Some incredible footballers have remained loyal to Liverpool for most, if not all, of their playing careers, but who are the 10 longest-serving Reds players?
Most would love the opportunity to stay at Anfield until the day the boots hang up, but for various reasons, that rarely happens.
However, there are a handful of lucky players who could call Liverpool their team for a long time to come.
Here, we list the 10 players with the longest period of time between their first and last appearance for the Reds.
10. Billy Liddell – 14 years and 239 days
Scotsman Liddell is one of only four players to surpass the 200-goal mark in Liverpool history.
In his early years at the club, he studied accounting alongside his football commitments, and his parents wanted to make sure he had something to fall back on if football didn’t work out.
They shouldn’t have worried about that, as Liddell went on to become one of the most prolific forwards in Reds history.
He scored on his debut, a 2–0 win over Crewe in January 1946, and made his final appearance for the club in a 1–0 loss to Southampton in August 1960.
9. Tommy Smith – 14 years and 352 days
Former Reds captain Smith earned the nickname ‘Anfield Iron’ due to his uncompromising style as a defender for his hometown club.
Despite that reputation, he was only sent off once in his 638 appearances for Liverpool, between May 1963 and April 1978, and saw them win four league titles, the European Cup, two FA Cups and two FA Cups. UEFA.
8. Jamie Carragher – 16 years and 131 days
An Evertonian from childhood, Carragher joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of 10 and would go on to play for the club throughout his career.
His debut came in a 2–1 loss to Middlesbrough in January 1997, the first of the Reds’ 737 appearances, the second most in club history.
He won nine major trophies, the pick of the group being the Champions League in 2005, before bowing out on the final day of the 2012-13 season.
7. Jack Balmer – 16 years and 155 days
Having played for Everton as an amateur, Balmer was released by the Toffees aged 19, and his loss was Liverpool’s gain.
Balmer’s superior skill and intelligence ensured that he became one of Liverpool’s greatest strikers, and he is still considered the man responsible for the club’s fastest goal after just 10 seconds against Everton in 1938.
A distinguished and loyal servant who is ranked 14th on Liverpool’s all-time top scorers list, Balmer played for the club between 1935 and 1952.
6. Steven Gerrard – 16 years and 177 days
Gerrard is third on the list of players with the most appearances in Liverpool history.
In an era when Liverpool largely struggled to compete at the highest level, Gerrard was the standout player by far. Having come through the academy, he signed his first professional contract in 1997, debuting the following year.
He would go on to become an all-time great, turning down lucrative offers from some of Europe’s top clubs in favor of staying at Anfield. His last game of appearance was at the end of the 2014-15 season, before ending his career in America with the LA Galaxy.
5. Ephraim Longworth – 17 years and 215 days
Born in Bolton in 1887, Longworth had a remarkable 18-year career as a Liverpool defender.
He played his first game for the Reds in 1910 and was a key player in the ruthless machine that won back-to-back league titles in the early 1920s.
The advent of the First World War robbed Ephraim of his best years, but he still managed 341 games for Liverpool.
4. Phil Taylor – 17 years and 287 days
A promising striker in his youth, Taylor eventually went on to carve out an incredible career at Liverpool as a classy defender.
He scored a last-minute Derby goal on his debut on 28 March 1936 and played for the Reds until 1954, making 345 appearances and representing England three times.
Taylor lived to be 95 years old and was believed to be the oldest living England international footballer at the time of his death.
3. Ian Callaghan – 17 years and 347 days
Surely there is no way to catch the player who made the most appearances for Liverpool (857), the great Ian Callaghan. He won six league titles, two FA Cups and two European Cups.
Having played more centrally as a full-back in his schoolboy days, at Anfield Callaghan was asked to play on the right, where he was able to use his power and pace to beat defenders to the baseline and whip in centers.
It was in this role that he made his mark, and with the arrival of Bill Shankly in 1959, he would sign a professional contract in 1960. He made his debut later that year and remained with the club until 1978.
2. Donald Mackinlay – 18 years and 134 days
McKinlay made his Liverpool debut aged 19 on 20 April 1910 and played a key role in the team that won successive League Championship titles in 1922 and 1923.
His shooting prowess gave him a 34-goal return for Liverpool, only four of which came from the penalty spot – not bad for a left-back!
He made his last appearance in 1928, 18½ years after his first.
1. Elisha Scott – 21 years and 51 days
Will anyone ever come close to playing for Liverpool’s senior team for over 21 years? In this day and age, it would seem extremely unlikely.
Scott is one of the best goalkeepers in the club’s history, making 468 appearances between 1913 and 1934, and if the First World War hadn’t taken four years off his career, he would certainly have made many more.
The longest-serving player in Liverpool history, and by some distance, and an undisputed King of the Kop.
