James Rodriguez makes surprise Liverpool Champions League final claim

The 30-year-old's admission comes as a surprise given his previous club connections and his links to Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti, who signed him for the Spaniards in 2014, for Bayern Munich and for the Toffees.

Having left Goodison Park last September, he is backing Jurgen Klopp's side to triumph in Paris.

Liverpool and Real Madrid battle it out at the Stade de France on May 28 with both keen to secure Europe's most coveted trophy once again.

The final will be a repeat of the encounter between both sides in Kyiv back in 2018, where Real secured a 3-1 victory courtesy of a brace from Gareth Bale.

And the reason Rodriguez will be a Red for the night is all down to one man - fellow Colombian Luis Diaz.

"I want Liverpool to be champion," he said. "I have many friends in Real Madrid and it is a difficult team for this type of match, but I want Lucho (Diaz) to win."

Should Diaz do so, Klopp's side would secure their seventh Champions League trophy and go level with AC Milan, and one ahead of Bayern Munich in the trophy table.

Diaz attracted plenty of interest prior to his move to the Reds, with Rodriguez's former club Everton keen to sign him last summer while, more recently, Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester United were tracking him.

But Rodriguez and another Colombian, Radamel Falcao, are understood to have played a part in persuading Diaz that Liverpool was the perfect next step for his career development.

Diaz has impressed with six goals and three assists since making a £45million switch from Porto to Anfield in January.

The 25-year-old picked up his latest assist in his side's 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night, helping Jurgen Klopp's side keep the pressure on Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title.

Diaz will now be keen to help his new side get their hands on a second trophy of the season, when they take on Chelsea in the FA Cup final this weekend.

He secured his first trophy as Liverpool defeated Thomas Tuchel's side in February's Carabao Cup final on penalties.

And should Liverpool complete a famous quadruple, Diaz's trophy haul for the season will actually be SIX.

He helped Porto with 25 league appearances earlier this season, making him eligible for a winners' medal.

And he also starred for his former club in the Taca de Portugal with Porto now facing Tondela in the final.

What a haul that would be!