Liverpool Football Club is more than 132 years old, it is steeped in history and that means there are countless incredible facts. Here are just 50!
Back to the beginning…
Anfield was first home to Everton before a rent dispute saw them move out and John Houlding then went on to form a new club, Liverpool FC, on June 3, 1892.
Liverpool first played in a blue and white kit as it was what was left over from Everton after they moved out of Anfield, it was not until 1964 that Liverpool played in an all red kit.
The Kop was built in 1906 and its name came from a small hill in South Africa known as Spion Kop.
Liverpool have had 22 different different managers since the club was formed in 1892, 21 were full-time.
Liverpool are the most successful club in English football, having won 50 major honours.
Liverpool was the first English professional club to have a sponsor’s logo on its shirt after a deal was agreed with Hitachi in 1979.
The club’s first match was on September 3, 1892 against Rotherham, Liverpool won 7-1 with a team largely sourced from Scotland.
The club have had 44 different captains throughout its history, Andrew Hannah was the first to don the armband.
Liverpool were on the first ever episode of Match of the Day, it aired on August 22, 1964 and showcased the Reds’ 3-2 win over Arsenal.
William Edward Barclay was Liverpool’s first manager, he won the Lancashire League and the Second Division while in charge between 1892 and 1895.
Impressive player records…
The most consecutive appearances by a Liverpool player is a whopping 417, set by Phil Neal between 1976 and 1983.
Ian Rush holds the record for the most number of goals scored, with 346. They came in a total 660 appearances.
Jerome Sinclair is the youngest player to play for Liverpool, debuting at the age of 16 years and six days in 2012 – against West Brom in the League Cup.
Steven Gerrard has scored the most penalties for Liverpool, with 47.
Ian Callaghan holds the record for the most appearances made for the club, he played 857 times for Liverpool between 1960 and 1978.
The longest-serving player is Elisha Scott, the goalkeeper played for Liverpool for 21 years and 51 days between 1913 and 1934.
Michael Owen is the only Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’Or, the prize for the best player in the world. He won in 2001.
Club icons…
The famous ‘This Is Anfield’ sign was first installed by Bill Shankly, but the original idea recommended said, ‘Welcome to Anfield’.
You’ll Never Walk Alone became the club’s anthem in the 1960s after Gerry and the Pacemakers’ version rocketed up the UK charts and was consistently played pre-match at Anfield. It was quickly adopted and claimed by the Kop as its own.
The Liver Bird is a symbol of the city of Liverpool and has always been on Liverpool’s club badge, though it is not a real creature.
Liverpool’s kits have been made by six different manufacturers (Umbro, Adidas, Reebok, Warrior, New Balance and Nike).
The Reds’ biggest-ever win came in an 11-0 win over Stromsgodset in September 1974, Bob Paisley was at the helm during the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup first round first leg meeting.
Liverpool won their first First Division title in 1901, the first of 19 up until 2020.
The 1980s was the club’s most-successful decade having won 15 trophies.
Legendary managers…
Shankly is the man who transformed the club after becoming manager in 1959, he won 10 pieces of silverware which included the club’s first FA Cup in 1965.
Liverpool’s Boot Room proved transformational and the bedrock for decades of success to follow, there were six original members: Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Ronnie Moran, Tom Saunders and Reuben Bennett.
The Shankly gates were erected in the memory of the great Shankly, they were officially unlocked by Nessie Shankly, Bill’s widow, in August 1982 in his honour.
Tom Watson was the longest-serving manager, he was at the helm for 19 years between 1896 and 1915. He won two First Division titles and a Second Division title.
Paisley is the club’s most successful manager, winning 21 pieces of silverware during his nine seasons as manager.
Only four Liverpool managers have been at the helm for more than 400 games (Tom Watson, Shankly, Paisley and Jurgen Klopp).
Kenny Dalglish became player-manager of Liverpool in 1985 after the resignation of Fagan, he was the first to do so in the club’s history.
Klopp holds the club record for the most league matches unbeaten with 44, from January 2019 to February 2020.
Liverpool hold the record for the earliest Premier League title win, becoming champions in 2019/20 with seven matches remaining.
Between April 2017 and January 2021, Liverpool were undefeated at Anfield for 68 Premier League games. It was the second-longest unbeaten home run in English top-flight history.
Liverpool have won 6 European Cups, the most of any English side.
Quirky facts…
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s grandma, Doreen Carling, was Alex Ferguson’s “first steady girlfriend,” the ex-Man United manager said.
Fourteen different players have scored on all 7 days of the week for the Reds (Coutinho, Fowler, Gerrard, Henderson, Heskey, Hyypia, Mane, McManaman, Milner, Origi, Owen, Riise, Rush, Salah).
In 1946, Jack Balmer became the only player to score three consecutive league hat-tricks for Liverpool.
Ex-Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino once held the Guinness World Record for the most high-fives in one minute (187).
Gerrard holds the record as the club’s longest-serving captain, wearing the armband for 12 years from 2003 to 2015.
Liverpool are the only club to contest a major final in three countries of mainland Britain. They have played in Glasgow, Cardiff and London.
The club was once involved in a match-fixing scandal with Man United back in 1915, four Liverpool players were found guilty of fixing the match for a 2-0 win to United.
Liverpool supporters can be heard singing You’ll Never Walk Alone on Pink Floyd’s 1971 song, Fearless.
Famous nights and transfers…
Darwin Nunez holds the record for the highest transfer fee, with Liverpool signing the Uruguayan from Benfica in 2022 in a deal worth £85 million including add-ons.
Liverpool’s record sale was Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £142 million in 2018.
Gerrard holds the record for the most goals scored in successive seasons, he scored in 16 consecutive campaigns – surpassing Billy Liddell‘s record set in 1960.
One of Liverpool’s greatest-ever nights was the Miracle of Istanbul – the Reds won their fifth European Cup in 2005, beating AC Milan on penalties after being 3-0 down at half time.
The club has not finished lower than eighth in the league since the 1954/55 season, when they came 11th.
Ned Doig is the oldest player to have played for Liverpool, he was 41 years and 165 days when he played against Newcastle in April 1908.
Gordon Hodgson has scored the most hat-tricks for the club, netting a total of 17 during his 11 seasons with the club between 1925 and 1936.
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