S'pore man paid S$1 to attend his 1st Liverpool match in 1991, 34 years later he was at Anfield celebrating their 20th Premier league title

Bernard Yeo has been a fan of Liverpool since the mid-80s.

A lifetime of dedication that stemmed from a decision he made while watching a random game on television. One team was wearing blue, the other was decked out in red.

He chose the red team.

So instead of reminiscing over the glory days of Everton's 1995 FA Cup triumph, he's been having a pretty good time over these past few decades.

Liverpool for life

Yeo remembers his first time watching Liverpool live. It was at the National Stadium in 1991, when Liverpool and Arsenal squared off in the Caltex Cup.

Student tickets were reportedly priced at S$3, but Yeo remembers paying just S$1 for this star studded game.

There were legendary names on both sides like English nationals John Barnes (Yeo's favourite player) and Tony Adams.

The match ended in a draw in regular time, but it's hard to imagine young Yeo caring too much at the moment.

45,000 diehard fans screaming their lungs out, in an atmosphere then-Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar described as "fantastic".

Fast forward 34 years and Liverpool once again found themselves stuck in a 1-1 draw as the final whistle blew, this time against Crystal Palace.

A now older Yeo probably didn't care that much this time either.

And he was in good company, no one at Anfield that day could care less about the two points dropped.

Yeo was at Liverpool with his family and other Singaporean Liverpool fans.

He described the scene on the final match day as being filled with "singing and cheering" since the morning. With the party atmosphere staying strong till well after the final whistle had sounded.

The parade the next day saw Liverpool jam packed with supporters. There was an estimated one million people attending the celebrations.

The celebrations were of course marred by senseless tragedy, when a car ploughed into supporters at Water Street.

Over 70 people were injured, with seven still in hospital as of May 30, but thankfully all are reportedly in stable condition.

Yeo himself was at the restaurant in Water Street, and told Mothership that if he had entered the restaurant 10 to 15 minutes later, he might have gotten caught up in the incident.

Some of the Singaporeans on the trip had booked hotels in Manchester due to the high prices in Liverpool, and found themselves facing quite a journey back to their accommodations.

Still, a Singaporean fan told CNA that the "true spirit of Liverpool fans" shone through even at shuttered train stations.

He said people were taking the situation positively, singing chants, queueing up in an orderly manner, and thanking police officers.

“I thought that was pure class from the fans.”

Here and back again

One cannot help but be curious why someone would go all the way to Liverpool to watch one match and attend a parade where a bus passes by quite quickly.

You don't even need to go all the way to Liverpool to witness this diehard attitude.

On the day of the match some open-top buses with very vocal Liverpool fans were roving around the city area.

Here's a video of their celebration.

It wasn't just Singapore either, with other countries, including Malaysia having their own open-top experience.

The enthusiasm is understandable, it's that strange mix of volume and novelty of achievements.

While Liverpool are now a 20-time champion, since 1991, when Yeo attended Liverpool's losing Caltex Cup effort, they have only won the league twice.

During the three decades, Liverpool has of course clocked many notable honours such as winning 2 Champions League, 3 FA Cups, 6 League Cups and 1 UEFA Cup.

But the EPL titles are in no way a given yet.

Could that relative novelty be the reason for this diehard enthusiasm?

Perhaps, but this does not appear to be the entire reason either.

Liverpool fans just don't stop talking and being extra enthusiastic about their team.

They could have finished 8th for the season, or have falsely claimed Alberto Aquilani was the missing piece for a title run, or had just endured the heartbreak of their greatest ever player slipping at the worst possible time. They just keep coming back.

Maybe it's a too literal undertaking of their famous creed, but they don't come alone either, there's always another fan right around the corner willing to back whatever far-out theory a complete stranger with the same jersey has to offer.

It is that kind of ready friendship that led Yeo to make fast friends with some Singaporeans on his trip to Liverpool last year. They then kept hanging out back in Singapore and eventually decided to go back to Liverpool for their historic 20th title.

A surprising depth of companionship stemming from quite a simple decision made earlier on in their life, they had chosen the red team.

All photos courtesy of Yeo