First up is nineties wing wizard and thoroughly top bloke Mark Walters, who tells us about bunking in at Villa Park, gawping at Michel Platini and being rather partial to Halle Berry...

How does it feel being in HK?
Yeah, I love HK - it’s brilliant. I always enjoy coming here. I’ve been coming since ’99 with Phillips. Phil Neal was involved then and Alan Kennedy and I
enjoy it, yeah. Anytime I get the opportunity - which frankly has been every year, virtually - I come along.

What’s the banter like playing with a group of ex-players?
Oh, it’s fantastic. I mean that’s one of the plusses of coming on these things. You can talk about old times, reminisce. The camaraderie was always special between Liverpool players. John Barnes is here this time, Alan Kennedy’s here, Paul Walsh is here; so we all have a good laugh.

Do you find people identify you most as an ex-Liverpool player?
Yeah, in Hong Kong definitely. That’s what I’m most renowned for - for my days at Liverpool. So yeah, it’s nice.

People may identify you most as a Liverpool player but with Aston Villa being your hometown team, do you think of yourself primarily as a Villa player?
Yeah, I suppose in my head I do because when I was six or seven I used to sneak into the ground at Villa. I lived about a kilometre from the ground and I used to sneak in and watch my favourite players. So, I suppose in my head I do although I know that people perceive me as a former Liverpool player or a former Glasgow Rangers player. But I understand why because obviously I won more things at those clubs. At the end of the day I just enjoyed playing so if they reckon I did brilliantly or I didn’t...well, I’m a Villa player in my mind I suppose more than anything.

Going back over your career, what would you say was the footballing highlight?
Well obviously joining my hometown team was a fantastic achievement for me - Aston Villa. And then obviously the stuff I won at Rangers, the Super Cup I won at Villa, to be involved in the Cup at Liverpool. All those kind of things are my best memories. So basically my whole career! I enjoyed every minute and I’d obviously still be playing now - despite my terrible performance today! - if I could. I just love playing.

Moving on to the Champions League Final, what were your thoughts on that after the game?
I thought that Liverpool were excellent. I thought they had a game plan maybe a little bit negative because obviously they lost but I thought it worked out well before the first goal went in. Before that goal was conceded they contained Milan and played the better football. Gerrard and others had some great chances to put us one up and I think if we had have scored first we would have won because that’s the worst performance I’ve seen Milan play. They didn’t pass the ball at all...

...was that because they were bad or because Liverpool were good?
I think a bit of both possibly, but Liverpool were very good. Milan played poorly and didn’t look like scoring until that free kick. So, I was disappointed. It’s quite ironic, really - obviously with the first game a couple of years ago Milan were three up and we came back at them brilliantly to win and this time, in my opinion, we played the better football from start to finish and we didn’t get the result. We definitely gave ourselves a lot of credit in the performance at least. Unfortunately, it didn’t go for us but I thought they did themselves justice, Liverpool.

Does that performance stand them in good stead for this season? Is it a league-winning season for Liverpool this year?
Well, obviously they need to add to the squad. Chelsea and Man Utd are a little bit ahead. Arsenal are going to add to their squad and even Aston Villa, I hear, have got 40m pounds to spend so there’s going to be three or four teams who’ll spend big money. Liverpool, I think, are not far off Chelsea and Man Utd. A couple more acquisitions, particularly the ones they’ve been linked with, and I think they’ll be up there definitely.

Rafa gets sacked tomorrow and you’re appointed the manager. Who would you buy?
Well, at the minute my favourite player is Ronaldinho. I suppose because Ronaldo’s at Man Utd we couldn’t really take him! He’s a great player but Ronaldinho is absolutely superb.

Do you feel that the problem at Liverpool is the supply to the attackers or converting chances into goals?
I think possibly if we had like a young Michael Owen that would probably solve that problem. But I think a lot of people think we are too geared up for the Champions League only. I think maybe we need to focus on the league a little bit more because for me that’s the bread and butter. If we can do that maybe other things will follow because of that.

When you were growing up, who were your idols?
Well, Brian Little at Aston Villa, he was one of my favourite players. But obviously internationally Pele, Johan Cruyff - that trick I do I learnt from him! - people like that who were obviously world famous. But locally, at Aston Villa, Brian Little was my favourite.

Who was the best player you ever played with or against?
Best player I ever played with was probably John [Barnes] actually [as fate would have it, Barnesy is playing for his team on the pitch in front of Mark as Mark is speaking!]. I always admired him when I played against him...

...he’s not within earshot - you can say anything!
...ha ha! Although looking at him now, you’d never believe how good he was! No, John was the best player I ever played with. The best player I played against was Michel Platini when I played for Aston Villa against Juventus in the eighties. He was a great player - in fact I was probably too busy watching him instead of getting on with the game! But he was a fantastic player.

A bit of an undiplomatic question, but who was the worst player you ever played with?
The worst? Oooo! Ha ha! I don’t really want to say, actually! He might get to hear this! Nah, I’d rather not say but there’s a few! There’s a few! And actually one player...[Mark has us on the edge of our seats but then thinks better of it]...no, I won’t say it! I’ll keep it to myself!

We’ll get that off the record! Now for some serious questions. What was the first CD you bought?
The first CD I bought was...[struggles to recall the momentous purchase]...er, I think the name of the album was “Bodytalk” by, oh what’s the name of that singer...[we have no idea either]...I can’t remember the name but er...[suddenly bursting with enthusiasm] No! I tell a lie! It wasn’t, it was “Funking for Jamaica”! I can’t remember who sang the album but it was “Funking for Jamaica”. That was the first album I actually bought.

And what was the last CD you bought?
The last CD I bought? Because a friend of mine gets everything off the internet I haven’t bought one for a while but the last one I actually bought...

...we’ll assume all that downloading’s legal?
Oh yeah! Legal, yeah, yeah! It could have been, er...[long pause for thought]...Tupac or Notorious B.I.G. That was the last one I think I actually bought.

Favourite personality from history?
Oh gosh, you’re getting me now. Favourite personality, erm...well, I’d have loved to have met Nelson Mandela. Unfortunately, when Liverpool went to South Africa in about 1995 or 1996 I couldn’t make it and that was my biggest regret. So, I’d have loved to have met Nelson Mandela. People like that who have shaped history.

You can invite any three people to a dinner party. Who would they be?
Nelson Mandela would be one. Martin Luther King another. And probably Halle Berry! Ha ha ha! Yeah, Halle Berry!

Have you ever punched anyone?
Not for a long time, no. Not for a long time. Not since school. I was a bit of a naughty boy at school! But not since school, though.

Three things you’d take to a desert island?
Ha ha! Water. Food. And Halle Berry!

We’ve got a bit of a theme going here! So you’d like to be James Bond, then?
James Bond? Yeah, yeah, that’d be nice! That’d be nice!

We’ll look out for you after Daniel Craig’s finished! Finally, if you had to sing a karaoke song what song would it be?
Well, when you join Liverpool, funnily enough, you have to sing a song and the one I sang was “We Are The Champions” by Queen. I thought I’d sing that one. I know the words to that one!

You can give us a rendition for the website sometime!
Yeah, alright! A bad one though! A bad one! Yeah, sure!