Every Liverpool Player Who Has Won FWA Footballer of the Year
By Charlie Stewart
On 24th July 2020, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was announced as the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year after leading the Reds to their first league title in 30 years.
In doing so, Henderson became the 12th Liverpool player to win the prize - joining an exclusive club with some of the biggest names to have played at Anfield.
Here is every Liverpool player who has won FWA Footballer of the Year.
1. Ian Callaghan (1973/74)
Despite missing out on the league title by five points to Don Revie's Leeds United, Liverpool's all-time record appearance maker Ian Callaghan picked up the award.
In Bill Shankly's final season in charge of Liverpool, Callaghan featured in every single First Division fixture, as well as making an appearance in all nine games as the Reds won the FA Cup.
Callaghan left Liverpool in 1978, ending a 19-year spell at Anfield which saw him make 857 appearances in all competitions.
2. Kevin Keegan (1975-76)
Kevin Keegan spent six seasons at Anfield, and enjoyed incredible success, winning nine trophies from 1971-77.
Perhaps his best year in a Liverpool shirt was in the 1975/76 season. The Englishman played 41 games in the league, scoring 12 as Liverpool pipped Queens Park Rangers to the league title by just one point. In the same season, Keegan scored in both legs of the UEFA Cup final against Club Brugge.
After leaving Liverpool for Hamburg in 1977, Keegan went onto more success, winning two Ballon d'Or awards and a Bundesliga title.
His managerial career was less impressive, however, with his most memorable moment being his infamous "I would love it if we beat them" speech.
3. Emlyn Hughes (1976-77)
Next up on the list is English defender Emlyn Hughes.
Hughes signed for Liverpool from Blackpool in 1967, and captained them from 1973 up to his departure in 1979. In his early years, he showed his versatility, playing in defence and in midfield. Hughes earned the nickname 'crazy horse' after a rugby tackle against Newcastle United.
In the 1976/77 season, Hughes captained Bob Paisley's side to a second league title in a row, as well as a European Cup.
During his spell at Anfield, Hughes won four league titles, two European Cups, and an FA Cup, and briefly captained the English national team in 1974.
4. Kenny Dalglish (1978-79 & 1982-83)
After a highly successful eight-year spell at Celtic, Kenny Dalglish was brought to Anfield by Bob Paisley for a then-record British transfer fee of £440,000 in 1977, replacing the outgoing Kevin Keegan.
It is safe to say the Scotsman was an adequate replacement.
King Kenny became a hero at Anfield, making 502 appearances, scoring 169 times, and winning the FWA Footballer of the Year award twice.
His first experience with the prize came in the 1978/79 season, scoring 21 goals as the Reds finished eight points clear of Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest to win the First Division title.
In 1982/83, Dalglish became only the fourth player to win the award twice, after scoring 18 goals to win the league, and defeating Manchester United in the League Cup final. The Scotsman finished as runner-up in the Ballon d'Or in 1983.
In his 13-year playing career at Anfield, won an astonishing 20 trophies, before guiding the Reds to a further 11 trophies over two spells as a manager.
5. Terry McDermott (1979-80)
Sporting a majestic tache and glorious curly locks to go with it, English midfielder Terry McDermott was one of Bob Paisley's first signings as Liverpool manager - joining from Newcastle United.
During an eight-year spell at Anfield, McDermott achieved mountains of success, winning 16 trophies.
The high point of his Liverpool career was surely his 1979/80 season, when he became the first player ever to win FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year in the same season as Liverpool won the league title.
McDermott returned to Newcastle in 1982, and had spells at Cork City and APOEL Nicosia before retiring in 1987.
6. Ian Rush (1983-84)
18-year old Welsh forward Ian Rush was signed for Liverpool in 1980 for a then-record fee for a teenager of £300,000.
Fast forward a few decades, and Rush is now Liverpool's all-time top goalscorer, netting 346 times in 660 appearances over two spells at Anfield.
Rush formed a lethal partnership with Kenny Dalglish in the 1983-84 season, and scored an astonishing 47 goals in all competitions, including 32 in the league and five in the European Cup as the Reds went on to lift both trophies.
The Welshman spent a year at Juventus before returning to Anfield in 1988, scoring twice off the bench in an FA Cup final to defeat Merseyside rivals Everton in his first season back.
7. John Barnes (1987-88 & 1989-90)
John Barnes arrived at Anfield from Watford in 1987, and made an instant impact, scoring 15 goals in his first season as Liverpool won the First Division title.
Two years later, Barnes managed to outdo himself, this time scoring 22 goals as a left winger, helping Liverpool to the 1989-90 title. This form saw him become one of only two Liverpool players to win the FWA Footballer of the Year award twice, joining his manager Kenny Dalglish.
Barnes ended his ten-year spell at Liverpool with 106 goals in 403 appearances.
8. Steve Nicol (1988-89)
Sandwiched in between John Barnes' wins is Scottish right-back Steve Nicol.
Arriving from Ayr United in 1981, Nicol became one of many successful Scotsmen to play for the Reds.
Despite missing out on the league title with virtually the last kick of the season against Arsenal, Nicol claimed the FWA Footballer of the Year award in the 1988/89 season, helping Liverpool to an FA Cup trophy.
Nicol left Anfield in 1994 having won four First Division titles, three FA Cups, and a European Cup.
9. Steven Gerrard (2008-09)
In the 2008-09 season, Steven Gerrard became the first Liverpool player to win FWA Footballer of the Year in 19 years, and the first to win it in the Premier League era.
The Reds' captain had the best goalscoring season of his career, netting 16 in the league and 24 in all competitions.
Despite winning ten of their last 11 games and only losing twice all season, Liverpool finished second in the league behind Manchester United. Nevertheless, Gerrard picked up the award.
Gerrard won nine trophies during his 17 years at Liverpool, got into PFA Team of the Year an astonishing eight times, and became the club's longest serving captain, wearing the armband from 2003 to 2015.
10. Luis Suarez (2013-14)
As brilliant as he was controversial, Luis Suarez scooped the prize after his astonishing 2013/14 season.
After missing the first five games of the season for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, Suarez made up for lost time by scoring six goals in his first four games.
The Uruguayan did not slow down, as he ended the season with 31 goals in 33 games - equalling the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season. Even more incredibly, Suarez did this without taking a single penalty.
After more biting nonsense in the 2014 World Cup, Suarez was sold to Barcelona, where he won the Champions League in his first season.
11. Mohamed Salah (2017-18)
After an unsuccessful spell at Chelsea, there were a few raised eyebrows when Liverpool shelled out over £35m to sign Roma winger Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian quickly silenced the doubters, breaking the Premier League's 38-game goal record, and scoring 44 in all competitions as the Reds reached the Champions League final.
While he didn't manage to hit the heights of the previous season, Salah won a second successive Premier League Golden Boot the season afterwards, as well as scoring the opening goal in the Champions League final against Spurs.
12. Jordan Henderson (2019-20)
There have been many question marks over whether Jordan Henderson had what it takes to succeed Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain, but the former Sunderland man has proven to be an excellent skipper.
The 30-year old has stepped his game up to a new level, scoring four goals and assisting a further five as Liverpool strolled to the title.
Henderson's energy, work rate, leadership, and composure have been vital to the Reds this season, and his form has seen him become the most recent recipient of the FWA Footballer of the Year award.