Roberto Firmino – Liverpool’s marquee summer signing thus far – will wear the number eleven shirt next season, after our official website confirmed the choices for our new signings earlier this week.
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The 23-year-old, who signed for the Reds from Hoffenheim in a £29m deal last month (via BBC Sport), already wears the number for Brazil and has scored four goals in his first ten games for the five-time World Cup winners.
Firmino will now have to try and emulate five great Reds from times gone by who have all worn the shirt before him. We’ve listed each of those players for you below, along with three slightly more forgettable individuals who were less successful as our number eleven.
Five to remember…
Billy Liddell
Liddell spent his entire professional career with the Reds and is widely regarded as one of our greatest ever players. The winger scored 215 goals in 492 league games either side of the Second World War, spending a grand total of 23 years at Anfield. He helped lead us to our first league title in 24 years in 1947 and guided us to the FA Cup final three years later. He was nicknamed “Liddellpool” due to his influence and incredible loyalty.
Peter Thompson
Thompson joined the Reds from Preston in 1963 and spent the next decade on Merseyside, scoring 41 goals in 322 league games. He helped us to win two first division titles and the FA Cup, while he also won 16 caps for England in the 1960s. He was known for his great pace and he initially tormented defenders with that alone before, in his later years, having to adjust to playing a more traditional game. He finished his career with five years at Bolton.
Ian Callaghan
The man with the more appearances than any other Liverpool player – 857 of them in total, which is 120 more than Jamie Carragher and 147 more than Steven Gerrard. During his near 20 year spell with the Liverpool first-team the midfielder won five league titles, two FA Cups, two European Cups, two UEFA Cups, six Charity Shields and the Super Cup. He was a member of the England World Cup winning squad in 1966, receiving his medal in 2009.
Graeme Souness
Souness spent six memorable years at Anfield as a player, featuring 247 times in the league and scoring 38 goals. He was part of three European Cup triumphs, as well as five first division title wins and four League Cup victories. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to replicate that success at a managerial level, although he did lead the Reds to an FA Cup win in 1992. We beat Sunderland 2-0 in the final with Michael Thomas and Ian Rush scoring the goals.
Steve McMahon
McMahon played 204 league games and scored 29 goals in the late 1980s. He joined Liverpool two years after a four-year stay at Everton and crossed the Mersey via a short spell at Aston Villa. The journeyman midfielder later played for both Manchester City and Swindon Town but it was at Anfield where he enjoyed the most success. He won three first division titles and two FA Cups during his time with us, as well as four Charity Shields.
And three to forget…
Mark Gonzalez
The Chilean winger initially joined Liverpool in 2006. However, after being denied a work permit, he was forced out on loan to Real Sociedad. In July of that year he was eventually given permission to return to Merseyside. He only lasted a single season with us before moving again, this time to Real Betis. He made just 25 Premier League appearances in total and was injured within ten minutes of a League Cup tie against Arsenal which we lost 6-3.
Albert Riera
Riera came to Liverpool having just broken into the Spanish national team and looked an exciting prospect. He made his debut in memorable fashion, during a 2-1 win over Manchester United, and he ended his first season with us with a respectable five goals in 40 appearances. However, things went rapidly down hill from there – he was suspended after criticising manager Rafael Benitez and by the following summer he was off to Greece.
Oussama Assaidi
The Moroccan was one of Brendan Rodgers’ first signings at Liverpool but never showed enough quality to make his mark at Anfield on a consistent basis. He made just four Premier League appearances in total for us and endured two loan spells at Stoke City with varying success. He eventually joined Al Ahli Club in the United Arab Emirates and has since scored three times in his first 19 games. Safe to say that he’s probably found his level.
