Liverpool: The Reds' Greatest Ever Captains

At a club the size of Liverpool, with the captain's armband comes responsibility. A responsibility for those chosen to lead from the front, to pick their team mates up when they are down and to make the impossible, possible. That responsibility is huge.

Through the decades the Reds have been blessed with their fair share of truly great players and can also boast a number of truly inspirational leaders.

It is testament to the leadership qualities shown by those selected to captain the side that the likes of Jamie Carragher and Kenny Dalglish were never full-time or long-term captains.

A captain is essentially the "chosen one." Not just by the manager who assigns the role but also by the fans. They are the person they look to first when the chips are down, the person they expect to inspire others to turn things around and the person they identify with more than any other.

Read on to find out who makes the list of Liverpool's greatest ever captains.

Ron Yeats: 1961-1970

Having previously tried to sign Yeats during his time as Huddersfield manager, Bill Shankly brought the Scotsman to Anfield from Dundee United for £22,000 in 1961. Due to Yeats' rather large frame, Shankly famously invited journalists to "take a walk around him."

Immediately installed as captain and described by Shankly as "the greatest centre-half in the world today," Yeats had the honour of being the first Liverpool captain to lift the FA Cup in 1965 when the Reds saw off Leeds United in front of a packed Wembley crowd.

During his time at Anfield, Yeats made 454 appearances and skippered the Reds to the Second Division championship in 1962 and the First Division championship twice in three seasons in 1964 and 1966.

At over six feet tall―seven, according to Shankly―and over 14 stone Yeats was a colossus and described by former Everton player and manager Joe Royle as his toughest-ever opponent. He was vital in what Shankly was aiming to achieve and was arguably Liverpool's first truly great captain.

He returned to the club as chief scout in 1986 and spent two decades in the role before retiring following Liverpool's FA Cup win over West Ham at the Millennium Stadium in 2006. In 2002 he was awarded the Bill Shankly Memorial award for his fantastic service to the club.

Tommy Smith: 1970-1973

Nicknamed the "Anfield Iron" by supporters due to his hard-man approach, Tommy Smith joined Liverpool as a 15-year-old in 1960 and became a regular at the heart of the Reds defence during the 1964/65 season, ending the season with an FA Cup winners medal.

Succeeding Ron Yeats as captain in 1970, he skippered the side to the First Division championship in 1973 before being stripped of the armband later that year following a disagreement with Shankly after being left out of the side for a fixture against Arsenal.

Despite this, Smith remained at the club, putting his differences with Shankly behind him and going on to make over 600 appearances for the club in a trophy-laden era that saw the popular Scouser retire with a medal haul of four First Division championships, two FA Cups, two UEFA Cups and one European Cup.

After almost two decades he left the club in 1978 to join Swansea City and despite a number of serious health issues, can regularly be seen back at Anfield on match days cheering his beloved Reds.

Emlyn Hughes: 1973-1979

One of the nicest footballers to have ever graced the game. Hughes was admired by football fans all over the country.

Blessed with the ability to play in both defence and midfield and nicknamed "Crazy Horse" for his energetic style and endless stamina, he joined the Reds from Blackpool for £65,000 in 1967. Whilst travelling to Anfield, Hughes and Shankly were stopped by police with the charismatic Shankly sternly informing the officer in question that he had "the future England captain next to him."

How right he was!

Hughes succeeded Tommy Smith as captain in 1973 and will forever be remembered as the man who lifted back-to-back European Cups in 1977 and 1978 as well as earning four league championship winner's medals, two UEFA Cup winner's medals and one FA Cup winner's medal.

Described by Blackpool legend Jimmy Armfield as "a first class example of how young lads should set about learning the game," he never lost the enthusiasm that adhered him to the Anfield crowd and celebrated every goal he scored by running the length of the pitch with arms aloft.

He left Liverpool in 1979 after 665 appearances, joining Wolverhampton Wanderers and ending his first season at Molineux with a League Cup winner's medal, the only trophy that eluded him during his 12 years at at Anfield.

Sadly, Hughes passed away in 2004 as a result of a brain tumour, aged 57 with the football world losing not only one of its greatest players, but also one of its greatest men.

Phil Thompson: 1979-1981

Phil Thompson's passion and love for Liverpool Football Club can not be rivalled. If ever a man has bled Liverpool red then it's "Thommo."

A Liverpool fan all his life, Thompson joined the Reds as an apprentice and went on to sign his first professional contract with the club in 1971, making his debut a year later.

Eventually forming a formidable partnership alongside the man he would succeed as captain, Emlyn Hughes, the classy defender was praised for his ability on the ball, being one of few defenders around at the time who was able to carry the ball out of defence launch an attack from the back.

One of his finest performances came in the 1974 FA Cup final as Shankly's Liverpool conquered Newcastle United 3-0 at Wembley. Before the game, legendary Newcastle striker Malcolm MacDonald had boasted of how he would terrorise the relatively inexperienced Thompson and the rest of the Liverpool defence.

Thompson was immense, showing maturity beyond his years in nullifying the threat of MacDonald and the Newcastle attack.

Following a glorious 14-year period with the club, Thompson can boast of a medal collection to rival most. He left the club in 1985 after winning seven league championships, two UEFA Cups, two European Cups, two League Cups, one FA Cup, one European Super Cup as well as six Charity Shields.

He would, however, relinquish the captaincy to Graeme Souness in 1981 in less-than-harmonious circumstances. Despite this, there can be no doubt that Thompson was a great captain and a fabulous footballer.

He would return to the club originally as reserve team coach in 1986, before being relieved of his duties by then-manager Souness in 1993. However, this would not be the last Anfield would see of one of its favourite sons.

Thompson would return to the club in 1998 as assistant manager to Gerard Houllier, describing the job as "a dream come true." He would unexpectedly find himself as temporary manager for a short spell during the 2001/02 season after Houllier suffered a heart attack during a home fixture against Leeds United.

He left the club again in 2004 following the appointment of Rafa Benitez as manager but can be regularly seen defending Liverpool to the hilt on a weekly basis in his role as a television pundit.

Graeme Souness: 1981-1984

Graeme Souness did in the 1980s what Steven Gerrard has done for the last decade. He made Liverpool tick. When he played, Liverpool played.

Known for his no-nonsense hard-man approach to the game, Souness also had fantastic technical ability.

Signed from Middlesbrough for fee of £352,000 following a somewhat turbulent spell in the Northeast, Souness would become a pivotal figure in the Reds side, going on to win five league titles, four League Cups, three European Cups and three Charity Shields.

Souness would take over the captain's armband from Thompson in 1981—at the cost of their friendship—but would go on to shine in his role as on-field leader. The fiery Scot would lift the last of the aforementioned three European Cups as captain in 1984 in what would be his last ever appearance for the club.

If his time as a player was successful, his spell as manager was anything but. Souness would inherit an aging side and attempted to stamp his own authority on the team by replacing proven talent such as Ray Houghton and Peter Beardsley with relative unknowns such as Istvan Kozma and Paul Stewart.

Although Souness' reign as manager was seen as somewhat of a disaster, he did manage to win the FA Cup at the end of his first full season at the helm in 1992. He is also credited with blooding some of the finest talent to come through Liverpool's academy such as Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler.

If ever a football story was a tale of two halves then Souness' two spells at Liverpool is that story. He was relieved of his managerial duties in 1994 and was replaced by Roy Evans.

Alan Hansen: 1985-1988, 1989-1990

Probably the greatest defender to ever wear the Liverpool shirt.

Described by Bob Paisley as "a defender with the pedigree of an international striker," Hansen was brought to the club by Paisley for just £100,000 from Partick Thistle in 1977, six years after originally joining the club on trial.

Hansen was a key component in Liverpool's domestic and European dominance of the late '70s and early '80s and during his time at the club won more league titles (8) than any other player in the Reds' history.

Originally named captain by Dalglish in 1985, the classy Scot would lead the Reds to a league and cup double in his first season as captain with the Reds defeating Everton in an all-Merseyside FA Cup final at Wembley in 1986.

He would also captain the title-winning side of 1987/88, a side that arguably played the most exciting pass-and-move football Anfield has ever witnessed and featured the likes of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge.

He also has the honour―or perhaps dishonour since it has now been well over two decades―of being the last man to captain Liverpool to the league championship in 1990 but would fail to make an appearance the following season due to injury.

The injury would force Hansen to retire from the game in March 1991 and he left Liverpool with eight league championship winner's medals, four League Cup winner's medals, three European Cup winner's medals and two FA Cup winner's medals.

Steven Gerrard: 2003-Present

Just where do you start? Steven Gerrard could well go down in history as not just Liverpool's greatest ever captain but also the club's greatest ever player.

Despite a more-than-respectable medal collection that includes three League Cups, two FA Cups, one UEFA Cup, one European Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Charity Shields, Gerrard doesn't boast the same type of medal haul as many of of his predecessors and is still missing that elusive league championship winner's medal.

Since being named captain by Houllier in late 2003, Gerrard has never looked back. He has gone from strength to strength and is without doubt the man that the fans, his team mates and even managers past and present look to in times of need.

Istanbul, May 25, 2005. The night Gerrard etched his name into Merseyside folklore. 3-0 down at half time, Gerrard's headed goal early in the second half ignited arguably the greatest comeback of all time with the Reds going on to win the trophy on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Gerrard was everywhere, even popping up at right back during the closing stages of extra time. He scored the first and won the penalty for the third. If ever a player has picked a team up off the floor and single-handedly dragged them over the winning line then this was it.

There aren't really any words that can describe his value to the Liverpool team that night. Gerrard was Superman.

Fast-forward one year and to the FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium and he was at it again. Two goals included a last-minute 30-yard thunderbolt took the game to extra time and the Reds again prevailed on penalties with Gerrard calmly dispatching his own spot kick.

Gerrard's relationship with Liverpool is a love affair that will never end and where the club would be without him doesn't bear thinking about. The talismanic midfielder has already made well over 600 appearances for the club and, looking as fit as ever, Gerrard's Liverpool story might yet have that fairy tale ending.