Liverpool: 20 Coolest Players in Reds History

Cool.

There's the "cool" in cool, calm, collected.

And then there's the "cool," as in the behavioral and aesthetic cool.

Fortunately, when it comes to football, the two "cools" usually find themselves overlapping as descriptions of football players.

And when it comes to Liverpool, they don't find themselves short of cool players throughout their illustrious history.

Here's a fun list of the 20 coolest players in Liverpool history, categorized in the only possible way that makes it fair for all the entrants: by playing position. Please submit your candidates for cool Reds below!

Pepe Reina

He went to Liverpool on the back of Jerzy Dudek's magical performance in the defeat of AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final, and he ousted Mr. Dudek from his position between the posts. No questions asked.

He saved three penalties in the FA Cup final against West Ham to ensure that it was Liverpool who took home the honors from Cardiff. No questions asked.

He gave Iker Casillas, his biggest rival as Spain's No. 1, a handy tip that helped Casillas save Oscar Cardozo's penalty kick in the World Cup 2010 Quarterfinals, thereby helping Spain to a victory over Paraguay. No questions asked.

He took a Liverpool scarf and draped it on the shoulders of Fernando Torres, who was considering his future at Liverpool, following Spain's World Cup win. No questions asked.

The only thing Pepe Reina does that might not fit the "cool" description is that he smiles. Way too much. Otherwise, he goes about his business like a boss. No questions asked.

Alan Hansen

Prior to establishing himself as an articulate reader of the game as a football analyst, Alan Hansen established himself as the articulate reader of the game as a Liverpool footballer.

Hansen took on the captaincy following Kenny Dalglish's promotion to player-manager. He led Liverpool to an FA Cup and League Cup double. Then he led them to the League title. Then he led them to the FA Cup again to complete a memorable set of honors achieved by a talented Liverpool team towards the end of the 1980s.

Cool, calm and collected, Hansen was "quite simply the most skillful center-half I have ever seen in the British game." Quite a testimonial, considering it came from Bob Paisley, Liverpool's most successful manager.

And as he enhances his reputation as a classy, no-nonsense analyst, he can rest assured that he keeps a similar image in the minds of Liverpool fans.

After all, new Liverpool defenders are still compared to Alan Hansen, and the question will always be asked if they can match up to his immaculate standards.

Daniel Agger

Perhaps it's not a big surprise that Daniel Agger follows Alan Hansen on this list.

Classy and blessed with a cultured left foot, the similarities with Hansen are uncanny.

Agger brings the ball out of defence, dribbles his way past opposition strikers, pings a pinpoint 50-yard cross-field pass and fires an unstoppable swerving shot that nestles in the top corner of the net. And sometimes, he does all these things in one go.

He doesn't take any filth, either.

When Drogba got one over him in a Liverpool-Chelsea Champions League semifinal, he responded by curling a neatly-worked Liverpool set piece into Petr Cech's bottom corner in the second leg.

When Fernando Torres left Liverpool in acrimonious circumstances, he responded by issuing a sharp jab at Torres' jaw before winning the ball and continuing play.

And aesthetically, it also helps that he has a full set of tattoos and that he's a part-time tattoo artist. Oh, and he also owns a pub in Denmark. Coooool.

Sami Hyypia

A true captain in the Liverpool dressing room and on the Anfield pitch, Hyypia radiated cool in the form of his quiet and unassuming leadership and his ability to inspire those around him.

Towards the end of his Liverpool career, critics focused on his declining pace as his weakest link.

But Hyypia's game was never about pace. It had always been about a stellar reading of the game, fantastic positioning, dominance in the air and an unmatched ability to remain composed and calm in the heart of Liverpool's defence.

So composed, in fact, that Phil Thompson, then Liverpool assistant manager, said of Hyypia after his first few training matches: "I was thinking we've signed a central midfielder here because he was that authoritative and comfortable on the ball."

So calm that he stepped into the breach at Old Trafford only minutes before kick-off when Alvaro Arbeloa had to sit out through injury and proceeded to turn in an accomplished display against prime-time forwards 10 years his junior.

So cool that Steven Gerrard would help him put on the captain's armband when he came on for his final Liverpool appearance. And so cool that he wasn't distracted by the chants, but proceeded to yell at his defence and almost score from a corner at the end.

Until the post-match tributes brought out the emotion in him. But by then, he'd already established his cool.

Steve Finnan

He's never had his own banner or official song.

That's how Steve Finnan operated. Quiet and unaffected.

That's how he was able to bomb up and down the right flank, putting in solid tackles and sending in crosses for the strikers to attack. He did all this without any fuss.

Never one to make a splash, Finnan had to work his way up the footballing ranks. His goal for Liverpool against West Bromwich Albion meant that he scored in the five highest divisions of English football. He's also the only player to ever have played in the World Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup, all four levels of English league football and the English conference.

He completed all these achievements without drawing attention to himself as Liverpool's first-choice right-back.

Then, Arbeloa came and gradually took his place. And when Philipp Degen was lined up as his replacement, Finnan moved on.

That's when the noise started. Finnan definitely preferred it quieter.

Igor Biscan

Igor Biscan was actually and deceptively quite good on the ball, and he was often underrated due to Gerard Houllier's insistence on playing him out of position, but we all know that he makes this list because of his cult hero status amongst Liverpool fans.

A large part of it was his name. Cries of "eeegor" often rang out around Anfield when he was playing.

And then there was the rumors of a colorful life off the pitch that belied his shy demeanor on it.

But Igor Biscan was cool because he never seemed to know what to do when things went well. When he put in great performances against Manchester United and Arsenal in his first season, his performances just didn't seem to match his sheepish expressions.

When he scored against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League, and then against Fulham in the Premier League, he didn't know what to do except stand around Biscan-like.

Perhaps that's the opposite of cool. But Mr. Biscan just had so much mystery surrounding him that it's impossible to not include him as one of the coolest players in Liverpool history.

Dietmar Hamann

Back to business here.

When you think of a modern-day embodiment of class and composure in the Liverpool midfield, the name Dietmar Hamann comes to mind.

Breaking up play so calmly and easily, Hamann provided steel to the center of the park, and it's a common view that his introduction at halftime during the 2005 Champions League final helped stem Kaka's creative genius at the heart of AC Milan's midfield and turn the tide back in the Reds' favor.

Hamann didn't score much. But when he did, it was always from a trademark arrow into some corner. And when he celebrated, it was never a big deal—like he'd been doing it all his life, like it wasn't anything special. His classy penalty kick and celebration in the shootout against AC Milan was the perfect example.

And he took his shot with a broken foot.

But Hamann was too cool about it to tell anyone.

Jan Molby

Jan Molby didn't move much.

As a sweeper, a third central defender or a deep-lying playmaker, Molby played much of his game in his own half.

Molby's game was top-notch. Blessed with extraordinary vision and a silky first touch, he was the creator-in-chief of many a Liverpool attack and was the driving force behind a very successful end to the 1980s.

When he found his way past the center circle and the midfield mark, Molby scored some immaculate goals. And he was a masterful penalty taker, with only three misses, yielding a phenomenal tally of 42 Liverpool penalties. His 21 goals in the 1985-1986 season highlighted his massive contribution to the Reds cause.

All this while he didn't move much.

He didn't need to.

Xabi Alonso

While we're on the topic of classy midfielders, why not add Xabi Alonso into the mix?

Just as many of the players mentioned so far, Alonso went about his business with minimal fuss, be it a mouth-watering diagonal pass, a defence-splitting through-ball, a heart-stopping volley or a pinpoint set-piece.

There was also the easy matter of putting away the equalizing penalty against AC Milan, which he misses. No matter. He just follows through and strikes the rebound sweetly into the top corner with his left foot. Cool.

Then there was the easy matter of dispossesing Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia in his own half. Oh, look. Steve Harper's off his line in the Newcastle goal. It's only 70 yards away, so it's only natural that he should look to send the ball straight in the net. Cool.

And last, but definitely not least, there was the easy matter of having to deal with the constant close-season speculation that Rafa Benitez was looking towards Gareth Barry as a replacement. Nothing comes of a move to Juventus, though, and he just goes on to have his best season in a Reds shirt ever. No big deal. Cool.

Xabi Alonso: the epitome of cool.

Danny Murphy

Why is a set-piece specialist labeled as such?

His composure. And Danny Murphy had plenty of it.

His free-kicks, corners and penalties were often the sources of many Liverpool goals during his time in a Red shirt, and many proved to be pivotal over his seven-year stay.

And let's not forget his knack of killing off Manchester United.

From 2000 to 2004, Murphy hit the decisive goal to finish United off at Old Trafford no less than three times, each of those a 1-0 victory.

If that's not cool, I don't know what is.

Raul Meireles

Raul Meireles was a curious specimen of a Liverpool midfielder.

He didn't possess a terribly impressive physique, but he was one of Liverpool's hardest working players, covering, on average, the second most ground in a game after Dirk Kuyt.

He didn't look like a classy, effortless midfielder, given the copious amount of tattoos he sported, but he linked up play "between the lines" and provided much-needed creativity in the absence of Steven Gerrard.

He didn't seem like a goalscorer, but he proved devastatingly effective when he timed his runs into the penalty area, and devastatingly clinical when he finished at goal.

He made his name with his silent contributions and finishing ability. He didn't draw much attention, but he produced on a regular basis.

Raul Meireles was cool like that.

And just like his effective runs into the opposition box, he ghosted out of Liverpool after just a season at Anfield.

Luis Garcia

In his three years at Liverpool, Luis Garcia radiated cool.

The sublime turns. The one-touch passing. The creative vision.

The spectacular goals. His sublime half-volley against Juventus sent Liverpool on their way to the semi-finals of the 2004-2005 Champions League, and his infamous "ghost goal" dragged Liverpool into the final at Istanbul, at the expense of Chelsea. Of course, he would also score a perfectly legitimate and perfectly classy half-volley to put Chelsea out of the FA Cup the next season.

As infuriatingly inconsistent as he could be, his ability to pull the rabbit out of the hat on so many occasions left Reds fans wondering just how he was capable of such audacious trickery.

And his thumb-sucking celebration was cool, too. Kind of.

John Barnes

John Barnes was as good as George Best at his peak.

That's what Bobby Robson allegedly said, according to John Aldridge's autobiography.

But Barnes, in his first full season with Liverpool, scored 15 league goals and was voted as the PFA Player of the Year as the Reds romped their way to the League title. That was just a taster of the things to come.

Oh, and he shot his way to No. 3 in the UK Charts with his memorable rap on Anfield Rap, which was released before the FA Cup Final against Wimbledon.

He also took criticism and discrimination like water off a duck's back. During a time when black players were constantly barracked by English fans, he shrugged off the racism and continued to let his feet do the talking.

And then in Liverpool's last title-winning season in 1990, Barnes finished with 22 league goals, over Liverpool striking legend Ian Rush.

That's pretty cool.

Steven Gerrard

Time and again, Steven Gerrard rescues Liverpool from the jaws of defeat.

Sometimes, his celebrations are filled with raw passion. Like after his 25-yarder against Olympiakos to take Liverpool to the Champions League Knockout Stages. Like after his 30-yard beauty against Middlesbrough. Like after his penalty at Old Trafford in a 4-1 away win against Manchester United.

But sometimes, he does take in all the adulation coming his way.

Like after his screamer against Everton at Goodison Park when he was still sporting a buzz-cut.

Like after his audacious curler against Hull in a 6-1 win at Anfield.

Like after his 40-yard half-volley in the dying seconds of the 2006 FA Cup Final against West Ham. He'd already scored one. And he was suffering from cramp.

But then, we can't begrudge Liverpool's Captain Fantastic for acknowledging his extraordinary impact on his team.

Steven Gerrard is entitled to be cocky sometimes.

Dirk Kuyt

It's a pity that this post comes after Dirk Kuyt missed a penalty against Everton just over a week ago, but that's really one of few blemishes that can tarnish Kuyt's standing as Mr. Composed.

Prior to his effort at Goodison Park, Kuyt had converted all of his penalty kicks in a Liverpool shirt. They included, and aren't limited to, pivotal goals against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.

Then we factor in his game-changing or game-winning goals—against Manchester City and Internazionale in 2008, a hat trick against Manchester United in 2011, but to name so very few—and we realize that Dirk Kuyt is that special player every manager wants in his side.

The big-game, "clutch" player.

Kuyt may not possess the silky dribbling skills of Arjen Robben or the pace and pure physicality of Cristiano Ronaldo, but he makes up for it with an excellent positional awareness, a fantastic team ethic and a defend-from-the-front mentality.

And he's cool, calm and collected.

Roger Hunt

Now let's turn back the clock.

Roger Hunt was one of Liverpool's greatest ever goalscorers, and indeed was the Liverpool top scorer until Ian Rush broke his all-time record some 23 years later.

His Liverpool highlight: hitting 41 goals in 41 games, including five hat tricks during Liverpool's comfortable title win in the 1961-1962 season.

Unfortunately, many of us weren't able to witness his goalscoring exploits in a Red shirt and are forced to relive his glories through stats and videos.

But his mild manners and world-class composure lands him on this list as one of the coolest players in Reds history.

Michael Owen

Michael Owen, the goalscoring phenom, the Boy Wonder, the Liverpudlian who set the world alight.

With his exceptional pace and lethal finishing, Owen also had a cool and composed head to top it all off, and these attributes meant that he would first quickly establish himself in the Liverpool first team, and then as one of the world's most feared strikers.

Eighteen goals in his first full season with Liverpool landed him joint top-scorer and PFA Young Player of the Year honors.

In 2001, his two goals at the death against Arsenal in the League Cup Final saw the game christened "The Michael Owen Final." In 2002, he became the first and only Liverpool player to win the European Footballer of the Year award.

His decision to leave for Real Madrid and then to play for Manchester United was admittedly pretty uncool. But there's no arguing that on the pitch, he still retains that coolness, that composure that once brought him to the upper echelons of world football.

Fernando Torres

While we're on the topic of strikers who decided to play for Liverpool's biggest rivals, we might as well get Fernando Torres out of the way.

Fernando Torres was quick. He was strong. He was lethal.

A turn of pace would take him away from an opposing defender. A sublime trick would see him round the goalkeeper before slotting into the back of the net. A towering leap would send him above the nearest challenger. A telepathic understanding with Steven Gerrard would result in countless goals during their fruitful partnership.

Torres at his best needed no second chance to finish teams off. Performances labeled anonymous by commentators would suddenly yield a Torres goal out of nothing. His composure and clinicality enabled him to do that.

And his confidence enabled him to just sit down, with arms folded, after a last-minute winner against Chelsea. One of the classiest goal celebrations in recent Liverpool history.

It's a pity that he left for Stamford Bridge, because Fernando Torres would still be gracing Anfield with all his coolness if he were still in a Red shirt.

Robbie Fowler

Liverpool fans call him God.

Steve McManaman called him the greatest goalscorer of all time.

Robbie Fowler was undoubtedly one of the most natural finishers during his first spell with Liverpool. At 18, he made a scoring debut in a League Cup match against Fulham, and he scored five goals in the return leg. And those were his first two senior matches with the Liverpool first team.

With an uncanny eye for goal and an ultra-composed head on his shoulders, Fowler went on to score more than 30 goals for each of his first three consecutive seasons, a record that remains unbeaten in several leagues across Europe.

And he set the record for the fastest hat trick in the Premier League, with three goals in under five minutes against Arsenal. It's a record that still stands.

So what did Robbie Fowler say of himself?

"I hate talking about football. I just do it, you know?"

Kenny Dalglish

The greatest striker in post-war British football. (FourFourTwo, 2010)

Kenny Dalglish, considered by many Liverpool fans to be the best ever player in a Reds shirt, had the flair, vision and composure to establish himself as an Anfield legend.

He wasn't the most prolific of goalscorers, but his strike partner, Ian Rush, was. And a large reason for this was Dalglish.

In arguably the most lethal attacking partnership in Liverpool history (and Liverpool have had some phenomenal partnerships), Dalglish created some, and he scored some.

And when he moved upstairs and to the backroom, he won some, and then won some more.

His sense of humor and his affable personality only enhance his legendary status.

Kenny Dalglish was a pretty darn cool Liverpool player. Who could never stop smiling.