Liverpool FC: Steven Gerrard and Top 14 Merseyside Natives To Play for the Reds

Sometimes at the Kop, Liverpool FC supporters unfurl a banner which reads, in resounding capital letters, "We Are Not English, We Are Scouse."

The club, the supporters and Anfield are as much of an institution within English football as they are within the city of Liverpool and Merseyside at large. And if there's one thing Liverpudlians love, for the sake of love, civic pride or bragging rights, it's a hometown hero. 

Here are our picks of the top 14 Merseyside natives to play for the Liverpool Football Club. If you have your own favorites, please tell us in the comments.

14. Chris Lawler

"The Silent Knight" deserves some very loud praise.

The right-back, a regular for the team under Bill Shankly, helped bring the club their first-ever FA Cup victory, their first appearance in a European Cup final (they lost to Borussia Dortmund) and made 549 appearances for the club throughout his career. He also scored 61 goals, a stunning record for a defender. His staying power, work ethic and cracking defensive skills made him a much-loved figure at the Kop then and now.

13. Phil Thompson

The image most Reds have of legendary centre-half Phil Thompson is of the Kirkby native hoisting the 1981 European Cup trophy proudly above his head. 

A lifelong Liverpool supporter, Thompson joined the club under Bill Shankly in 1971. He would earn his first honors with the club—a league title and a UEFA Cup—two seasons later. "Thommo" brought enthusiasm and passion for the club and its fans to the Kop, and as such, he would go on to replace Emlyn Hughes as captain in 1979. He would go on to lead the Reds to four more division titles, two Football League Cups and, of course, that legendary win in Paris. 

12. Steve McMahon

Like many Merseyside-born Liverpool legends, Halewood native Steve McMahon supported Everton as a youth, even serving as a ball boy at Goodison Park before joining the Toffees in 1979. He quickly became a fixture at Goodison as a high-impact midfielder, but he decided to move on in his quest for championships. 

After a stint at Aston Villa, McMahon arrived at Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool in 1985. His first season with the Reds saw them win a league championship and the FA Cup, the latter against McMahon's former club, Everton (he was an unused substitute in the final). A hard tackler and high-volume scorer, Macca's prowess on the pitch led to a press campaign to get him his first England cap in 1988 (a 0-0 draw against Israel). 

McMahon, like many of his teammates at that time, demonstrated empathy and leadership in the wake of the Hillsborough stadium disaster, attending many of the victims' funerals. 

McMahon will also go down in LFC history as being one of two native Scousers—the other being John Aldridge, who appears further down this list—who performed on the Reds' FA Cup final single, the "Anfield Rap." Red Machine in full effect, y'all. 

11. Sammy Lee

Sammy Lee was a midfielder who helped contribute to the Reds' dominance of the Premiership throughout the early 1980s and returned to Anfield twice, first as a coach and later as an assistant manager.

Lee, who grew up in St. Andrews Gardens (the "Bull Ring" housing development), initially wanted to go to university, but after failing his O-levels, he took up an apprenticeship at his hometown club and worked his way up to the first team. 

Despite his small stature—he only stood at 5'2"—Lee became a key impact player on the pitch due to his strength, tenacity, passing game and sharp shooting. He cemented his place into club lore with his pivotal role in the 1981 European Cup semifinal, sticking close to Bayern Munich's Paul Breitner. He played on the side in the final as well. 

Lee returned to Anfield in 1993 and worked on the coaching staff under Graeme Souness, Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier, and became the assistant manager under Rafa Benitez in 2008. He left the club by mutual consent back in June, but his contributions to the Reds over the years will never be forgotten. 

10. Steve McManaman

The BBC once remarked how Steve McManaman and Man United midfielder Ryan Giggs could "embarrass defences with their mazy runs," and at the start of his career, Kop legend Ian Rush could be counted among his biggest fans. 

A versatile, innovative talisman of a player, who created brilliant goals and assists alike, his most iconic performance came during the 1995 Football League Cup (then the Coca-Cola Cup) final, where he scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers, and his performance led fans to refer to it as "The McManaman Final."

Following his time at Liverpool, Macca went on to a successful career at Real Madrid, where he made history as being one of the first major tests of the Bosman ruling, which gave players free agency. He now works as a football pundit for ESPN and helped cover the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 

9. Terry McDermott

"Our Terry" (to use local parlance) has quite the trophy cabinet from his years at Anfield: six division titles, three European Cups, three Football League Cups and four Charity Shields. 

A gifted, innovative player who netted 81 goals for the Reds in 329 matches, Terry McDermott has been regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the club's history. Fans will likely remember McDermott most for his iconic goals, among them his 70-yard sprint and closer to a 1978 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, which Liverpool won 7-0. 

8. David Fairclough

Clutch substitutes rarely get the recognition they deserve, but striker David Fairclough was known—and loved—as "Supersub."

Fairclough played under Bill Shankly and excelled under Bob Paisley, making some truly memorable goals along the way, including the scorcher against Saint-Etienne which brought the Reds to the 1977 European Cup semifinals and the match-winner in a Merseyside derby the following season.

7. Jimmy Case

The Allerton native grew up not too far from another Liverpool legend, Sir Paul McCartney, and like the beats from Macca's base, Jimmy Case's strike hit hard, hit fast and was absolutely legendary. 

For a midfielder, Case's goal scoring was particularly impressive—even though he had the likes of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack at the head of the attack during his time at Anfield, Case still scored 46 career goals for the club, including a long-range stunner of a volley against Manchester United in the 1977 FA Cup final. He was on the squad during the Reds' first European Cup victory in Rome and then went on to help them win two more.

6. John Aldridge

"Aldo" may have spent less time with Liverpool than he did with the likes of Oxford United and Tranmere Rovers, but he sure accomplished a lot in those two-and-a-half years. 

The Liverpool-born Irishman joined the club in 1987 as a replacement striker for Kop legend Ian Rush, and his hometown-boy status and striking finesse quickly made him a fan favorite. He was particularly instrumental in the 1987-1988 season, scoring nine times in the first nine matches of the season and leading Liverpool to a 29-game winning streak and an eventual division title.

Like other native Scousers on the team at the time, Aldridge was deeply affected by the Hillsborough tragedy, attended many of the victims' funerals and even contemplated quitting football after the experience. 

He didn't quit though, and although he went on to successful runs at Real Sociedad and Tranmere Rovers, his short but significant time at Anfield will go down in club history, and he still appears as a pundit on LFC TV. 

5. Ian Callaghan

In nearly two decades with Liverpool, Toxteth native Ian Callaghan truly gave his all to the club. Callaghan holds the record for most appearances for Liverpool, with 640 league appearances and 857 total. In that time, he netted quite the trophy haul, among them five domestic league championships, two European Cups, two FA Cups and two UEFA Cups.

A Red from childhood, Callaghan joined the club, then managed by the legendary Bill Shankly, as an apprentice just shy of his 18th birthday. The midfielder played a key role in helping Reds return to and remain in the first division and win the league for the first time in nearly two decades in 1964. A hard worker, skilled midfielder and respected player, Callaghan is also praised for his commitment to fair play—in all those appearances, he was only booked once. 

4. Jamie Carragher

The fans' anthem for him at the Kop, sung to the tune of "Yellow Submarine," perhaps says it best: "We all dream of a team of Carraghers, a team of Carraghers, a team of Carraghers."

Despite his growing up an Everton supporter, the long-time defender and Bootle native has earned the nickname "Mr. Liverpool." He is second to Ian Callaghan in all-time club appearances, and in that time, he has played every possible defensive position, led the Reds to a domestic treble in 2001 and was named as one of the heroes of the Istanbul 2005 Champions League final. 

But what sets Carra apart is his enthusiasm; few players have ever showed as much love for the Redmen, the Kop and the city itself—his 23 Foundation works to improve the quality of life for Merseyside children.

3. Tommy Smith

One of the hardest men in Kop history, Tommy Smith's mythic pitch prowess earned him a fitting nickname ("The Anfield Iron") and a creation myth, courtesy of Bill Shankly: "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried."

The hard-as-nails defender made 638 total club appearances with Liverpool during the 1960s and '70s. The Times described him as "the essence of Scouse distilled and poured into a Liverpool shirt." His magnificent header in the 1977 European Cup final put the Reds ahead over old foes Borussia Mönchengladbach, led them to their first championship title and earned him a place in Kop history.

The defender's post-career trophy cabinet is rather fitting: four league championships, two European Cups, two FA Cups, two UEFA Cups, and, according to the BBC, "two plastic knees, a replacement hip and a new elbow." 

2. Robbie Fowler

A prankster, a playboy and a legend on the pitch. The press called him "trouble." Liverpool fans called him "God."

The striker grew up in the inner-city neighborhood of Toxteth as, like his partner-in-crime Steve McManaman, an Everton supporter. A key member of the "Spice Boys" crew at the central of Liverpool in the '90s, Fowler was a high-volume striker who netted 183 goals in 369 appearances and became an instant fan favorite at the Kop. His popularity among Merseysiders only grew when he announced his support for sacked local dockworkers during a UEFA Cup match. 

Fowler saw the most success with the Reds during his final season, which saw the Reds take home an FA Cup, a UEFA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and a Football Leage Cup. 

Fowler's crazy antics, often with McManaman as an accomplice, went down into football history almost as much as his epic goals did: there was the time he simulated snorting coke along the penalty line during a goal celebration, and the time he and Macca convinced the other 'Spice Boys' to buy two racehorses and name them 'Some Horse' and 'Another Horse' to mess with the announcers. Brilliant.

Following his football career, Fowler went into investing in real estate, prompting Manchester City fans to chant, "We all live in a Robbie Fowler house!" 

1. Steven Gerrard

He's big, and he's damn hard. 

With the obvious exception of Kenny Dalglish (who is Glaswegian), no player in the club's history has been as synonymous with Liverpool FC as the big man himself, captain Steven Gerrard.

Although he may not have as many championships to his name as some of the other greats on this list, Stevie G takes the top spot for his leadership throughout his career, key contributions in championship matches and status as a modern Anfield icon.

Hailed for his ability to nail long-range goals ("Ste Gerrard, Gerrard / he'll blast the ball 40 yards..."), ability to volley and passing game, Gerrard's stock shot up in 2004 when he scored a last-minute stunner against Olympiacos to bring the Reds to the knockout stage of the Champions League. But his hero status was sealed in the tournament's final, the "Miracle of Istanbul" match where he scored the first goal to help Liverpool break their 3-0 deficit and eventually defeat AC Milan in a penalty shootout. Gerrard was named Man of the Match for his performance. 

The native of Whiston, Merseyside has netted two PFA Fans' Player of the Year awards and a Players' Player of the Year awards, and has been named to their Team of the Year seven times. Even the monarchy's a fan; he was named a Member of the British Empire in 2007.