Who Are The Best Liverpool Players Ever? (Top 10)
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Who Are The Best Liverpool Players Ever? (Top 10)

Who Are The Best Liverpool Players Ever? (Top 10)

Liverpool FC are arguably the most successful club English football has ever seen, and one of the best in the world.

Their trophy haul speaks for itself, with six European cup trophies, eight FA Cups, 10 League Cups, one Club World Cup and twenty English league titles (joint-most number).

Many players have written their name into Liverpool folklore over this period, whether it be through the one-club status, unreal defensive performances, midfield magic or goal scoring numbers.

Here are the ten best player to pull on a Red shirt in the opinion of Football Park.

10 - Phil Thompson

The former Soccer Saturday pundit was once a stalwart at the back for The Reds, signing a professional contract with them a day after his 17th birthday in 1971.

After winning both Division One and the UEFA Cup in 1973, Thompson then displaced Larry Lloyd from starting centre-back, leading to the start of a five-year defensive partnership with club captain Emlyn Hughes.

His best performance at a young age came on the biggest of occasions, the coveted FA Cup final of 1974, as he did a job on Malcolm 'Supermac' Macdonald out of a game to preserve a clean sheet in a 3-0 rout.

Injury denied Thompson from playing more than a bit-part role in the 1976/77 season that had them in two finals, the first being the FA Cup which they lost 2-1 to Manchester United, and then the European Cup, where Tommy Smith filled in for him and scored as Liverpool won their first trophy of Europe's elite club competition.

The defender was appointed captain at the end of the 70's when Hughes departed, and got to lift the European Cup aloft in the 1981 final after beating Real Madrid 1-0, plus the League Cup - the first of four consecutive successes in that competition.

His Reds career eventually drew to a close in 1984, as Bob Paisley decided to pair Alan Hansen with Mark Lawrenson at the back instead, meaning Thompson didn't qualify for a medal in either the league, League Cup and European Cup victories - which saw him depart for Sheffield United before then returning as a coach under Kenny Dalglish the next year.

9 - Ray Clemence

The late Ray Clemence made 665 appearances between the sticks for Liverpool between 1967 to 1981, after signing from Scunthorpe United for £18,000.

In his first cup final since becoming the club's first choice 'keeper, Clemence had a good personal performance but was unlucky to concede twice in extra-time, as Arsenal won 2-1.

When Liverpool won the league and UEFA Cup double in 1973, Clemence played a key part in the UEFA Cup victory as he saved a penalty from Jupp Heynckes in the first-leg of the final to preserve Liverpool's 3-0 lead, which proved to be vital as Borussia Monchengladbach made somewhat of a comeback to win 2-0 in the second leg.

In the 1978/79 season, Clemence set a record that was never beaten under the 22-team league format, conceding just 16 goals in 42 matches - which was only broken by Chelsea's 15 goals conceded in 2004/05, although that was over a 38-game season.

His last game before being replaced by Bruce Grobbelaar was in the 1981 European Cup final, with the 'keeper signing off with a clean sheet and victory against Real Madrid.

8 - Virgil van Dijk

The current Liverpool captain has already earned his place in the top 10 list, despite still having more to add to the club since he remains at the highest level.

Moving for a then-world-record fee for a defender of £75m in January 2018, he finished fourth and made the Champions League final in his first six months at Anfield - although they lost the final 3-1.

The year after, he was a giant at the back for Liverpool with arguably the best individual season the Premier League has ever seen for a centre-back, as the club missed out on the title by just one point to Manchester City - but they did qualify for another Champions League final, this time winning 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur.

After finishing runner-up in the 2019 Ballon D'or to Lionel Messi, which many said he should have won, van Dijk then played in the Club World Cup Final as Liverpool won the competition for the first time, before ending their 30-year drought for league success by winning the Premier League by a mammoth 18 points and 99 overall.

After missing most of the 2020/21 season with an ACL injury, van Dijk returned next season and the club instantly bounced back by winning both domestic cups and reaching a third Champions League final in five years, but lost out to Real Madrid once more.

The Dutchman scored the only goal of the 2024 EFL Cup Final, in the 118th minute, as they beat Chelsea 1-0 after extra-time and won Man of the Match in the process.

Last season, under new manager Arne Slot, many pundits gave Liverpool no chance at beating Arsenal or Manchester City to the title; Despite this, they absolutely cruised to the title in arguably more dominant fashion that in 2019/20, beating Manchester City 2-0 home and away in the process.

7 - Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher certainly wasn't the player van Dijk is, but due to him having already retired and his sheer number of appearances after graduating through the academy, he ranks one spot above him for now.

Initially starting at the club as a fullback, Carragher's first taste of success came in 2001, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble - which was soon followed up by Community Shield and Super Cup victories.

With Rafael Benitez replacing Gerard Houlier as manager, the Spaniard moved Carragher into the centre-back position, and made 56 appearances there across Benitez's first season, which ended with Champions League victory in remarkable fashion, having beaten AC Milan on penalties after coming back from 3-0 down in the initial 90 minutes.

The Liverpudlian won the club's Player of the Year award at the end of the 2004/05 season for his contributions en-route to European success.

In the following season, Liverpool made the FA Cup Final and again won it on penalties after another comeback, despite Carragher actually scoring an own-goal in normal time.

The centre-back set a club record for the most amount of European appearances after the 2007 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, with 90 to break Ian Callaghan's record set in 1978.

Carragher was part of the side that made the 2007 Champions League final - a rematch of the Istanbul final just two years prior - however there was to be no happy ending this time, as the Italians deservedly won 2-1.

His final trophy for the club came in 2012, winning the League Cup with victory over Cardiff City on spot kicks, as the match had finished level at 2-2 - he retired the following year.

6 - Alan Hansen

The Scottish defender joined the club in 1977, and initially found himself behind the both Emelyn Hughes and Phil Thompson in the centre-back pecking order.

After Hughes was sold in 1979, Hansen was promoted to starting centre-back alongside Thompson and instantly helped the team win another English league title, before the League Cup and European Cup wins of 1981.

In Joe Fagan's first season as coach, Hansen once again starred as the club won the Division One, League Cup and European Cup treble.

This was to be his final European success, as the club were banned from any European competitions the next season as a result of the Heysel Disaster during a match between them and Juventus, that led to the deaths of 39 people.

The twilight years of his Reds career was to be restricted by constant knee injuries, which saw him make just six league appearances in 1988/89, although he did captain the side to 1989 FA Cup Final glory against city rivals Everton.

Overall, he won eight Division One titles, three European Cups, four League Cups and two FA Cups.

5 - Ian Rush

The Welsh striker was brought to the club in 1980, beating Manchester United for his signature for the then-19-year-old.

In 1981/82, Rush finished as the club's top scorer, with 30 in 49 games, beating the more established Kenny Dalglish to the accolade.

He won the 1984 PFA Young Player of the Year and the Football Writers Football of the Year Awards after helping Liverpool to retain their Division One and League One crowns plus add the European Cup to the trophy cabinet.

Rush scored both goals as The Reds beat Southampton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, to set up a Merseyside Derby in the 1986 final, which Liverpool won 3-1, with the Welshman named Man of the Match as the club won their first ever FA Cup and league double.

After departing for Juventus in 1986 during Liverpool's European absence post-Heysal, he returned to Anfield just two years later.

His first trophy back in the final was a repeat of the FA Cup final in his final season of his first spell, this time beating Everton 3-2.

His last league title came in 1990, a year after being denied by Michael Thomas' last-gasp goal at Anfield for Arsenal, with Rush scoring 18 Division One goals.

The Welshman still holds the all-time goalscoring record for Liverpool, with 346 goals in 660 appearances.

Overall, he won five league titles, three FA Cups, two European Cups and five League Cups across both spells.

4 - Mo Salah

The Egyptian King is still very much active at the club, but his contributions so far have made his spot at fourth more than justified.

Having signed six months before van Dijk, he has also won two Premier Leagues, a Champions League, an FA Cup, two League Cups and a Club World Cup.

On 19 October 2021, he became the only Liverpool player to score in nine consecutive matches with a strike against Atletico Madrid.

His second goal in that match made him the club's record goal scorer in the Champions League with 31, surpassing Steven Gerrard's total of 30.

A Puskas Award winner, Salah is the only opponent in Premier League history to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford and is the top African scorer in the league, having beaten Didier Drogba's tally.

He currently sits third in Liverpool's all-time scorers list, 39 behind Roger Hunt.

3 - Robbie Fowler

Nicknamed 'God' by the Kop faithful, Robbie Fowler first rose to prominence in the team in 1994/95 with 57 appearances, including a League Cup Final victory and the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history with four minutes and 33 seconds separating the first and third goal - a record only broken by Sadio Mane in 2015.

He was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons in 1995 and 1996.

Alongside his strike partner Stan Collymore, Fowler grabbed a brace in a now famous 4-3 victory over Newcastle United, who were at that point several points clear at the top of the table in a match voted as the best of the decade, although the win did lead to Newcastle's season collapsing and Manchester United winning the title.

He scored 17 times en route to Liverpool's 2000/01 treble of the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup, a season in which he also played as captain due to Jamie Redknapp's absence through injury.

The following season, his relationship with manager Houllier diminished and became a fringe player behind both Michael Owen and Emile Heskey, leading to his departure to Leeds United midway through the season.

He did return for a second spell in 2006, at the age of 30, which lasted a year and a half, although he was very much a bit-part player under Benitez and didn't even make the bench for the 2007 Champions League final.

2 - Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish became an instant hit when signed in 1977, scoring 31 goals in 62 games in his first season that saw him score the winning goal of the 1978 European Cup Final.

The Scottish forward played every league game until 1980/81, a season in which he still won the League Cup and the European Cup.

Partnering with Rush in the 1982/83 season, Dalglish was named the PFA Player's Player of the Year after netting 18 league goals to help The Reds retain their league crown.

In 1985, Dalglish was appointed player-manager, meaning he selected himself less often but still contributed to the team with crucial goals, such as his strike in a 1-0 win against Chelsea to win the league for Liverpool on the final day of the season.

He then scored six times in 18 league matches the next season, his final proper season before handing his place to the likes of Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge.

His final appearance came in 1990, although his final league goal was back in April 1987 against Nottingham Forest.

1 - Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard made 13 appearances in his debut season, as he acted as cover for the injured Jamie Redknapp.

In the 2000/01 cup treble season, Gerrard made 50 appearances as he already established himself as a key part in Liverpool's midfield, earning him the Young PFA Player of the Year Award.

Gerrard scored a goal in Liverpool's 2003 League Cup Final triumph over Manchester United, and was named club captain later that year after being vice-captain for short period.

His contribution in the 2005 Miracle of Istanbul was priceless, scoring the first of Liverpool's consolation goals from 3-0 down with a header and then winning the penalty that led to the equaliser, before the club won on penalties - Gerrard was fifth on the list but did not need to take one.

Although the rest of his Liverpool days were hardly glittering with trophy success, Gerrard remained at his influential best, including a goal on his 100th Champions League appearance to help thrash Real Madrid 4-0 in 2009, and another one when Liverpool beat rivals Manchester United 4-1 in their own back yard.

Many clubs wanted Stevie G, including well-known bids from Chelsea back in 2004 and Bayern Munich in 2011, although he rejected them as he valued winning anything for his boyhood club over winning three times the amount of silverware elsewhere.

After winning his final Liverpool trophy against Cardiff City in the League Cup Final in 2012, Gerrard came almightily close to lifting the Premier League and ending the more than two decade wait for league victory at the club, however The Reds fell short at the final hurdle.

He scored on his final Liverpool appearance before making a one season trip to play in the MLS, although the team did lose the game 6-1.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Ashton Cox

Writer

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