Before every game, Adrian places a yellow towel in his goal. It is no ordinary towel, either: a gift from his family, it is covered in messages freighted with meaning.

In one corner is inscribed the motto la humildad te hace grande - 'humility makes you great'; in another are pictures of his wife Tamara and their children Enzo and Eric; there are also the legends 'Liverpool FC' and 'You’ll Never Walk Alone'.

“All in one towel!” Adrian says, with a laugh. “So imagine how special it is.”

It certainly is precious for Adrian. The Liverpool goalkeeper freely admits he is a superstitious sort: it is why the towel is yellow – the colour of his goalkeeper’s shirt at his first club, Real Betis – and why it carries the number 13, the only number he will wear.

Both yellow and 13 represent good luck in Spain. Adrian was offered the No1 jersey when he left Spain to join West Ham six years ago because first-choice goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen wore 22. He turned it down.

It would have happened at Liverpool, too, where there was the twist of Alisson Becker taking the No1 shirt before there was even a hint of Adrian signing. Up until then Alisson had worn, yes, 13.