Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti believes that though this year's Champions League came up with its own share of surprises, Liverpool winning the trophy was not something completely unexpected.
Verratti's team were knocked out of the tournament at the Round of 16 stage after losing to Manchester United over the course of two legs.
However, the 26-year-old believes that while it was disappointing for PSG not to have made progress, they were not the only team to have done so, with big clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Roma all going out at the same stage.
Terming this season's Champions League a strange one, the Italian explained that there was nothing strange with the way Liverpool went about their work in the tournament.
Verratti believes that the Reds reaped the benefits of making significant investments and their success was no fluke.
"It is true that once again we did not go all the way, but other clubs also fumbled", Verratti told Italian news agency ANSA.
"The Champions League is played through different stages and details. This year's edition was rather strange.
"Liverpool are a great club and made big investments and their success was not a fluke."
Liverpool will meet Europa League winners Chelsea in Istanbul in the UEFA Super Cup.
