News: Best Liverpool Midfielders of All Time

The greatest Liverpool midfielders of all time are examined here, from the illustrious Liverpool of the 1970s and 1980s to the outstanding Liverpool team of today.

We thought it would be a great idea to look at the midfielders who actually drove those great Liverpool teams forward and controlled the game on the pitch in order to find out who among them makes the best Liverpool midfielders of all time. As the most successful team in England with 48 major trophies (excluding the Community Shield), Liverpool has had some of the greatest footballers in English football and sometimes even the world play for them.

Obviously, a large portion of the players on this list will come from Liverpool’s Golden Years in the 1970s and 1980s, when the team consistently won the domestic league and cups and established itself as one of the European Giants. But we have also made an effort to add players from eras other than those two. All of these all-time best midfielders for Liverpool, regardless of the era they played in, have sacrificed everything for the team, and both their quality and commitment are what put them on our list. let’s find out who they are:

Obviously, a large portion of the players on this list will come from Liverpool’s Golden Years in the 1970s and 1980s, when the team consistently won the domestic league and cups and established itself as one of the European Giants. But we have also made an effort to add players from eras other than those two. All of these all-time best midfielders for Liverpool, regardless of the era they played in, have sacrificed everything for the team, and both their quality and commitment are what put them on our list. let’s find out who they are:

Best Liverpool Midfielders Ever

The first player on our list of the greatest Liverpool midfielders in history is Steve Macmanaman, who enjoyed remarkable success both inside and outside of Liverpool. Check out the other people who made the list:

10. Steve Macmanaman

The legendary Macmanaman, one of Liverpool’s well-known Spice Boys and one of the most successful English players of the modern age, is at the top of our list of the finest Liverpool midfielders ever. Despite failing to win any league championships during his nine years at Liverpool, Macmanaman cemented his reputation as one of the best players of his period, which led to a transfer to Real Madrid, where he won the majority of his career awards.

An excellent dribbler and playmaker, Macmanaman could play in a variety of positions, including central midfield, winger, or attacking midfield, which along with his attacking skills made him one of the best players in his position during his time. His connections with players like Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler, who were the other “Spice Boys,” made Liverpool a lethal attacking team and helped them win two titles.

After leaving Liverpool in 1999, Macmanaman went on to win two Champions League and two La Liga championships with Real Madrid, while during his time at Liverpool, he only won one FA Cup and one League Cup. He once held the record for the most assists in the Premier League, and in 1997, he was included in the Team of the Year. All of this has led us to rank Steve Macmanaman as one of the greatest midfielders in Liverpool history.

9. Jan Molby

Since Jan Molby is Danish and has played 33 times for his country during his career, he is one of the few players on our list of the best-ever Liverpool midfielders who is not a British citizen. Molby spent the majority of his career with Liverpool, where he was a member for 12 years, from 1984 to 1996. Even though Molby rarely started games for the Reds on a consistent basis, he still had an impact on the team.

Following two outstanding seasons with Ajax, Molby moved to Liverpool in 1984, but it wasn’t until a year later that player-manager Kenny Dalglish felt confident enough in Molby to make him a regular starter. They won both the league and the FA Cup that year. By the end of his career, Molby had amassed 44 goals for Liverpool from the penalty spot, quickly becoming himself Liverpool’s first choice.

As a result of managing Liverpool’s tempo and inventive play in the 1990s, Liverpool went on to win the league twice more. Despite this, there were times when he was entirely ignored by managers and dropped off the first team.
Even though he experienced ups and downs throughout his tenure at Liverpool, Jan Molby eventually found himself on the pitch with some of the greatest Liverpool players of all time in the 1980s, solidifying his place among the club’s all-time finest midfielders. He played in 281 games for Liverpool and scored 58 goals, which helped the club win three First Division League championships and two FA Cup wins.

8. Jordan Henderson

Eighth in our ranking of Liverpool’s all-time top midfielders is the current club captain. Henderson, a Sunderland youth academy graduate who made his first team appearance, caught Liverpool’s eye relatively early and signed with the Reds in 2011 at the age of just 21. The majority of Henderson’s success with the club has come in recent years, despite early success in the shape of two domestic cup finals in his first season with the team, which led to a League Cup title.

Although Henderson may not possess the technical prowess of some of the greatest midfielders of his generation, his tenacity, stamina, and work ethic are unmatched, and he has consistently shown these qualities to manager Jurgen Klopp since he took over in 2015. He also has a remarkable ability to read the game, both offensively and defensively, which tremendously aids him in guiding Liverpool from the center of the field.

As previously said, the majority of Henderson’s success with Liverpool came in the last few years. Henderson has played more than 370 games for Liverpool and scored 29 goals. He has contributed to Liverpool winning the Champions League, one League Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup throughout his nine years with the team. But his greatest accomplishment—which truly qualifies him as one of the all-time top midfielders for Liverpool—was guiding the team to the Premier League championship last year, which ended the club’s 30-year drought without a league crown.

7. Jimmy Case

The legendary Jimmy Case, who was instrumental in making Liverpool one of the European Giants and one of the greatest English teams ever in the 1970s and early 1980s, is one of the more contentious but nonetheless outstanding players on our list of the all-time top Liverpool midfielders. Although he played for a number of other teams throughout his career, including Brighton and Southampton, he never stopped shining.

The three European Cups (now known as the Champions League) that he won with the club, however, may have been his greatest accomplishment with the organization. Two of those occurred back-to-back in 1977 and 1978. In his first season with the club, he also assisted Liverpool in winning the UEFA Cup, even scoring in the opening match of the championship against FC Bruges.

Jimmy Chase is without a doubt one of the most decorated players in Liverpool’s history, which, considering his position, also makes him one of the best Liverpool midfielders of all time. Jimmy Chase has won four league championships, three European Cups, one League Cup, and a UEFA Cup. Case’s time with the Reds was cut short in 1981 due to his alcoholism, but he is still affectionately regarded by Liverpool supporters and is still one of their all-time favorite players.

6. Terry Macdermott

Terry Macdermott, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle in 1974 and played for Liverpool for more than 7 seasons, is one of the most talented players in Liverpool’s history. Although it took Macdermott a few seasons to make a name for himself in Liverpool’s first team, he was unable to play in enough games to be awarded a champion’s medal for the league’s 1975–76 season. Though he began to play more frequently the following season, he soon joined Jimmy Case in becoming a crucial component of the greatest Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s.

Macdermott was a lethal player who was able to feed wonderful passes to Liverpool’s forward line and bring countless goals for Liverpool thanks to his tremendous stamina, winning mindset, great vision, and passing ability. He was also a skilled goal scorer, scoring at least 10 goals in three of his seven seasons with the team. He was among the best Liverpool midfielders of all time as a result of these factors.

5. Xabi Alonso

On our list of the top Liverpool midfielders ever, Xabi Alonso—one of the greatest Spanish players of all time—takes the fifth spot. Alonso, who rose to prominence while playing for Real Sociedad, joined the Reds in 2004 and built a reputation for himself there as one of the top midfielders of his time. He and Steven Gerrard had one of the top midfield partnerships in Europe, and together, they helped Liverpool go to two Champions League finals.

Steven Gerrard, who had a more attacking role and was freed by the defensive responsibilities that Xabi Alonso took, was ideal to play with because of Alonso’s outstanding passing range, long distance shoots, vision, tackling, and poise on the ball. He played a similar position for Spain’s midfield as well, giving players like Xavi, Iniesta, and Fabregas greater freedom to handle attacking responsibilities. He also did not hesitate to take shots at goal, which led to some of the most ridiculous goals from outside the box or from the halfway line.

Xabi Alonso spent 5 seasons at Liverpool, appearing in 210 games while scoring 19 goals. His deflected penalty goal in the Champions League final of the 2004–05 campaign, where they drew 3–3 with AC Milan and ultimately prevailed in the shootouts, may have been his most significant strike. The two-time Euro and 2010 World Cup champion has earned a spot on our list of the greatest Liverpool midfielders of all time because to his Champions League trophy and the FA Cup they won a year later.

4. John Barnes

Throughout his time at Liverpool, the left-footed midfielder and winger John Barnes, who had the physique of a rugby player, was a nightmare for many defenders. Barnes, who was speedy and had excellent technique, contributed to Liverpool’s success in the late 1980s after joining them in 1987 from Watford. He played deep into the Premier League years before leaving Liverpool in 1997, quickly establishing himself as one of the greatest midfielders in club history.

The majority of Barnes’ success at Liverpool occurred during his first four seasons there, when he consistently scored more than 15 goals per season and assisted the club in winning two league titles as well as an FA Cup. In three of his ten seasons at Liverpool, he was also named team of the year. He also won footballer of the year twice. His best season to date was the 1989–1990 campaign, when he scored 28 goals across all competitions and won Footballer of the Year.