Gerry Byrne, Former Liverpool Defender and 1965 FA Cup Winner, Dies at Age 77

Former Liverpool defender Gerry Byrne, who solely represented the Reds in his 12-year career, has died at the age of 77.

The club's official website confirmed his death on Saturday, and Alex Richards of the Mirror reported the 1965 FA Cup final hero had Alzheimer's disease.

Liverpool led the tributes to their former player:

Byrne died in a nursing home in Wrexham on Saturday morning. He appeared 333 times for the Anfield giants, per Richards.

The defender famously played the 1965 cup final with a broken collarbone, featuring for the majority of the match with the injury as the game went into extra time.

Former Reds boss Roy Evans paid tribute to Byrne:

Tony Barrett of the Times also commented on Byrne's death, referencing the player's finest moment:

SCOTT HEPPELL/Associated Press

Nick Hilton of the Liverpool Echo said Bill Shankly called Byrne a "true Liverpudlian" and quoted the tough defender speaking about his career:

"

I was nicknamed the 'Crunch.' I was a clean player. I was hard, but fair. I used to wait for the ball to come and then I was on my way. You hit someone when the ball was there and that was it. That's how I got the crunch. I didn't go after players intentionally. I was never sent off in my life.

"

Shankly reflected on the player's career in 1975 and proclaimed, per Hilton: "He wasn't flashy and he would not score you goals, but he was hard and skillful and gave you everything he had. More than that he was totally honest, which is the greatest quality of all."

Byrne also represented England twice and was a member of the 1966 World Cup squad. He shone under Shankly's leadership, winning the Division One title on two occasions.