Former Liverpool starlet Jordan Williams has Adam Lallana to thank for one of the most memorable moments of his career.Now going by MJ at Bolton Wanderers, the midfielder came through the ranks at Anfield and was handed his Reds debut for a League Cup clash with Middlesbrough back in 2014.
Jordan Williams recalled: “When it went to penalties, I just knew I had to take one. Mike Marsh told me to take one, as in one of the five but I thought, “I can’t do that!” but when it went to sudden death, I thought, “Now’s my time.” When you get the chance to step up and play for Liverpool, you have to be brave and you have to be confident. I thought this was a chance to show what I am about and thankfully I stepped up and put it away. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had. I remember walking up to the spot and the Kop just started roaring. You just feel like this gust of wind coming straight across your face. We did penalties the day before in training and that’s one of the reasons why I took the penalty, because Adam Lallana said to me, “I saw you yesterday in training hitting them. Take it. A couple of the other lads were like, “No, no, don’t put him under that pressure,” but I was like, “No, I will.” And Lallana actually forced me to take it so I had to take it.”
Lallana wasn’t the only senior player to share words with Williams that night. Mario Balotelli’s time with Liverpool was brief and hardly fondly-remembered, but his own exchange with the Welshman shows a side to the controversial striker that fans don’t get to witness.
Jordan Williams said: “After I took my penalty, he was one of the first people that came and put their arm around me. He was like, “I respect you so much because when I was that age, that’s how I was.” For him to go out of his way and say that was amazing.”
Now 25, the midfielder remained at Liverpool until 2018 but would be unable to add to his solitary appearance against Boro despite a number of match squad appearances. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have plenty of Reds stories to share from his time under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp, including a couple about Balotelli and his chaotic nature during his year in the Anfield dressing room.
Jordan Williams chuckled: “I’ve got plenty but there’s only a couple which I can actually say! He was an absolute top guy. Some people got the wrong perception of him. I’ve seen stories about him scoring own goals in training and that is probably true. I’ve seen it once. I just remember one incident, we were in the changing rooms and Brendan Rodgers was speaking to the lads. The ones on the bench were behind him and I just remember this opened tangerine and him throwing little pieces towards my face. A tangerine just slapped me around the face and I’m thinking, “Who was that?!” You can’t laugh or anything because the manager is speaking and I remember looking up and seeing Balotelli round the corner, by the toilets, just laughing his head off. This guy, I couldn’t believe he was throwing tangerines at my face while the manager was speaking. Rodgers couldn’t see me behind him and I was trying to hold my laugh in, it was horrible. He was a funny guy. Some of the stuff he did in training, I wouldn’t dream to do but I can only speak well of him.”
Balotelli might not have respected Rodgers but Williams certainly did with the Northern Irishman playing a vital role in his early career.
