Xabi Alonso always thought that a magical night in Istanbul five years ago would always be the pinnacle of his career – until now.

The Real Madrid midfielder still recalls Liverpool’s miraculous Champions League Final triumph over AC Milan with disbelief.

Alonso was at the heart of a comeback that saw the ­Merseysiders recover from three goals down at half-time to level at 3-3 before going on to win after a dramatic ­penalty shoot-out.

Tonight, though, Alonso has the chance to stand on the shoulders of giants when Spain meet Holland in the World Cup final at Johannesburg’s Soccer City.

Alonso, who scored Liverpool’s third goal that night in the Ataturk Stadium when he slammed home the rebound after his penalty had been saved, said: “Winning the World Cup would be even ­better than winning the Champions League in what will probably always be the greatest final ever.

The former Fulham manager held talks with Gerrard, his deputy Jamie Carragher and the academy ambassador, Kenny Dalglish, at the club's training ground, Melwood last week.

"I anticipate there might be a situation where other big clubs will try and sign Steven, but he gave no indication that he wanted to leave," Hodgson told LFC Weekly. "Nobody at the club wants him to go so I will be doing my utmost to make sure he stays. I am confident he will.

"I think they [the talks] went splendidly. I was very happy to meet the players and, of course, Kenny who I already know so well. I was delighted to see how positive they are. Everybody is looking forward to the new season."

He continued: "Obviously Steven and Jamie are the playing heartbeat of the club and it's very important we keep people like that with us." Hodgson also indicated that he will speak to Fernando Torres once his World Cup commitments with Spain are concluded after Sunday's final.