Is there anyone you’d have rather seen in this side?
The cult-hero… A footballing figure, that for some reason, is enormously loved at a club regardless of his (occasionally limited) ability!
There’s no science behind becoming a cult-hero at a football club. Ability is an afterthought in earning the title, behind traits such as passion, work-rate, like-ability, funniness of name and the odd defining moment of brilliance.
This cult-hero Liverpool Premier League XI is made of players who all had at least one of these characteristics in abundance!
SEE MORE:
Liverpool transfer news
GK) Jerzey Dudek
Dudek was a pretty good keeper for Liverpool, but he’ll forever be remembered for his heroics in the final 15 minutes of the Champions League final in 2005. First he made a jaw-dropping point blank save from Andriy Shevchenko, before embarking on the wobbly legs routine to win us the shoot-out, and confirm the greatest night in our history.
DR) Marcus Babbel
The likeable German was a key part of our side in 2001, who under Gerard Houllier, won five trophies in a single year. He was an excellent right-back, playing for the national side, and Bayern Munich previously. His career was decimated by contracting Guillain-Barre syndrome, and he was never the same player after he recovered, but is fondly remembered as perhaps our most talented right-back of the Premier League era.
DL) John Arne Riise
Any Liverpool defender who scores a thunderbolt freekick against Manchester United is destined to go down in folklore. As well as that particularly sublime Riise moment, the Norwegian scored 30 goals for us, which is a phenomenal record for a fullback over seven seasons.
DC) Djimi Traore
Djimi Traore has won more European Cups than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gianluigi Buffon and Arsenal football club, and we love him for it. Scorer of the most embarrassing own goal in Liverpool history, Traore will always be remembered as a pretty diabolical, but loveable, defender! He usually played at left-back, but we couldn’t leave him out.
DC) Daniel Agger
Covered in Liverpool tattoos, the Great Dane ended his stint on Merseyside last summer, when we allowed him to join boyhood club Brondby for a minimal fee as a thank you for his loyal service since signing in 2006. At his peak, Agger was wanted by Barcelona and countless other European behemoths – but he chose to ignore the money and the chance of guaranteed Champions League football to play for Liverpool. As a result, he’ll always be welcomed back to Anfield with open arms.
MR) Luis Garcia
The Spanish playmaker was about as frustrating as he was brilliant. For every lazy, selfish performance down the right, there was a moment of genius that left us Reds desperate for more. Garcia possessed magic in both boots, most famously shown when spanking a 30-yard volley against Juventus en route to European glory. His thumbsucking celebration became iconic, and his ‘Luis Garcia, he drinks sangria’ anthem is one of the best player songs heard on the Anfield terraces.
ML) Vladimir Smicer
Like the man on the other wing, Smicer got it wrong quite a lot, but when he got it right, he did so with venom and fervour. The Czech international was told before the Champions League final in 2005 that his contract wouldn’t be renewed, and he started the game on the bench. But an injury to Harry Kewell saw him enter the fray, score our 2nd goal of the comeback – and bag his penalty in the shoot-out. He ran away kissing the badge. Cult-hero.
MC) Igor Biscan
Barcelona, Ajax, AC Milan and Juventus all wanted Igor Biscan in the 2000, but we won the race to his £5.5m signature, when that was a pretty sizeable transfer fee. Under Gerard Houllier though, he was awful – but his re-emergence under Rafa Benitez when all had written him off earned him cult status. During his final season in 2005, he put in some uncharacteristically fierce performances in the middle, which proved he wasn’t quite the tragedy once feared!
MC) Gary McAllister
Gerard Houllier’s most inspired signing? Potentially. When our former boss signed the 35-year-old Scot on a free, many fans questioned his judgement – but McAllister was a superb influence both in the dressing room and on the field, and his experience helped Steven Gerrard’s development too. Man of the Match in the UEFA Cup final victory in 2001, McAllister scored one and created three. He also scored a winner with a freekick in the Merseyside Derby, and was voted in at 32 in ‘100 Players Who Shook The Kop‘.
FC) Titi Camara
Remember Titi Camara? Guinea’s greatest ever forward signed for us in 1999, to compete with Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen for a starting striking berth. He scored nine goals in his one season with us, and is famous for deciding to play a game despite his father passing away the previous evening. He ran to the Anfield Road stand in tears.
FC) Dirk Kuyt
Kuyt arrived from Holland with an enviable goalscoring record, but became better known at Anfield for an outstanding work ethic, fierce teamwork and wonderful attitude. He notched 71 goals for us in total, most notably scoring a hat-trick against Manchester United in a home victory. Only Steven Gerrard and Ian Rush have scored more goals for Liverpool in the European Cup.
