01 August 2023 , 09:01
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Liverpool have surprised few people with the decision to confirm Virgil van Dijk as their new permanent captain.
Dutch defender Van Dijk has been a big dressing room presence since joining the club in 2018, helping the club win trophy after trophy. He has worn the armband at times when Jordan Henderson has missed games and now takes over in earnest following Henderson's move to Al Ettifaq.
"Obviously I’m captain of Holland, that was already such a huge honour, a proud moment as well," Van Dijk told club media. "But also to be the captain of Liverpool Football Club is something that I can’t describe at this point."
Strangely, or perhaps not that strangely, Van Dijk is only the 10th man to take on the role of Liverpool club captain in the Premier League era. Here, Mirror Football ranks the other nine.
9. Jamie Redknapp
Redknapp was officially captain between 1999 and 2002 but didn't wear the armband for Liverpool's biggest successes during the period. He did deliver at Anfield earlier in his career, just not when he was skipper.
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The England international had a torrid time with injuries during those three years, and in the three years he spent at Tottenham afterwards. Liverpool's most successful season during his captaincy, the 2000-01 campaign, saw him sidelined for the whole thing after knee surgery.
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Jamie Redknapp struggled with injury for much of his time as Liverpool captain (The People)8. Paul Ince
When Ince signed for Liverpool in 1997, he was seen as the missing piece of the puzzle. The midfielder was made captain after joining from Inter Milan but failed to lead a disjointed squad to silverware and left after two years with relatively little fanfare for a player of his stature.
“I just felt they were good players, but just wanted to go out all the time, and I just thought that wasn’t the way," Ince would later say. "I thought they needed that professionalism on the pitch.”
7. John Barnes
Barnes had two spells as captain, during a tough spell for Liverpool. They came long after his best years with the Reds, though, and brought no silverware.
John Barnes had two spells as Liverpool captain (Liverpool Echo)The winger provided some experience for Roy Evans' Reds and put in the occasional impressive performance during a difficult start to Premier League life. If you ask fans what they best remember Barnes for, though, they're unlikely to mention his on-off captaincy in the 90s.
6. Mark Wright
Wright did lead Liverpool to some silverware, namely the FA Cup in 1992. However, he would later lose the armband after Roy Evans replaced Graeme Souness in the dugout.
The England international arrived for what was then a record fee for a defender and was just one factor in the Reds' struggles under Souness. Injuries meant his later years at Anfield were often spent on the sidelines, but he could still point to that one trophy.
5. Ian Rush
Ian Rush captained Liverpool in the early Premier League years (Getty Images)Rush, like Barnes, was nearing the end of his time at Liverpool when he took the armband in the Premier League. However, he still had a fair bit to give.
It was Rush who captained Liverpool to glory in the 1995 League Cup final, and he scored 45 times in three seasons as skipper. The last of those saw the Welshman's role shrink a little, but it did involve an important late cameo in *that* 4-3 victory over Newcastle.
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4. Robbie Fowler
Fowler was among those to share captaincy duties with Redknapp, taking over officially for his compatriot's 2000-1 season on the sidelines. Liverpool ended that season with a trio of cup wins, but the League Cup final was the only one where Fowler led the team out.
Robbie Fowler and Sami Hyypia shared captaincy duties in 2001 (Gary M Prior/Allsport)The homegrown striker also played a big role on the field that season. He scored the Reds' goal in that final, as well as converting his penalty in the shoot-out, and came off the bench to net in the UEFA Cup final victory over Alaves.
3. Sami Hyypia
It was Hyypia who captained the Reds against Alaves. He also took the honours in the 2001 FA Cup final, as two late Michael Owen goals saw Liverpool come from behind to claim victory.
While the Finn was only officially club captain for two years, he led the team out on other occasions when regular holders missed out. He also added further honours as a starting centre-back but not the skipper, chief among them the 2005 Champions League final.
2. Steven Gerrard
No Liverpool fan will forget Steven Gerrard's performance in the 2005 Champions League final (Getty Images Sport Classic)We know what you're thinking. Surely, surely, surely Gerrard needs to be number one. The 2005 Champions League. The 2006 FA Cup final. Single-handedly dragging his team to victory in both.
And that's before you get into the homegrown element. A lad from Merseyside living out his dream and becoming the most important man in red.
In other worlds, Gerrard would be a clear number one, and he led this list by a distance when he made the move to MLS in 2015. Since then, though...
1. Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson was Liverpool's captain when they ended their Premier League drought (Laurence Griffiths/NMC/Pool/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)For everything Gerrard did and achieved, a Premier League title eluded him. The same can't be said for Henderson, who led the Reds to glory in 2020.
Throw in the Champions League, Club World Cup and countless other trophies, and his impact is plain to see. Henderson was also a great ambassador for the club, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as the Premier League prepared to return.
Henderson has attracted plenty of criticism for choosing to move to Saudi Arabia, in no small part due to how it appears to sit contrary to his words and actions during his time in English football. When it comes to his captaincy of Liverpool, though, the achievements are plain to see.