Liverpool Football Club has established itself as one of, not just England’s biggest teams, but the world’s biggest. Doing so by winning all there is to win, a star-studded roster of players has helped them achieve victory decade after decade, with one of those players, Kenny Dalglish, having revealed which footballer was the best he ever played with.
It is hard not to think of Dalglish when thinking about Liverpool. A man synonymous with the Merseyside-based team, his 13 years playing for the side saw him become a legend and one of the games’ most decorated players. Accumulating 355 appearances for The Reds, the forward plundered 118 goals in that time.
Having won major honours not just as a Liverpool player but also as a manager, a title he held on two occasions, the Scotsman shared the pitch with a litany of icons during his time in the game. Operating during the ’70s and ’80s, there is a never-ending list of names that Dalglish could have chosen from to state who is the best he’s ever played with, but it was Ian Rush who got the honour.
Kenny Dalglish Names Ian Rush as Greatest Teammate
Kenny Dalglish
Dalglish was firing in goals for a Liverpool side who had names such as Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and John Barnes wearing the shirt. Along with an outstanding career in a Celtic shirt, where he shared the pitch with just as equally talented players, it is no surprise, however, that Ian Rush is the name Dalglish chose to wax lyrical about.
Rush, who was born in Wales, had three stints as a Red, two on a permanent contract, and one on a loan deal. Just like Dalglish, Rush got most of his success in the final third of the pitch, scoring 229 goals in all competitions across all three of his spells. Regarded as a Liverpool legend, on the Stick to Football podcast, Dalglish relayed the sentiments of all Liverpool fans.
“The best one for me was Rushie [Ian Rush], he saved me a lot of running! But Rushy was brilliant, especially for my position. If I was playing somewhere else I might have said Souness or somebody else. If somebody says to me ‘so who is the best player,’ I’d probably say ‘well what day is it?’ Everybody plays their part.”
Comments that all Liverpool fans will agree with, it truly is a toss-up when deciding who was the best player for Liverpool in that era. Having paid a transfer record of £440,000 to bring Dalglish to Liverpool, the Reds will hope their similar record in the recent summer window can bring them just as much success as Dalglish had in a Liverpool shirt.