Generally speaking, Liverpool FC and its fans are not the kind of people who easily forget. A player performing well in a Liverpool shirt is a hero to an entire city but things do not remain the same after they move to other clubs. In the history of Liverpool, a few players’ important contributions have been forgotten due to several reasons. In this article, we will talk about the five forgotten stars of Liverpool.
#5 Ray Clemence
Clemence is in the list of forgotten stars of Liverpool simply because he was a goalkeeper, the most unglamorous position in football. Clemence was one of the best shot-stoppers in Europe in the ’80s and made 665 appearances for Liverpool. He made match-winning penalty saves during Liverpool’s victorious UEFA Cup campaigns of 1973 and 1976.
Clemence won five League titles and three European Cups during his time at Liverpool. He moved to Tottenham in 1981 and retired in 1988 as one of England’s greatest goalkeepers.
#4 Sami Hyypia
Arguably Finland’s greatest ever player, Hyypia was a constant presence at the back for nearly a decade at Liverpool. He signed for Liverpool in 1999 and went on to make 464 appearances. The move was an absolute bargain as Liverpool spent just 2.5 million pounds for a future captain.
Hyypia formed a memorable central defensive partnership with Jamie Carragher in the mid 2000s. From November 2001 to February 2006, he played in every single European game for Liverpool, a truly remarkable record. However, his name gets rarely mentioned when fans talk about yesteryear Liverpool stars, which is a shame considering his success at Anfield.
#3 Xabi Alonso
Considering his quiet persona, it is not a surprise that Alonso features in the list of forgotten stars of Liverpool. Alonso transformed the Liverpool midfield upon his arrival from Real Sociedad as a youngster. In his five year spell, he often opened up opposition defenses with spectacular long-range passes.
Alonso was also good at set-pieces and provided fluidity and control in the middle of the pitch. In the 2005 Champions League final, he completed the comeback with a composed penalty kick. He could have easily been a Liverpool legend had he stayed but chose for a new challenge with Real Madrid.
#2 Steve McManaman
McManaman is another player whose diminished popularity today owes a lot to his infamous transfer to Real Madrid. In the early ’90s, his formidable partnership with Robbie Fowler was a menace for the opposition. Both of them were also great friends off the pitch and later on, in their careers, both would feature for Manchester City.
McManaman had given so much for Liverpool, yet he did not have any significant trophy to show for his efforts. Hence, he decided to move to Madrid in 1999 and secured 11 trophies in just four seasons.
#1 Pepe Reina
Pepe Reina and Joe Hart are the only players in the history of the Premier League to have won the Golden Glove award consecutively for three seasons. Statistically, he was the best shot-stopper in the Premier League from 2005 to 2008 but Liverpool’s lack of success diminished Reina’s popularity too.
It is remarkable that Reina won by competing with Edwin Van der Sar and Petr Cech, two outstanding goalkeepers. It must also be stated that Cech and Van der Sar had legendary centre-back pairings in front of them and Reina never had that luxury. Reina surely deserves more admirers for his heroics at Liverpool and hence he is at the top of this list.
