Liverpool FC are arguably the biggest club in England, in term of trophies as well as rich club culture and heritage. The club now features one of the best academy facilities in the world for young and aspiring footballers. But it wasn’t always the case that Melwood was considered as one of the best academies in the world.
Only after the turn of the millennium, under the watchful eye of Gerard Houllier, Liverpool started focusing on their youth set-up and academy. The current crop of Liverpool stars from the academy includes Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams and Rhian Brewster. Some of the greatest players to have played for Liverpool have also come from the academy, like Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen.
Let us now have a look at the best players to have come out of the academy and play for Liverpool.
#3-JAMIE CARRAGHER –
Arguably the best defender to have come out of Liverpool’s academy, Jamie Carragher had a monumental career with the Reds. The versatile defender started his career as a right-back but gradually converted into a robust centre-back for the Scousers. His career spanned over 17 years and his loyalty with Liverpool was unquestionable as he is an epitome of a one-club man.
Carragher spent about 10 years as the vice-captain of Liverpool when fellow legend Steven Gerrard took the captain’s arm-band. The Reds centre-back is also the second-longest serving player, with 735 appearances for Liverpool to his name, in all competitions. Carragher is known for his high work ethic, no-nonsense style of defending and for his not-so-good crunching tackles.
The Liverpool legend has won the FA Cup twice, the League Cup thrice, the FA Community Shield twice, the 2004/05 Champions League, the 2000/01 UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup twice. Carragher has also bagged the Liverpool Player of the Season award twice, in 1999 and 2005.
#2-ROBBIE FOWLER –
Arguably the greatest striker to have played in a Liverpool shirt, Fowler didn’t do justice to the talent he possessed. Fowler made his debut as an 18-year teen when he scored all the five goals in a 5-0 win in the League Cup. The striker played for only about nine years, in two different stints, but is still regarded as one of the best strikers to have ever played for Liverpool.
Fowler was a ‘fox-in-the-box’ type of striker but was also known for his pace and shooting prowess. The centre-forward played 369 games for the Reds in both of his stints combined, in which he scored a total of 183 goals. He scored 25 and 28 goals in his first couple of top-flight leagues but in 1998 he got a severe knee injury which haunted him for the rest of his career.
With Liverpool, Fowler won an FA Cup, a couple of Football League Cups, the 2000/01 UEFA Cup and the 2001 UEFA Super Cup.
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#1-STEVEN GERRARD –
Arguably Liverpool’s best player in their history, Steven Gerrard is a prime example of a one-club man and an ideal sportsman. Gerrard is also regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation who can do it all, from long passes to scoring incredible goals. He played for Liverpool for a whopping 17 years and also captained the Merseysiders for most of his career.
Steven Gerrard is widely known for his never give up attitude, long passes, crunching tackles and long-range goals. He is without a doubt, the best player to have walked out of the Liverpool academy not just because of his individual talent but also because of the way he carried the team. The midfielder played a total of 710 games for the Reds in all competitions, in which he scored 186 goals.
With Liverpool, Gerrard won two FA Cups, three Football League Cups, an FA Community Shields, the 2004/05 Champions League, the 2000/01 UEFA Cup and the 2001 UEFA Super Cup. He also won the Liverpool Player of the Year thrice, UEFA Club footballer of the year once and also got a place in the UEFA Team of the century.
