Adam Lallana admits his rise to the top of English football has been a 'remarkable journey'.
The 26-year old midfielder came through the youth academy at Southampton before stepping into the senior ranks in 2006 in the lower leagues of England before going on to become captain of the south coast club.
This summer, Lallana made a £25million move to Liverpool after representing England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and has since played for the Reds in the Champions League against Real Madrid.
In an interview with The Mirror, Lallana spoke about his hectic 2014 which also saw him marry his partner Emily before suffering an injury which put a strain on his beginning at Anfield.
"This whole journey has been remarkable, really, when you see that five years ago I was with Southampton in the bottom three of League One. But you have to just live in the present," said Lallana.
"When I joined up (with Liverpool) for the first time, it was a huge thing. You get all the emotion, nervous. You get a bit intimidated but that soon goes after you have met up once or twice.
"Maybe it was different for me too, as I hadn't played in the Premier League for long but now, especially playing for Liverpool I know a lot of the lads, so it's great and I feel much more comfortable.
"Perhap there's more responsibility as a Liverpool player too, especially when you get younger lads stepping up in the position I was a few years ago. Look at Luke Shaw - he's 19, playing for England and a huge club like Manchester United. So yeah, I feel more responsibility now.
"But the big reason why I jumped at the opportunity to join Liverpool was because I knew they were in the Champions League. Playing at places like the Bernabeu, it's incredible experience, to be on the same pitch as Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema...
"Just being at Liverpool, too. It is different. There are no two ways about it. The expectation is there, and you are playing for a bigger club so you are expected to play better, and more consistently.
"It is something I have to embrace, especially where the Champions' League is concerned. But that helps you grow as a player. I think it helps with international football, because there are similarities there with the Champions League."
