GOAL counts down the greatest Reds of the past quarter-century, based on talent, trophies, impact and longevity
After struggling terribly during the tail end of the 21st century, Liverpool have re-established themselves as one of the best clubs in world football over the past 25 years, winning two Champions Leagues and a UEFA Cup.
Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez played pivotal parts, with both men enjoying success in continental competition. However, it was only after the arrival of Jurgen Klopp, after yet another slump, that the Reds really reclaimed their place among the elite. Under the German, Liverpool not only ended their 30-year English title drought, they also won a sixth European Cup.
Of course, none of these things could have been achieved without top-class players, and Anfield has witnessed an awful lot of them over the past 25 years. Who are the best, though?
Below, GOAL counts down the 25 finest footballers to have lined out for Liverpool this century, with their inclusion and rankings taking a variety of factors into account, including talent, trophies, impact and longevity (only those to have spent at least three seasons at the club have been considered for selection).
As always, let us know in the comments section who should be higher, who should be lower, who shouldn't be there at all and who's been criminally overlooked!
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images Sport25Joel Matip
It was such a pity that Joel Matip's Liverpool career ended on such a low, with the Cameroonian suffering an ACL injury in December 2023 that ruled him out for the remainder of his final season at Anfield. If Klopp had remained as manager, Matip may well have been offered a new deal, given the German rated the defender so highly. After all, Matip had joined on a free transfer from Schalke in 2016 and went on to form a formidable centre-back pairing with Virgil van Dijk that provided the foundation for the 2019 Champions League success.
Injuries became an issue thereafter, but Matip still managed to become a cult hero on the Kop, as much for his character as the quality of his defender. As Klopp said, his assist against Spurs in Madrid "detonated an explosion in the LFC family. What a moment. What a player."
AdvertisementGetty Images24Daniel Sturridge
It's often forgotten just how good a player Daniel Sturridge was when fully fit – primarily because he could never stay fully fit for long. The former England international was plagued by injuries throughout his time at Anfield – he never managed to play more than 29 league games across a single season – but when he was in peak physical condition, he was sensational.
Sturridge was an atypical English forward in that he was technically gifted and blessed with a flair for the spectacular, making the partnership he formed with Luis Suarez, which so nearly propelled Liverpool to the 2013-14 title, box-office viewing. His injury issues prevented him from becoming a true Anfield great but he still scored 67 goals – some of which were utterly sublime.
Getty23Javier Mascherano
Javier Mascherano upset Liverpool fans with the way in which in went about securing a move to Barcelona and he knew it too. He even went so far as to dedicate the Blaugrana's 2011 Champions League final win over Manchester United to the Reds who supported him so enthusiastically during his time on Merseyside.
Mascherano had been easy to embrace, as he was the kind of snarling presence in the middle of the park that Liverpool had been so sorely lacking. With his aggression and underrated technical ability, he played a pivotal role in the run to the 2007 Champions League final. "He's a monster of a player," as Rafa Benitez famously enthused.
AFP22Diogo Jota
Plenty of Liverpool fans will freely admit that they were puzzled by the club's decision to pay £41 million ($55m) for Diogo Jota in September 2020, but the recruitment team knew exactly what they were doing. This was a hard-working and technically excellent attacker capable of playing anywhere across the forward line, making him an ideal signing for Klopp.
At the time of writing, he's scored 59 goals for Liverpool in all competitions, but it would have been so many more had he not been repeatedly sidelined by injury over the years. Indeed, Jamie Carragher has repeatedly argued that Jota is the best finisher the club has ever had during the Premier League era – which is quite the compliment when one considers the quality of his rivals for that particular title.