Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has denied being involved in the doping scandal in Spain.
Westerveld, who is now 38, moved to Real Sociedad in 2001 for 4 years, after spending two seasons with Liverpool. Last week a former Real Sociedad director Inaki Badiola made allegations surrounding the close relationship between the La Liga club and a 'doping doctor', Eufemiano Fuentes, currently on trial in Spain.
Fuentes has admitted to working with footballers and other athletes.
Westerveld said that in his time only legal drugs were given to players:
'It all depended on the fixtures and the amount of games you were playing.
'There is a lot of legal help you can get. It was routine but not every week. With Champions League football you sometimes had four games in 10 days and needed some extra help.
'You can't do that with only spaghetti and steaks - you need some vitamin injections and then, when the winter kicks in, you need a flu injection and maybe you have a blood test which shows you are lacking iron and you will have an iron injection.'
But Westerveld insisted that he never took anything illegal and would be surprised if the claims were true.
'I will not put my hands into the fire and say doping didn't happen at Real Sociedad but I did not take anything illegal and I would be absolutely shocked if there was any truth to it.
'I was never given pills without being asked or knowing what they were. Every time you could see what it is. The only pills I took were caffeine, it was just like drinking cups of coffee and Red Bull. I had injections but only for vitamins to assist in recuperation.'
Sander Westerveld is still plying his trade in Cape Town, South Africa.
