extraordinary comebacks with the release of a limited-edition "Miracle Can" commemorating the legendary 2005 Champions League final.

The special can, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of Liverpool's improbable victory over AC Milan in Istanbul, marries Carlsberg's trademark green with Liverpool's iconic red. It features timestamps of pivotal moments from that unforgettable night when the Reds, trailing 3-0 at halftime, mounted what many consider the most dramatic comeback in Champions League history.

The commemorative can arrives at an opportune moment, coinciding with Liverpool's recent Premier League triumph—their second in the competition's current format and 20th overall English top-flight title, equalling Manchester United's long-standing record.

Copenhagen-based creative agency Worth Your While conceptualised the celebratory can, with design duties handled by Taxi Studios. The launch is accompanied by a cinematic short film reuniting three heroes from that storied Istanbul night: goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, defender Sami Hyypiä, and midfielder Vladimír Šmicer.

In the film, viewers witness the "Miracle Can" journeying along Carlsberg's production line while Hyypiä delivers an operatic rendition of the terrace chant "Allez Allez Allez"—proving his talents might be more firmly rooted on the pitch than in the recording studio. The can then receives what one might call a Šmicer "blessing" before being launched dramatically off the conveyor belt and into the former midfielder's waiting hand—a catch that surely ranks amongst his finest handling skills since hanging up his boots.

Carlsberg's relationship with Liverpool FC stretches back to 1992, making it one of football's longest-running sponsorship arrangements. In 2023, the brewer demonstrated its commitment to the Merseyside club by extending the partnership until at least 2034—by which time, at this rate, Liverpool might have doubled their trophy cabinet.

The campaign will appear across social media platforms, online video channels, e-commerce sites, internal communications, and through in-store and outlet promotions, ensuring Liverpool supporters worldwide can raise a glass to that magical Istanbul evening.

The "Miracle of Istanbul" has attained mythical status among football fans globally. After conceding three first-half goals to a star-studded Milan side featuring Paolo Maldini, Andriy Shevchenko, and Kaká, Liverpool staged an astonishing second-half revival. Goals from Steven Gerrard, Šmicer, and Xabi Alonso levelled the match before Dudek's heroics in the penalty shootout secured Liverpool's fifth European Cup.

For Liverpool supporters, the "Miracle Can" offers a tangible connection to arguably their greatest triumph, while for neutrals, it serves as a reminder that in football, as in life, it's never over until the final whistle—or until the last can has been drunk, whichever comes first.