The Liverpool Club was founded by John Houlding as a result of a split with Everton F.C in 1892. Not many know that the new club was called Everton Athletic but the Football Association would not allow this name to be chosen due to its resemblance to the original club, so the fresh club was renamed Liverpool F.C.
The club won their first League championship in 1901 and is probably the most successful club in the history of English Football. Over this period of time, there have been so many Legendary players who have contributed to the success of the Reds, that it’s definitely tough to choose an All-time XI. Let’s see who made it to our list of Liverpool’s best 11 of all time.
A Glimpse of Liverpool”s all time best XI
Ray Clemence – Goalkeeper
Born in Skegness, on the east coast of England, he was arguably the best shot-stopper in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. The ex-Scunthorpe United gloveman performed consistently under his manager Billy Shankly and replaced Tommy Lawrence as the mainstay of the team from 1970.
Bought by Liverpool during the summer of 1967 for a mere £18,000, nobody would have thought that the 18-year-old would go onto play 665 matches for the Merseyside club with a record 332 clean sheets. That is almost one clean sheet every two matches!
Such was the impact of the athletic and agile keeper who won 5 Premier League titles between 1972-1980. With 61 England team caps and a 22 years long career, he became one of the few players to play 1000 or more professional matches.
The Three-Lions international was the member of a three-time Champions League-winning team as he ended his Reds career on a sweet note by beating Real Madrid in the 1981 CL final.
Alan Kennedy – Left Back
From Roberto Carlos to Dani Alves, from Patrice Evra to Marcos Alonso, attacking full-backs have always been an asset for any team, and so was Alan Kennedy who had a knack of scoring decisive goals that helped Liverpool clinch Trophies.
He is famous for his two Champions League-winning goals as he tallied the winner against
Real Madrid in 1981 and the winning penalty against Roma in 1984. The two goals have been the highlight of his career and are etched in the hearts of the Reds fans forever.
Along with strength and talent, his never give up attitude and sheer determination made him the player he was. The Newcastle player was brought to Liverpool by Paisley in 1978 and went on to win 5 English league and 2 Champions League titles in an 8-year career with the Reds.
Alan Hansen – Centre Back
The Merseyside club legend started as a left-back as he was brought in as a 22-year old to Anfield in 1977. In 1979 as the incumbent CB Emlyn Hughes departed for Wolves, Hansen cemented his place as a centre back and made it his own, conceding just a covetous 16 goals in the 78-79 season.
Regarded by many as the best Liverpool centre-half ever, he was known for his acute reading of the game and crazy tackling. The Scot went on to gain 620 Red Caps and has one of the most decorated trophy cabinets which included a whopping 8 premier league titles and 3 European cups. He captained Liverpool to their first double ever.
The naturally athletic legend spanned a 14 season career with the Reds which ended in 1991.
Virgil Van Dijk – Centre Back
Many football pundits would not consider Van Dijk in their All-time Liverpool XI due to his career span, however, what he has done in such a limited period of time is mind-boggling. Since his arrival at the Anfield in January 2018, he has transformed the backline of the team and also the Reds team as a whole.
In his first two Champions League seasons with the Merseyside club, he helped them reach two consecutive finals, winning the latter. The Netherlands superstar was included in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season 2017-18, despite playing only moiety of the season in the Champions League.
In his first full season, he almost helped the Merseyside club clinch the 2018-19 EPL title but missed by a heartbreaking 1 point to ManCity. Known for his strength, agility and superb aerial skills, the Dutchman won the defender of the season award and man of the match in the UCL final 2019.
In August 2019 he became the first defender to win UPOTY and was the Ballon d’Or runner-up.
ALSO READ – 15 Virgil Van Djik Facts You Should Know!
Phil Neal – Right Back
Playing a club-record 365 consecutive games on the trot, sounds crazy and impossible right? Not for Phil ‘The Zico” Neal, who didn’t miss a single league match for the Reds from 14 December 1974 to 24 September 1983.
The ever-reliable full-back conquered the right flank with his excellent technique of taking the ball forward. The Englishman was the only person to feature in Liverpool’s first four European Cup victories.
Called ‘Zico’ by his fans due to the number of goals he scored in spite of being a defender,
The former Northampton Town athlete had an exceptional tally of 60 goals including two strikes in European Cup final victories in 1977 and 1984.
He boasted a record 22 medals with the Liverpool team including 8 League Championships, 4 League Cups and 4 European Cups, the most by any Reds player.
Steven Gerrard – Central Midfielder
If one has to honour only one player as Mr.Liverpool, with due respect to other players like Dalglish and Rush, it has to be the most revered Steven Gerrard. Known as “Captain Fantastic” for his magnificent leadership skills, the midfielder was both an inspiration and a hero for 17 long years.
He debuted for the Kopites against Blackburn Rovers on 28 November 1998, what turned out to be an iconic day in the history of the Liverpool club. The England international settled his place as a midfielder played 710 matches and scored 186 goals for the Reds. The legend lightened the Anfield with his long-range strikes, shuddering tackles and crazy speed.
The man with the armband helped the Reds lift the Champions League 2005 by scoring the crucial opening goal and winning the penalty for the second in the final as he was awarded the Man of the Match.
Rated as the best Liverpool ever, Gerrard won a total of two FA Cups, three League Cups and a UEFA Cup with Liverpool and perhaps is the most celebrated player to not win a premier league title.
Graeme Souness – Central Midfielder
Graeme Souness was the complete midfielder and the midfield maestro every team desired to have in its team. Born in the capital of Scotland, the player had classy passing, elegant touch, poised tackling skills and striking domination in him.
The captain who led the Reds fearlessly had an ice-cool temperament which made him perform in the big matches. He made crucial tackles and scored important goals including the spot-kick which inspired the Reds to a fourth European Cup triumph in 1984.
The player represented Liverpool for an 8 year period (1978-86) and led the Reds to a treble of the League title, League Cup and European Cup in 1984.
Before leaving for Sampdoria in 1986 for a then massive £650,000, he had glowing silverware behind his back with 5 English league titles, 3 League Cups and 3 European cups.
Despite his poor managerial stint with the Merseyside team in the 1980s, his image has not been smudged and is still regarded as one of the best players of Liverpool ever.
Luis Suarez – Right Winger
16 minutes into his debut as a substitute with the Reds, Luis Suarez stamped his authority by registering his name on the score-sheet against Stoke City on February 2, 2011. The Uruguayan striker played 133 matches for Liverpool and tallied 82 goals.
Known for his creative and sublime finishing, the forward donned the iconic no.7 jersey. In his first Liverpool season with the Reds, he found the back of the net 17 times including the crucial leveler in FA Cup semi-final against rivals Everton
In the 2012-13 season, he scored 30 times in all competitions and won the Standard Chartered Player of the year award and also the PFA Players’ Player of the Year the next year.
Despite the Ex-Ajax player being one of the most controversial Liverpool players ever, he left a remarkable impact on the side’s performance. In July 2014, he was signed by Barcelona for a then club-record £75,000,000 fee.
Billy Liddell – Left Winger
There are players who make an impact, but then there are players who define the symbol of
greatness. William Beveridge Liddell was such a legend that during his reign Liverpool was called ‘Liddellpool’ by the football fans.
The Scotsman was perhaps the greatest role model to ever play for Liverpool. The Gentleman during the course of his illustrious 23-year career was never booked and captained the club with distinction.
King Billy scored 228 goals in 534 appearances thereby becoming Liverpool’s leading league scorer in the league in eight of the seasons from 1949–50 to 1957–58 and had the Second World-War not occurred, he was on his way to breaking many other records including most appearances.
Sadly, the legend is no more amongst us as he succumbed while fighting Alzheimer’s but ‘Give it to Billy’ chants still resonate in the ears and hearts of the ‘Liddellpool’ fans.
Kenny Dalglish – Attacking Midfielder/Forward
Not many players can fill the boots of a player like Kevin Keegan, but Kenny Dalgish did it, and he did it very well. Dalglish arrived at Anfield from Celtics in 1977 for a fee of £440,000.
Very few have accomplished success both as a player and a manager in the premier league. Dalglish is one of the most decorated players Liverpool has ever had, he won 6 premier league titles and 3 European League titles in his 13 year Reds career.
The Glasgow born forward netted 172 goals in 552 appearances and only if his assists were recorded in that era he would have had even more incredible stats.
He is still remembered as ‘King Kenny’ for his valuable contribution to the Merseyside club and the way he managed the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989 where 96 supporters succumbed to injuries.
Ian Rush – Forward
Rush was a pure goal machine, no Liverpool striker has had more success than the Legendary Rush. The forward was a nightmare for the defenders because of his blistering pace and eagle-eyed anticipation.
None other than Paisley identified his talent and the club paid a record fee of £300,000 for a teenager to get Ian Rush from Chester in 1980.
The iconic striker represented Liverpool for 14 years in two different spells (1980-86, 1988-96) divided by a short stint with Juventus.
He scored at an insane rate for Liverpool with a total of 346 breathtaking goals tally in 660 appearances. He was honoured with PFA Young Player of the Year in 1983 and PFA’s Player of the year in 1984.
The Welshman conquered five league titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and a European Cup during his time with the Merseyside club.
The manager of the Greatest All-time team has to be none other than the brilliant Bob Paisley.
Some honourable mentions :
Goalkeepers: Bruce Grobbelaar, Pepe Reina.
Defenders: Emlyn Hughes, Jamie Carragher, Tommy Smith, Sami Hyypia.
Midfielders: Ray Kennedy, Terry McDermott, Xabi Alonso, John Barnes.
Strikers: Kevin Keegan, Robbie Fowler, Mohamed Salah, Fernando Torres.
