The last 20 Liverpool captains

We start with a captain who held the role for a few seasons, which is nice. When Bill Shankly brought Yeats, a Scottish centre half, over from his native country, he immediately named his new defender the captain. After being a staple of the starting lineup for a decade, in 1970 Shankly decided to revamp the roster, moving on from older players like Yeats. In 1970, he was out as captain, and he left the team in 1971.

Something of a “hard man” on the back line — Smith was nicknamed “The Anfield Iron” for a reason — Shankly turned to the defender after Yeats. Smith got the role in 1970, but maybe was not considered suited for it. A man known for his desire to intimidate opponents, he was only captain into 1973, even though he was with Liverpool through 1978.

Hughes didn’t just captain Liverpool, but also England. That probably helped him take the captaincy from Smith even when Smith was still an active regular for the Reds. Hughes captained the club through one of its greatest runs of success. He wore the armband for three First Division titles, but also two European Cups, the forerunner to the Champions League. Interestingly, after Hughes left Liverpool he would serve as a player-manager for Rotherham United for a couple years.

Shankly had a thing for centre backs serving as captain. Add Hughes to the mix as the guy who took over for Smith in the role. His time as captain was brief, 1978 into 1981, and he was still with the club when he lost the honor. Later, Thompson served as an assistant under Gerard Houllier and once served as caretaker manager during that time.

You may remember Souness’ name. He managed in England for years, most recently Newcastle United in 2006. At the end of his career, the Scot returned to Scotland and became player-manager for Rangers. Souness was captain of Liverpool from 1982 through 1984, when he left for Sampdoria where he had a couple productive years. This was at the time when Serie A was splashing the most cash in Europe.

Another Phil in the mix! Neal, a fullback, picked up some key goals and won eight First Division titles with Liverpool. It feels like his captaincy may have been a bit of a thank you. He was only captain during the 1984-85 season. The next year, he moved onto Bolton Wanderers, where he served as, yes, a player-manager.

If you are of a certain age, you know Hansen best as a commentator. Before that, though, the Scottish centre back was considered one of the best defenders of his generation. After the Heysel disaster, Kenny Dalglish took over as player-manager and he named Hansen the new captain of Liverpool. He had the role from 1985 through 1988…and then again later.

So, here’s what happened. In a preseason friendly before the 1988-89 season, Hansen suffered a dislocated knee. Knowing that the captain would miss most, perhaps all, of the season, Whelan was named the captain for the time being. Even when Hansen did return, the Irish midfielder kept the role through the end of the campaign, which concluded with an FA Cup win.

Now healthy, Hansen returned to the captain’s role for the 1989-90 season. He led Liverpool to another league title, his eighth as a player, but that was it. Hansen was not able to play during the 1990-91 season, and he retired after his friend Dalglish resigned as manager.

With Hansen retired, Whelan was reinstated as the captain for the 1990-91 season. However, he got injured and only played in 14 First Division games. While he was able to return, and stick around into the beginning of the Premier League’s history, Whelan would not be captain again.

Nicol is one of the most famous former Liverpool captains in the United States, owing to his long tenure as an MLS manager and his role as an ESPN commentator. In England, the Scottish right back is best known for his time with the Reds, with whom he made 343 league appearances. Now, his captaincy was brief, and born out of necessity. Nicol was captain during the 1990-91 season, the year Whelan was also captain but missed most of the season with injury.

Any viewers of LFC TV knows Wright. The centre back is unusual among captains of the club as he is no lifelong Liverpool man. He played 170 league games with Southampton and 144 with Derby County before he signed with Liverpool. Wright was named captain right out of the gate, though, and he had the role for two seasons. He lost the role in 1993, but stuck around with the club until 1998 when he retired.

Rush took over as captain from Wright, already a Liverpool legend. The Welshman remains the club’s all-time leading scorer. Maybe wary to name a forward captain, it took a long time before anybody named Rush captain of the club. He didn’t get the role until 1993, even though he joined the club in 1980. Rush served as captain through 1996 before moving onto Leeds United.

While Barnes played for England at the international level, he was born in Jamaica and would eventually manage Jamaica. Once an elite offensive force on the wing, by the end of his Liverpool run he was a central midfielder and had lost a step. Still, he was named captain for the 1996-97 season, though it didn’t keep him around. Barnes left for Newcastle on a free transfer after his sole season wearing the armband.

Ince is best remembered as a Manchester United player, or perhaps a Wolverhampton Wanderer, but after a brief turn with Inter Milan he returned to England to play for Liverpool. He was signed to replace Barnes, and also took over for him as captain. Unfortunately, Ince didn’t work out with the Reds. His ego got in the way, and after two seasons the club moved on.

A creative midfielder, Liverpool signed a young Redknapp from Bournemouth in 1991. After years of success with the club, Liverpool named Redknapp captain to replace Ince. It didn’t turn out well, on the field at least. Redknapp was captain from 1999 through 2002, but across those three seasons he only played in 26 Premier League games due to injury.

Maybe the greatest Finnish footballer ever, Hyypia did some replacement captaining while Redknapp was out with injury. Then, in 2002-03 he got to be the straight-up captain for the Reds. That would be his last season in the role, even though the centre back stuck around through the 2008-09 season. Hyypia played a key part in Liverpool’s Champions League win in 2005.

Hyypia was a fine player, but even he probably understands ceding the captaincy to Gerrard. The midfielder is one of the best players of his generation, and one of the best Liverpool players of all time. Plus, he was a hometown player who came up through the youth academy with the Reds. Gerrard was captain for a whopping 12 seasons, and he captained England at times as well. Leaving Liverpool for the MLS at the end of his career is the only reason he lost the captaincy. The club has had no greater captain.

Henderson was no slouch for Liverpool, either. While he wasn’t as good as Gerrard, the midfielder played 360 Premier League games for the club. “Hendo,” who played 81 caps for England as well, took over for Gerrard, and he kept the role through the end of the 2022-23 season. Not bad for a guy replacing a club legend.

One of the best centre backs for years, van Dijk brings us full circle. Like the days of Shankly, it’s the rock in the middle of your back line that wears the captain’s armband.