Liverpool Football Club is one of the most successful in European football history when it comes to winning silverware. They have won numerous trophies at home and abroad in the last century.
One of the key factors in the Reds winning that silverware has been their prolific forwards down the years. These forwards’ goals have helped their teams to big prizes. Today we are going to look at the Merseysider’s top ten goalscorers ever. Here are those prolific players:
Ian Rush (346 goals in 660 appearances)
The arch-goal poacher is Liverpool’s top scorer after enjoying two incredibly prolific spells with the Reds. He joined Liverpool from Chester in 1980 and went on to score 109 goals in the English top flight until an ill-fated move to Italian giants Juventus in 1986.
He spent just two years in Turin and struggled to settle and returned to Liverpool in 1988, where he stayed until 1996, scoring a further 90 league goals for the Reds.
Rush’s most prolific campaign for the Reds was in season 1983/84, as the striker scored 47 goals in 65 appearances in all competitions. His tally was enough to earn him the Golden Boot in both the First Division and the European Cup. His goals helped Liverpool to the English top-flight title and, of course, the European Cup in the same season.
Roger Hunt (285 goals in 492 appearances)
The great Roger Hunt spent 11 fruitful years in a red shirt and became a club legend. Hunt joined Liverpool in 1958. His 41 goals in as many league appearances in season 1961/62 helped the men from Merseyside to win the Second Division title and promotion back to the top flight.
Things got even better for Hunt and Liverpool in 1964, as they became English top-flight champions for the first time since promotion. Hunt finished as the top goalscorer in their title-winning season, scoring 31 goals in 41 appearances. The England international was also part of the Reds team that won the First Division in 1966.
However, his biggest achievement arguably didn’t come in a Liverpool shirt, but rather an England jersey, as Hunt was part of the Three Lions team that won the World Cup in 1966, the only major international silverware won by the men’s team to date.
Gordon Hodgson (241 goals in 377 appearances)
The South African-born star may not be a household to many, but during his Liverpool career from 1925-1936, the forward was lethal in front of goal. Hodgson was the club’s top goalscorer in seven of his ten full campaigns on Merseyside.
Unfortunately for Hodgson, the Reds failed to win any major silverware during his career on Merseyside, despite his goalscoring feats. After leaving Liverpool, he also played for Aston Villa and Leeds United, where he remained prolific.
His 295 goals in 467 games in the Football League means that Hodgson is the fourth-highest goalscorer in football league history. Only Jimmy Greaves, Steve Bloomer and Dixie Dean scored more goals than the South African in the Football League.
Incredibly, Hodgson was also a fine cricketer and played cricket for Lancashire from 1928 until 1933.
Billy Liddell (228 goals in 534 appearances)
The legendary Scottish winger was prolific in front of goal during his stint on Merseyside between 1939-1961. Liddell finished as the Reds’ top goalscorer in the English top-flight in eight out of nine seasons from 1949–50 to 1957–58.
The forward also helped the men from Merseyside win the English First Division title in 1947, scoring seven goals in 34 appearances. Unfortunately for Liddell, that was the only silverware he collected in a red shirt.
Steven Gerrard (186 goals in 710 appearances)
One of Liverpool’s best-ever players, Gerrard was an inspirational figure in the centre of the Reds’ midfield, always pushing his team on. His goal record of 186 in 710 appearances from midfield is more than respectable.
Unlike some of the players from the early years, Gerrard’s goals during his 17-year Liverpool career were rewarded with abundant silverware. Although the Reds’ didn’t win the English top-flight title during his career, they did win the Champions League, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League up (three times) during his career in a red shirt.
For most, Gerrard is Liverpool’s greatest-ever youth product and is regarded as a legend by most Liverpudlians.
Robbie Fowler (183 goals in 369 appearances)
‘God’ as he is known to many Liverpool fans was simply lethal in his two spells at the club, first from 1993-2001 and then in 2006-2007. Having come through the youth system at Anfield, he was a prolific goalscorer before he was even out of his teens.
Like fellow youth product Gerrard, Fowler’s goals helped Liverpool to win significant silverware during his career. The Toxteth-born forward won the League Cup on two occasions while also winning the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and the European Super Cup.
Fowler also claimed the PFA Young Player of the Year award in both 1995 and 1997. However, his only Golden Boot win came during his time in the Australian top flight in 2011 with Perth Glory.
Kenny Dalglish (172 goals in 515 appearances)
The Scottish forward joined the Reds in 1977 and stayed until 1990, which was a highly successful spell in the club’s history. ‘King Kenny’ played a big role in that success, both on and later off the pitch as boss.
His influence on the pitch was undeniable, as his skills and goals helped the Reds to six First Division titles and three European Cups and four League Cups, amongst other silverware.
Individually, Dalglish won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1983, as well as the FWA Player of the Year in both 1979 and 1983. So strong were his performances for Liverpool, Dalglish also finished as runner-up in the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 1983.
Dalglish has retained close links to the club, even returning for a short second stint as Reds’ boss in 2011. The Scot will always be a Liverpool hero and has continued to work tirelessly in his adopted city doing charity work alongside his wife, Marina.
Mohamed Salah (169 goals in 274 appearances)
‘The Egyptian King’ has been sensational for Liverpool since his arrival from Roma back in 2017. During his career, Salah’s goals have proven vital in Jurgen Klopp’s trophy-laden period on Merseyside.
The forward’s goals fired Liverpool to their first English top-flight title in 30 years in season 2019/2020 and also the Champions League in the previous season, among other silverware during his Reds’ career.
On an individual basis, the former Chelsea star has won the Premier League Golden Boot on three occasions while also winning the PFA Player of the year in season 2017/18 and also 2021/22. Salah has won countless other awards during his time at Liverpool and etched his name in the club’s folklore.
Michael Owen (158 goals in 297)
Owen was another player plucked straight from the club’s youth system. Like Fowler before him, the forward burst onto the football scene as an exciting teenager. During his eight years with the club, Owen scored an impressive 158 goals in all competitions.
The diminutive forward won the FA Cup once, League Cup twice, and the UEFA Cup while at Liverpool. Unfortunately for Reds’ fans, the only English title of his football career came at bitter north west rivals Manchester United.
Owen won a host of individual awards during his time in a Reds’ shirt, which includes winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001, as well as winning the Premier League Golden Boot on two occasions in 1998 and 1999.
Harry Chambers (151 goals in 339 appearances)
The forward from the north east played for Liverpool between 1915-1928. Chambers signed in 1915, but due to the First World War, he couldn’t make his Reds’ debut until season 1919/20. He certainly made up for lost time by scoring 151 goals for the men from Merseyside.
Some of his more memorable goals came in a 5-1 win over city rivals Everton in 1922, as Chambers scored a hat-trick. The ‘Smiler’, as he was nicknamed, played a pivotal role in the Reds’ winning the English league title in two straight seasons in 1922 and 1923.