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Jamie Carragher encountered Liverpool boss Arne Slot during his summer break, with the Dutchman presenting the former player to his wife and family as a "Champions League winner" - a remark that resonated deeply with the pundit.
The Reds secured Premier League triumph last season, though their European ambitions were dashed in the last 16 by eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain. The Merseysiders boast a magnificent European heritage and remain England's most accomplished club on the continental stage, having last conquered Europe in 2019.
Slot is eager to leave his mark in the Champions League, and Carragher observed how it was his European achievements that prompted the introduction when he encountered the Liverpool manager and his family.
Carragher featured in the 2005 squad that delivered the 'Miracle of Istanbul' - recovering from three goals down to beat AC Milan.
He would also appear in another final two years later, and the former player believes you can sense Slot's burning ambition for European glory.
He told Sky Sports: "I bumped into Slot last summer when we were both away on holiday. We were with our families, and I thanked him for what they'd done last season, and he introduced me as a Champions League winner to his wife and kids.
"I almost felt like he was suggesting that was his next step, I could feel it the way he said it. We've won the league, but now we want the Champions League, and it's just stuck with me. You can feel he wants that."
Liverpool has secured victories in three of its four matches to start this year's competition - dispatching both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
The Reds last reached the final in 2022 under Jurgen Klopp and, given their substantial summer investment, Carragher acknowledges that expectation levels will rise with the semifinals representing a minimum target.
Despite overcoming PSG in a first-leg encounter in the French capital last season, a defeat at Anfield led to a penalty shootout, which the Parisians claimed.
PSG earned widespread praise for its approach, defeating Aston Villa and Arsenal before overcoming Inter Milan in the final.
And Carragher has observed Slot's admiration for the Paris club, even suggesting he could accept Liverpool's Champions League defeat to PSG given their style of play.
"I think Slot has a little obsession with the Champions League," he said. "He spoke about PSG a lot last season, off the back of losing to them, he speaks so well of them, he almost admired losing to that team and the fact they won it.
"And the way they won it, the way they played in the final, I think he loves managers whose teams play like that."
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