Big European clubs heading to Australian shores is nothing new. It's been happening for decades but the past five years has seen a multitude of tours.
Reds return to Oz
After their remarkable maiden tour of Australia in 2013, Liverpool returned in 2015 for friendly dates against Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United. James Milner starred with goals in both games, with crowds of 53,000 and 50,000 respectively.
The first International Champions Cup
Spanish giants Real Madrid, English big-spenders Manchester City and Italian powerhouse AS Roma made the trip to Australia for the first ever ICC tournament which included three games at the MCG, before heading off to China. No A-League clubs were involved.
Cristiano Ronaldo was memorably the star attraction as Real beat Man City 4-1 in front of 99,382 fans at the ‘G. City had actually started their tour with a behind-closed-doors friendly against sister club Melbourne City on the Gold Coast too.
International Champions Cup version 2.0
Juventus, Tottenham and UEFA Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid were included in the 2016 ICC, along with Melbourne Victory but crowds were well down on the previous tournament. Victory teenager Seb Pasquali provided a highlight with his display, prompting a move to Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam.
Liverpool & Aaron Chen shine in 2017
The Reds made their third visit to Australia in four years but their first to Sydney in May 2017. Liverpool won the game 3-0 over Sydney FC but the real talking point was ABC2’s coverage led by bemusing sideline reporter Aaron Chen.
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