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Jermaine Pennant played the full 90 minutes of the final in Greece(Image: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Liverpool midfielder Jermaine Pennant will never forget the words of former Arsenal assistant manager Pat Rice.

Pennant, 42, endured a rollercoaster career, both on and off the pitch.

He famously started out with Arsenal, scoring a hat-trick on his Premier League debut at the age of 19, before a nomadic career that also took in spells at Birmingham City, the Reds, Stoke City and Leeds United, among a myriad of other clubs.

During his time at Anfield, Pennant arguably reached the pinnacle of club football, by playing in the Champions League final.

Afterwards, Pennant was able to look back on his time at Arsenal, where Rice, who worked closely with Arsene Wenger, seemingly doubted his ability to make it.

In a 2017 interview with the Guardian, when asked if those comments motivated him, Pennant said: "I definitely used it.

At Liverpool I said to my agent after scoring against Chelsea and playing in the Champions League final: 'I wonder if Pat watched the game tonight?’”

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Pennant remained at Anfield until January 2009, where he was sent on loan to Portsmouth, before departing Liverpool to join Real Zaragoza on a free transfer.

In the same interview, he added: "I saw Pat again when I played for Stoke against Arsenal a few times.

For Pat to say: 'You’re not going to make it’ and then I play the Champions League final and score against his team was pretty sweet.”

But while Wenger would have had the final say on Pennant's future in north London, the midfielder, who also played for Wolves, Wigan Athletic, Indian side Pune City, Singaporean outfit Tampine Rovers, Bury and Billericay Town, held no resentment towards Wenger.

When asked about the Frenchman, Pennant said: "Of all the managers I played under, Arsène had the most influence.
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