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FORMER Liverpool FC midfielder Dietmar Hamann has revealed how he once lost £288,400 on a single bet – on cricket.

Hamann had taken up spread betting as a distraction from problems in his personal life, but suffered the massive loss on a cricket match between Australia and South Africa.

Writing in his autobiography The Didi Man, which is being serialised in a national newspaper, Hamann said: “I was spread betting because it requires more thought, and the more my brain was engaged the less I thought about the devastation I was feeling inside.

“That night I bought Australia for £2,800 at 340 runs. That meant for every run over 340 you win £2,800, but for every run under you lose the same amount.

“Australia collapsed for 237. It is a score I remember well. It cost me £288,400. Every wicket felt like a stab in the heart. By the end of the night I felt like I’d been scalped.

“The next day, when I looked at the mess that was me in the mirror, I said ‘Didi, things have got to change’.”

Hamann left Liverpool FC in July 2006, having made 253 appearances in the seven years he spent at the club.

The midfielder was a key part of the 2000/01 treble-winning side which lifted the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

He is also known for his heroics in the 2005 Champions League final against Milan in Istanbul. He came on as a half-time substitute and scored in the penalty shoot-out, despite having a broken toe.

The gambling problems began after his marriage fell apart and he left Liverpool FC to play for Manchester City.

The player said he had been in a dark place after leaving Liverpool, the club he said he had a “magnificent love affair” with.

German-born Hamann said he became “as much a Scouser as Jamie Carragher or Stevie Gerrard.”

The player said his gambling problems were exacerbated by insomnia and the fact he was drinking too much.

* The Didi Man: My Love Affair with Liverpool by Dietmar Hamann is published by Headline on February 2.