Liverpool FC owner John Henry was full of praise for the city this week, as he explained to an audience of US businessmen why he decided to buy the club when it was in financial crisis four years ago.
Mr Henry purchased LFC in 2010, after it was left in turmoil following the joint ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillette.
Mr Henry, who is also the owner of the Boston Red Sox and the city’s Globe newspaper, began his speech to the Boston Chamber of Commerce by making comparisons between Boston and Liverpool.
He praised Liverpool’s “culture of toughness, intelligence and creativity”, and said how it reminded him of New England.
The very much in-form figure of Luis Suarez was also mentioned when Mr Henry compared him to the Boston Red Sox highly-valued designated hitter David Ortiz.
Mr Henry spoke of Suarez as being “the most exciting soccer player in the world”.
The Liverpool owner was quick to point out to his audience the importance of Liverpool FC as a global business brand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdwODgFBkhQ
He explained how Liverpool FC’s games against Manchester United attracted a worldwide audience nine times greater than that of America’s most popular sporting event, the NFL Superbowl.
He said: “What Americans don’t realise is that when we play our rivals Manchester United, the worldwide audience on television is just about a billion people, and that’s for a regular season match.”
Mr Henry’s comparisons between Liverpool and Boston continued as he mentioned that both cities were seaports on a famous river, both had a large Irish Catholic Community as well as both being college towns.
He finished by saying: “Both cities will excoriate me for comparing them, but like it or not they are kindred spirits.
“It’s no coincidence The Beatles came out that small town 50 years ago, and that the soccer club there is one of the most successful and biggest sports teams in history despite local economic climate.”