It is not always easy to notice the passage of time, but these photos of Liverpool players when they were young are brilliant for that reason – there are a lot of baby faces!
There is something satisfying about looking back in time and reflecting on images or clips that you remember first-hand or have never even seen before.
When it comes to Liverpool’s players and coaches, you may have charted their careers or have no conception of what they looked like before they ever arrived at Anfield.
To that end, let’s take a look at some cracking images of players when they were young and starting out in their careers.
Virgil van Dijk – Groningen
This is Van Dijk as a 21-year-old at Groningen in 2012, the club he joined at the age of 19 from Willem II.
It is here he made his professional debut, but he really doesn’t look like he has aged a day, does he?
Mo Salah – Chelsea
It does not feel nor look right to see Salah in Chelsea colours, it is as though it belongs to a parallel universe – or it should anyway!
This image is of a 22-year-old Salah in 2014, he would later be sent on loan to Fiorentina and Roma as Chelsea fumbled one of the greatest talents the Premier League has ever seen.
Their loss was Liverpool’s eventual gain.
Harvey Elliott – Fulham
Incredibly, this image is from the day Harvey Elliott made his first-team debut for Fulham as a 15-year-old in September 2018. He was still studying for his GCSEs!
A face with a lot less facial hair than we have grown accustomed to, but he really does seem older than he is having been around a senior environment for so long already.
He’s still just 21!
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool
There’s only been one club for Trent (let’s hope it stays that way!), he joined at the age of six and rose through the ranks to make himself an indispensable part of the team.
In this image, he is 16 and arriving at Swindon Town for a friendly match in the summer of 2015 – he started alongside the likes of Roberto Firmino, Lucas Leiva and Kolo Toure.
How the time flies.
Joe Gomez – Charlton
So much has changed with Gomez and yet so much remains the same, especially his mannerisms and facial expressions.
Gomez was at Charlton from the age of 10 (2007) until he joined the Reds in 2015, he’s gone on to have a rollercoaster of a career with incredible highs and lowly lows.
Caoimhin Kelleher – Liverpool
Look at this lanky version of Kelleher!
The Irishman switched to the Reds from Ringmahon Rangers in 2015 at the age of 17 and this is one of the earliest pictures of him featuring for the U18s not long after his arrival.
Cody Gakpo – PSV
Gakpo was a product of PSV’s academy, progressing through the youth teams before making his professional bow in 2016 – and only a year later he would face his future club.
The image above is from an under-23s pre-season friendly between Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven in 2017 – he’s instantly recognisable.
Ryan Gravenberch – Ajax
Gravenberch joined Ajax’s academy as an eight-year-old, but this picture is from his meeting against Liverpool in 2020 – when he was 18, still only very young – and he looks it.
Imagine telling this Gravenberch that he would later become one of the first names on the teamsheet at Liverpool and be key to their hopes of silverware in 2024/25.
Curtis Jones – Liverpool
Plenty will remember this version of Jones, a standout at the club’s academy for quite a few years.
He just hasn’t grown into his face fluff here, which is understandable as this image was taken in 2016 when he was only 15.
Andy Robertson – Hull
Hull was Robertson’s third club in his career, and this particular image was taken in 2015 when he was only 21 – the age Elliott is!
Has he changed all that much?
Alexis Mac Allister – Brighton
That is quite the scruffy beard, Macca!
It’s almost hard to remember a time Mac Allister was not a Red considering how seamless his transition was, but here is playing against Liverpool in 2020.
Ibrahima Konate – Leipzig
Baby Ibou!
Konate moved from France to Germany in 2017, with the then-18-year-old landing at Leipzig – let’s hope he never loses his child-like spirit.
Dominik Szoboszlai – Salzburg
Quite the different barnet from Szoboszlai here!
This is yet another instance of a current player having previously met Liverpool in European competition, with Szoboszlai featuring against the Reds in 2019.
Alisson – Roma
The 2016 version of Alisson Becker, not that you can tell there has been any passage of time!
He is just one of those players who has always had an aura to them.
Diogo Jota – Portugal U21s
We’re rolling the time back to 2018 for Jota when he was 21 and fresh off signing a permanent deal to join Wolves as they earned promotion to the Premier League.
You could convince us this picture was taken recently!
John Heitinga – Everton
Time for a look at the Liverpool coaches, starting with assistant coach Heitinga.
Here he is in 2009 playing for Everton as a 25-year-old, he signed for the Toffees that year from Atletico Madrid and went on to play 140 games.
Anfield beckoned in 2024, though, and we have to say he looks a lot better in red!
Arne Slot – Sparta Rotterdam
We’ve gone a little further back in time for this one, sorry Arne!
Slot was playing for Sparta Rotterdam, with this image taken in February 2009. If you want some context, Rio Ngumoha – who made his senior debut under Slot – was five months old.
Again, sorry Arne!
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