It was supposed to be a quiet night in the south of France for , the billionaire co-owner of and the man tasked with dragging one of the biggest clubs in world football back to the top. He had taken his seat inside the stadium, prepared to watch his French side begin their campaign with optimism. But within minutes, that optimism turned into visible fury — and the source of his frustration wasn’t even connected to United. Instead, it came from a man whose contract still belongs to , a player Ratcliffe would probably rather not think about.
The name was . The Greek left-back, on loan at , had barely completed his first 90 minutes for the Italian side when he managed to ruin Ratcliffe’s night. With a single, perfectly measured cross, Tsimikas provided the assist that allowed Roma’s Gianluca Mancini to score the decisive goal against Nice, handing the French club — and by extension, Ratcliffe’s INEOS empire — a painful 2-1 defeat.
It was a moment that perfectly captured football’s brutal sense of irony. Tsimikas, a player United fans know as one of Liverpool’s dependable squad men, had become the hero for a foreign club — and the villain for a man who has invested hundreds of millions trying to restore United’s glory. The television cameras quickly found Ratcliffe’s face in the stands: his jaw tight, his eyes narrowed, his frustration obvious. This was not how the script was supposed to go.
For Ratcliffe, this sting was doubly painful because Nice is more than just a side project. Since his INEOS group acquired the French club back in 2019, he has spoken often about his ambition to turn them into a consistent force in Ligue 1 and a regular in European competition. There have been flashes of progress — a fourth-place finish, a strong run to the quarter-finals — but inconsistency has plagued them. And here, on a European night when they needed a statement performance, they were undone by a man wearing the colours of a club Ratcliffe probably despises more than any other.
Tsimikas’s night was almost cruelly perfect. It wasn’t just the assist; his defensive contribution, his energy down the left, and his composure under pressure all reminded fans why Liverpool signed him in the first place. When Roma doubled their lead just three minutes after Mancini’s goal, the sense of inevitability grew. Nice did claw a goal back through Terem Moffi’s late penalty, but it was too little, too late. Roma celebrated three points. Ratcliffe sat stone-faced.
For United supporters, Ratcliffe’s reaction has become a familiar sight. Ever since he officially became co-owner of the club earlier this year, cameras have delighted in capturing his emotions — joy, disappointment, disbelief — as he watches United’s turbulent performances. It has been over a decade since retired and United last lifted the Premier League trophy, and Ratcliffe’s investment is supposed to mark the start of a new era. But even when United aren’t playing, football finds ways to frustrate him
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In many ways, this particular defeat was symbolic of the scale of Ratcliffe’s challenge. He doesn’t just own United; his company INEOS owns stakes in multiple clubs, including Nice and in Switzerland. The idea was to create a network of teams that could share scouting, infrastructure, and expertise. But building a successful multi-club model is harder than it looks, especially when the football world keeps throwing unexpected setbacks his way — like a Liverpool loanee sinking one of his teams in a European tie.
It’s worth noting that Ratcliffe’s relationship with Nice has not always been straightforward. He has faced criticism from fans for not attending enough games and for a lack of investment compared to other ambitious Ligue 1 owners. Even he has admitted that he doesn’t enjoy French football as much as the English game, telling *The Times* earlier this year: “I don’t particularly enjoy going to watch Nice because there are some good players, but the level of football is not high enough for me to get excited.” Those words resurfaced quickly after the Roma game, as fans and pundits speculated about whether Ratcliffe’s frustration was aimed at the team’s performance, the state of French football, or simply the sight of a Liverpool player haunting him.
For Tsimikas, the night was a personal triumph. After finding his opportunities limited at Anfield due to the form of , he was sent on loan to Roma following Liverpool’s signing of . The move was seen as a chance to reboot his career, and he has wasted no time making an impression. His assist against Nice was the kind of delivery that Liverpool fans have seen before: precise, intelligent, and deadly. It’s the sort of contribution that makes you wonder whether the Reds might regret letting him go, even temporarily.
Tsimikas seemed to enjoy every second of his moment. After the match, he posted a celebratory photo on Instagram showing Mancini’s goal, decorated with red and yellow emojis — the colours of Roma. He also updated his bio to read “Scouser in Rome,” a small but telling detail that shows how much his connection to Liverpool still means to him. That bond is unlikely to be broken any time soon, especially since Roma do not have an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. He is, in many ways, still Liverpool’s man — and on that night, he was Liverpool’s man making Ratcliffe’s life a little more difficult.
For United fans watching from afar, the moment carried a mix of amusement and frustration. On one hand, there was something poetic about a Liverpool player — even one on loan — playing a role in frustrating a club owned by their greatest rivals. On the other hand, it highlighted the scale of the gap United still need to close. While Liverpool’s loanees are winning European games and contributing decisive moments, United’s own recruitment strategy remains under scrutiny. Their inconsistent performances, especially in Europe, are a reminder of how far the club still has to go to match their rivals.
It also raised questions about Ratcliffe’s wider footballing project. Is the multi-club model working as intended? Has INEOS spread itself too thin? And perhaps most importantly, how much longer will it take before Manchester United — the crown jewel of the INEOS football empire — returns to the summit of English and European football? These are questions that Ratcliffe will have to answer in the months ahead, particularly with pressure mounting on manager and growing dissatisfaction among the fanbase.
Meanwhile, Liverpool supporters took the opportunity to revel in the moment. Social media was filled with jokes and memes celebrating Tsimikas’s assist, with many pointing out how poetic it was that a Liverpool player had spoiled Ratcliffe’s evening. “Scouser in Rome ruins United owner’s night,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another added, “Imagine spending billions on United just to get knocked out of Europe by a Liverpool loanee.” It was all in good fun for the Anfield faithful — another chapter in one of football’s most intense rivalries
The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is built on history, pride, and decades of competition. It’s a rivalry that extends beyond the pitch — into boardrooms, transfer strategies, and global fanbases. And this was yet another reminder that in football, the smallest moments can have the biggest emotional impact. A single cross from Tsimikas, delivered with precision and purpose, was enough to make one of Britain’s richest men scowl in frustration.
Looking ahead, both clubs face crucial months. United are still searching for stability under Amorim, trying to rebuild confidence and identity after years of disappointment. Ratcliffe is expected to make major announcements about the club’s direction, including potential changes to their recruitment structure and youth development strategy. Meanwhile, Nice will need to regroup quickly in their Europa League campaign if they hope to progress from the group stage.
As for Tsimikas, his loan spell in Italy looks set to be an important chapter in his career. If he continues to deliver performances like this, he could either fight for a place back at Liverpool next season or attract significant interest from other top European clubs. His technical ability, combined with his work rate and tactical awareness, makes him a valuable asset — and nights like the one against Nice only enhance his reputation.
In the grand scheme of things, one Europa League group stage match won’t define Ratcliffe’s legacy or United’s future. But it does illustrate the unpredictable nature of football. You can spend billions on transfers, build state-of-the-art training facilities, and hire the best managers in the world — yet sometimes, your fate is decided by a cross from a player you weren’t even thinking about.
That’s why football remains so compelling. It’s not just about the goals or the trophies. It’s about the stories — the little ironies, the unexpected twists, the rivalries that burn as fiercely off the pitch as they do on it. For Ratcliffe, this was one of those stories: a night that should have been routine, turned upside down by a “Scouser in Rome.”
As the cameras cut away from Ratcliffe’s disappointed face and back to the jubilant Roma players celebrating on the pitch, one thing was clear: football has a wicked sense of humour. And for Manchester United’s billionaire co-owner, that humour came in the form of Kostas Tsimikas — a Liverpool player reminding him that in this sport, the rivalry never truly sleeps. Even when United aren’t involved, the battle for pride goes on.
In the end, Ratcliffe left the stadium with more questions than answers. His Nice project remains a work in progress, his Manchester United rebuild is still taking shape, and the weight of expectation continues to grow. But somewhere in Rome, Tsimikas was smiling — not just because of an assist, but because, for one night at least, he had written his own little chapter in the endless story of Liverpool vs. Manchester United. And judging by the reaction from both sets of supporters, it’s a chapter that will be remembered for a long time to come.
