Top 20 greatest Liverpool legends of all time: where are they today?

Liverpool's success is attributed to its legendary players who have played for the club throughout history. So, who are its legends? Check out some of these Liverpool legends, their contributions to their club, some of their achievements, and much more.

During the turn of the decade, Liverpool had seceded from the ground to rival teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. However, in the last couple of years, the club has bounced back to the top of the English football competition and is one of the dominant clubs. All thanks to its new young and fresh talent. This is similar to the 80s when Liverpool was also a dominant factor in English and European football. So, who is responsible for propelling the club to succeed both times?

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Liverpool legends today

Below is a list of Liverpool legends of all time, both former and current, who have impacted the Anfield-based club. They are ranked according to the number of goals each player has scored.

20. Bruce Grobbelaar

• Full name: Bruce David Grobbelaar
• Date of birth: 6 October 1957
• Place of birth: Durban, South Africa
• Age: 65 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Zimbabwean
• Liverpool career: 1981–1994
• Position(s): Goalkeeper
• Appearances: 628

Bruce Grobbelaar was a former Zimbabwean professional football goalkeeper. He is remembered for his gymnastic athletic ability and unwavering confidence. He had six league title medals, three FA Cup winner's medals, three Football League Cup winner's medals, and a European Cup winner's medal in 14 years at the club.

19. Bob Paisley

• Full name: Robert Paisley
• Date of birth: 23 January 1919
• Place of birth: Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, England
• Date of death: 14 February 1996 (aged 77)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1939–1954
• Position(s): Left-half
• Appearances: 277
• Goals: 13

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Bob Paisley worked as the team's director, manager, and player. Due to his accomplishments with the club, he is regarded as one of the greatest British managers.

18. Virgil Van Dijk

• Full name: Virgil Van Dijk
• Date of birth: 8 July 1991
• Place of birth: Breda, Netherlands
• Age: 31 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Dutch
• Liverpool career: 2018 to date
• Position(s): Defender
• Appearances: 201
• Goals: 17

This Dutch international has established himself as one of the finest defenders in Liverpool's history and the world during his stint with the club. Virgil's skillset of gracefully reading the game, coupled with his dominant physique, has helped Liverpool lift four major trophies. Virgil Van Dijk also leads Liverpool legends in FIFA 22 with 89 points.

17. Sami Hyypiä

• Full name: Sami Tuomas Hyypiä
• Date of birth: 7 October 1973
• Place of birth: Porvoo, Finland
• Age: 49 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Finnish
• Liverpool career: 1999–2009
• Position(s): Centre-back
• Appearances: 464
• Goals: 35

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Sami joined the team in May 1999. He played 464 games in the ten years, scored 35 goals, and took ten trophies. He is the only captain in the history of Liverpool who is not from the British Isles.

16. Emlyn Hughes

• Full name: Emlyn Walter Hughes
• Date of birth: 28 August 1947
• Place of birth: Barrow-in-Furness, England
• Date of death: 9 November 2004 (aged 57)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1967–1979
• Position(s): Defender, midfielder
• Appearances: 665
• Goals: 49

Hughes was one of the game's most gifted players. He began his career in Blackpool in 1964 and moved to Liverpool in 1967. Hughes retired from Liverpool after 665 appearances and 49 goals. He died at the age of 57 in 2004 at his home in Dore, Sheffield.

15. Peter Beardsley

• Full name: Peter Andrew Beardsley
• Date of birth: 18 January 1961
• Place of birth: Hexham, Northumberland, England
• Age: 61 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1987–1991
• Position(s): Forward, Midfielder
• Appearances: 175
• Goals: 59

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Peter used to play football as a forward or midfielder. In 1979, he made his professional debut with Carlisle United and joined Liverpool in 1987. During his career, he also played for several of England's top clubs, including Everton and Manchester United.

14. Steve McManaman

• Full name: Steve McManaman
• Date of birth: 11 February 1972
• Place of birth: Bootle, England
• Age: 50 years (as of March 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1990-1999
• Position(s): Winger
• Appearances: 364
• Goals: 66

Macca, as he's commonly referred is regarded as the most decorated English player to have ever played abroad.

The winger joined Liverpool at an impressively young age of 14, signed his first contract, and subsequently made his debut at 18. He made 364 appearences in 9 years and scored an impressive 66 goals while at Liverpool.

His best performance so far, and probably the one that won him many hearts and a spot on this list, were in the 1995 Coca-Cola Cup Final at Wembley when he scored two goals in a 2-1 win over Bolton.

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13. Ian Callaghan

• Full name: Ian Robert Callaghan
• Date of birth: 10 April 1942
• Place of birth: Toxteth, Liverpool, United Kingdom
• Age: 80 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1960-1978
• Position(s): Midfielder
• Appearances: 857
• Goals: 68

Who has played the most for Liverpool? Ian is regarded as one of the biggest legends with the most appearances on the team. He has previously played for Swansea City Association Football Club and Albert Rovers F.C.

12. Terry McDermott

• Full name: Terrence McDermott
• Date of birth: 8 December 1951
• Place of birth: Liverpool, England
• Age: 70 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1974-1982
• Position(s): Midfielder
• Appearances: 329
• Goals: 81

Terry's passion for football was sparked by his watching Liverpool players regularly. He had always dreamt of playing for the reds, and the opportunity finally came on 16 November 1974.

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This spectacular midfielder will go down as one of Liverpool's greatest players of all time because he scored one of the club's greatest, if not one of the greatest, goals of all time in the 1978 7-0 win against Tottenham at Anfield. In his time with the club, he made 329 appearences and scored an impressive 81 goals.

11. Fernando Torres

• Full name: Fernando José Torres Sanz
• Date of birth: 20 March 1984
• Place of birth: Fuenlabrada, Spain
• Age: 38 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Spanish
• Liverpool career: 2007–2011
• Position(s): Striker
• Appearances: 142
• Goals: 81

Fernando is a former striker who manages Spanish football and Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. He is regarded as one of the most well-liked football players in recent memory and rose to great heights at a young age.

10. Kevin Keegan

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• Full name: Joseph Kevin Keegan
• Date of birth: 14 February 1951
• Place of birth: Armthorpe, Doncaster, England
• Age: 71 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1971–1977
• Position(s): Forward
• Appearances: 323
• Goals: 100

Keegan is among the top 10 Liverpool legends who also served as a manager. He played for various teams during his career. He joined Liverpool in 1971 and had 323 appearances and 100 goals before leaving the club. Aside from football, he has appeared in television shows and even released his first single, It Ain't Easy, in 1972.

9. John Barnes

• Full name: John Charles Bryan Barnes
• Date of birth: 7 November 1963
• Place of birth: Kingston Jamaica
• Age: 59 (as of 2022)
• Nationality: British
• Liverpool career: 1987- 1997
• Position(s): Midfielder
• Appearances: 407
• Goals: 108

This Jamaican-born mid-fielder joined Liverpool when racial injustices against players of colour echoed throughout England.

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Known for his excellent dribbling skills, Barnes donned jersey number 10, which will always be associated with him at the club. He joined the club in 1987 from Watford and made 407 appearences, including 79 at international competitions. He scored 108 goals in 10 years.

8. Ian St John

• Full name: John St John
• Date of birth: 7 June 1938
• Place of birth: Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland
• Date of death: 1 March 2021 (aged 82)
• Nationality: Scottish
• Liverpool career: 1961–1971
• Position(s): Forward
• Appearances: 425
• Goals: 118

John was a professional footballer, coach, and broadcaster from Scotland. He left Liverpool on 25 August 1971 after 425 games and 118 goals. He died on 1 March 2021, at the age of 82, at Arrowe Park Hospital after a long illness.

7. Sadio Mane

• Full name: Sadio Mane
• Date of birth: 10 April 1992
• Place of birth: Bambali, Senegal
• Age: 30 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Senegalese
• Liverpool career: 2016-2022
• Position(s): Forward and winger
• Appearances: 269
• Goals: 120

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Sadio Mane is considered one of the club's greatest of all time. The Senegalese has established himself as one of the best wingers in the world. Since joining Anfield in 2016, he has scored an impressive 120 goals and made 38 assists, all in 269 appearances with the club.

Did Sadio Mane leave Liverpool? Yes, the footballer currently plays in the Senegalese national football team and Bayern Munich.

6. Mohamed Salah

• Full name: Mohammed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly
• Date of birth: 15 June 1992
• Place of birth: Basyoun, Egypt
• Age: 30 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Egyptian
• Liverpool career: 2017 to date
• Position(s): Winger
• Appearances: 274
• Goals: 170

Who is the biggest legend of Liverpool? This Egyptian is quite a formidable force to reckon with in the Premier League. He has become one of the most prolific forwards in European football and the Champions League. Mo' Salah has been an unstoppable scorer in the Premier League since he joined the Reds from AS Roma in 2017.

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Salah has played more than 274 and scored an impressive 170 goals as of 8 November 2022. He is currently leading the scoring charts of African players in the league.

5. Kenny Dalglish

• Full name: Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish
• Date of birth: 4 March 1951
• Place of birth: Glasgow, Scotland
• Age: 71 years (as of March 2022)
• Nationality: Scottish
• Liverpool career: 1977-1990 (Player), 1985-1991 and 2011-2012 (manager)
• Position(s): Forward
• Appearances: 515 as a player and 307 as a manager
• Goals: 172

Who is the most famous Liverpool player? This Scot's love and journey with Liverpool began at 15 years of age when he trialled for the team. Even though he was taken 11 years and 166 goals later at Celtic, he was recruited by the Reds. He served the club both as a player and a manager. As a player, he played 515 matches and scored 172 goals. As a manager, he saw the club through 307 games and won 187 matches.

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Despite all the achievements, his greatest legacy with the Reds is his dignified conduct in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, which happened when he was the club manager.

Kenny Dalglish has won several awards, including the 1983 Ballon d'Or Silver award, the 1983 PFA player of the year, and the FWA footballer of the year in 1979 and 1983. In 2018 he was Knighted for his contribution to football by the Queen.

4. Robbie Fowler

• Full name: Robert Bernard Fowler
• Date of birth: 9 April 1975
• Place of birth: Liverpool, England
• Age: 47 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1993-2001 and 2006-2007
• Position(s): Striker
• Appearances: 369
• Goals: 183

Robbie joined the Reds at the impressively young age of 17. His career with Liverpool started with a goal in his debut match, a 3-1 win against Fulham.

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He is revered as one of the most natural goal scorers to have ever worn the reds jersey and holds the record for the 7th highest goal scorer in the Premier League's history.

3. Steven Gerrard

• Full name: Steven George Gerrard
• Date of birth: 30 May 1980
• Place of birth: Merseyside, England
• Age: 42 years (as of March 2022)
• Nationality: English
• Liverpool career: 1998-2015
• Position(s): Midfielder
• Appearances: 710
• Goals: 186

Speed, raw power, a grace of touch, clinical finishing, shuddering tackles and persistence are some of the words used to describe Steven Gerrard, who helped Liverpool bag major trophies and had the 2006 FA cup named after him.

Revered by teammates and opponents alike, he is the only player to feature in Liverpool's all-time top five for both appearances and goals.

His journey with the club began at the tender age of nine in its academy, and he subsequently signed his first contract with the club eight years later.

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2. Billy Liddell

• Full name: William Beveridge Liddell
• Date of birth: 10 January 1922
• Place of birth: Townhill, Fife, Scotland
• Age: 79 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: Scottish
• Liverpool career: 1938-1961
• Position(s): Forward
• Appearances: 534
• Goals: 228

William Beveridge Liddell was a Scottish footballer who joined the club as a teenager in 1938. He played for the team until 1961 when he retired. He was Liverpool's top scorer in the league.

1. Ian Rush

• Full name: Ian James Rush
• Date of birth: 20 October 1961
• Place of birth: St Asaph, Wales
• Age: 61 years (as of 2022)
• Nationality: English/Welsh
• Liverpool career: 1980-1986 and 1988-1996
• Position(s): Winger
• Appearances: 660
• Goals: 346

Who is the best legend in Liverpool? The Welsh winger was the fan's favourite and set a record at Liverpool that will take a while to beat. With predictory instincts that were unmatched in the league during his time, he scored a record-breaking 346 goals in 660 games.

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Summary of Liverpool legends

Below is a table with the top 20 Liverpool legends.

Who is the best footballer in Liverpool?

Currently, the best player at Liverpool FC is Mohamed Salah. He has scored 170 goals in 274 appearances.

How many Liverpool legends are dead?

Some of the team's legends who passed away are Emlyn Hughes, who died at the age of 57 in 2004 at his home in Dore, Sheffield and Ian St John, who died on 1 March 2021, at the age of 82, at Arrowe Park Hospital after a long illness.

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Liverpool has a rich history, evident from the outlines above. The club's fans have been lucky to witness these Liverpool legends who have contributed immensely to their team.

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