Ian Rush
MBE
Personal information
Rush in 2010
Full name	Ian James Rush^[1]
Date of birth	(1961-10-20) 20 October 1961 (age 63)^[2]
Place of birth	St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)^[3]
Position(s)	Forward^[4]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1978–1980	Chester	34	(14)
1981–1986	Liverpool	331	(207)
1986–1988	Juventus	29	(7)
1986–1987	→ Liverpool (loan)	57	(40)
1988–1996	Liverpool	245	(99)
1996–1997	Leeds United	36	(3)
1997–1998	Newcastle United	10	(0)
1998	→ Sheffield United (loan)	4	(0)
1998–1999	Wrexham	17	(0)
1999–2000	Sydney Olympic	2	(1)
Total		777	(358)
International career
1980–1996	Wales	73	(28)
Managerial career
2004–2005	Chester City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best Welsh players in the history of the sport.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980 to 1987 and 1988–1996. Additionally, he is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a total of 346 goals in all competitions at the club. He also holds the records for being the highest goalscorer in the history of the EFL Cup and the finals of the FA Cup. At international level, Rush made 73 appearances for the Wales national football team and remained the record goalscorer with 28 goals between 1980 and 1996, until the record was broken by Gareth Bale in 2018.

Regarded as one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,^[9]^[10] Rush came 3rd among Liverpool players in an official Liverpool fan poll, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.^[11] He also had short spells with Chester (later Chester City), Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Sydney Olympic. Since retiring as a player in 2000, Rush has had a stint as manager of Chester City (2004–05), and has worked as a television football pundit.^[12]

Club career

[edit]

Early life and career

[edit]

Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire,^[13] Rush's reputation was enhanced by scoring for Chester (later Chester City) in a 2–0 FA Cup third round win away to Second Division team Newcastle United in January 1980, with Chester equalling their best run by reaching the last 16 where they narrowly lost to Ipswich Town. His last game for Chester was a 2–1 win over Southend United at Sealand Road on 26 April 1980 in which he did not score.^{[citation needed]}

Despite interest from Manchester United, and in spite of Rush being a boyhood Everton fan, Liverpool won the race to sign the 19-year-old in April 1980, though he had to remain at Chester until the end of the season as the transfer deadline (27 March 1980) had passed. Recommended by chief scout Geoff Twentyman, Liverpool paid a record fee for a teenager of £300,000.^[14]^[15] It remained Chester's record sale until they went bankrupt in March 2010. Rush was managed throughout his time at Chester by Alan Oakes, although much of the credit for his development is given to youth manager Cliff Sear. Nearly 20 years later, Rush and Sear worked together on the coaching staff at Wrexham.^[16]

Liverpool: 1980–1987

[edit]

Rush made his international debut, in May 1980, just before he officially became a Liverpool player. His Liverpool début came on 13 December that year in a First Division fixture at Portman Road against Ipswich Town. He was standing in for his future strike-partner, Kenny Dalglish (out with an ankle injury but at the time one of the most highly rated strikers in the world), and wore his No 7 shirt. At this stage, Liverpool were defending the league title and also contending for the European Cup, while Ipswich were emerging as surprise title contenders. Liverpool finished fifth (with Aston Villa winning the title), but they did win the European Cup (for the third time) and the League Cup (for the first time).^[17] For the League Cup triumph Rush only made one appearance during the cup run but it was a crucial one; starting the replay in the final where they beat West Ham United. For the European Cup campaign Rush also made one appearance; in the semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, but he was left out of the squad for the final.^[18]

During his first season at Liverpool the young Rush mostly played reserve team football, rather than the first team. His first goal for the club came on 30 September 1981 during a European Cup first round second leg tie at Anfield against Oulun Palloseura. Liverpool had already won the first leg at the Raatti Stadium 1–0. They won the second leg 7–0, with Rush scoring in the 67th minute after coming on three minutes earlier for David Johnson.^[19]

His first two league goals came on 10 October 1981 in a 3–0 home win over Leeds United, and a month later he scored in the Merseyside derby at Anfield in a 3–1 win. After Christmas, Rush and Liverpool moved from tenth up to the top of the league. He scored a hat-trick in the 4–0 away league win over Notts County on 26 January 1982, and scored in both of the next two games. He managed eight goals in the League Cup (one of them in the final win over Tottenham Hotspur) and three in the FA Cup campaign which ended in a fifth round defeat by Chelsea.^[20] He ended the season as the club's top scorer, scoring 30 times in 49 appearances in all competitions, a ratio of 1 goal every 1.6 games. 17 of these goals came in the League as he helped Liverpool reclaim the League championship from Aston Villa. He also scored a goal to help Liverpool win the 1982 Football League Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur.^[21]

He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1983 after helping Liverpool to a second successive First Division/League Cup double, though once again success eluded them in the European Cup.^[22] He scored 24 League goals as Liverpool finished 11 points clear of runners-up Watford. On 6 November 1982 Rush scored four goals against Everton in a 5–0 victory, a post-war record for goals by a single player in a Merseyside derby.^[23]

Liverpool's third successive League Cup triumph was added through a 2–1 win over Manchester United after extra time at Wembley. Rush was voted PFA Player of the Year and BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year in 1984 as Liverpool retained both the League and the League Cup and won the European Cup.^[24]^[25] Rush also added the Football Writers Footballer of the Year to the PFA award he had already claimed – the same feat that his strike partner Kenny Dalglish had achieved a year earlier.^[26]

He scored 47 goals in 65 games (making him the highest goalscorer in all competitions for any professional club that season), a goal every 1.4 matches, as Liverpool finished three points clear of closest rivals Southampton in the League. They beat rivals Everton 1–0 in the replayed final of the League Cup (after a 0–0 draw in the first ever all-Merseyside final). They also won their fourth European Cup by defeating AS Roma 4–2 on penalties (Rush made it 3–2 before Bruce Grobbelaar's famous 'jelly legs' antics) following a 1–1 draw after extra time.^[27]

The 1984–85 season was Liverpool's first trophyless season in ten years, though they did reach their fifth European Cup final against Juventus in the game of the Heysel Stadium disaster. Before the match kicked off rioting hooligans caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 Juventus supporters. The game ended in a 1–0 win for Juventus. Liverpool were beaten to the title by neighbours Everton, who were crowned champions with four matches to spare. The sequel to the Heysel disaster was an indefinite ban on all English clubs in European competition, with Liverpool set to serve an extra season once the ban was lifted on other English clubs. This meant that Rush and Liverpool were unable to compete in the 1985–86 UEFA Cup.^[28]

In the 1985–86 season Rush scored twice as Liverpool beat Southampton 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane, booking a place at Wembley to face Everton in the first all-Merseyside FA Cup final. Liverpool had pipped their city rivals to the League title (which had also been contested with the likes of West Ham United and Manchester United) by beating Chelsea 1–0 at Stamford Bridge. Everton opened the scoring when Gary Lineker outpaced Alan Hansen to shoot past Grobbelaar at the second attempt and held this lead until half-time. In the second half Liverpool drew level in the 57th minute when Rush latched onto a pass from Jan Mølby to round Everton goalkeeper Bobby Mimms and slot the ball into an empty net. Six minutes later, Mølby was again at the heart of another attack. Picking the ball up inside the Everton penalty area, he drilled a cross for Craig Johnston to score. Liverpool were now 2–1 up, but the game was in the balance until the 84th minute, when Ronnie Whelan led another attack. Dalglish made a run across his path into space, but Whelan used it as a dummy and clipped a pass over three Everton defenders into the path of Rush who, from the angle of the six-yard area, scored past Mimms. Liverpool held on to win 3–1 and completed the first League and FA Cup double in the club's history. Rush added the Man of the Match award to his winner's medal.^{[citation needed]}

Since Dalglish's appointment as player-manager in the 1985 close season, Rush had often found himself partnered with Paul Walsh in the Liverpool first team as Dalglish selected himself as a player less frequently.^[29]

Juventus: 1987–1988

[edit]

After attracting much interest from top European sides, Rush accepted an offer to sign for Italian club Juventus on 2 July 1986 for a British record transfer fee of £3.2m.^[30] However, he continued to play at Liverpool for one season on loan before making his debut for Juventus. He was the second highest goalscorer in the Football League for the 1986–87 season with 30 First Division goals, but failed to win any major trophies as Liverpool finished second to Everton in the league^[31] and were defeated by Arsenal in the League Cup final despite Rush's opening goal, a result that also ended a long sequence – Liverpool had not lost any of the previous 144 games in which he had scored.^[32]

However, it was viewed as a new challenge for Rush who would have the task of unlocking the much tighter defences in Serie A. His time at Juventus was less than successful, as he scored only eight times in 29 games; though this was partly explained by the Italian tradition at this time of tighter defences meaning that strikers tended to score fewer goals in Italy than they did in England.^[33]

It has been said that he had a hard time settling in Turin, and that once he remarked "It's like living in a foreign country."^[34] However, he has denied both the feeling and the quote, stating as "absolutely untrue" that he was homesick and did not enjoy his time in Turin. "I was homesick at times, but it is one of the best things I've done in my life".^[35] In his autobiography Rush says that the quote was a joke made up by Kenny Dalglish, then in an interview published in The Irish Times in 2008, claimed that the quote was fictional.^[36]

After just one season at the Stadio Comunale, he returned to Anfield, rejoining Liverpool for £2.7m on 18 August 1988 – a record signing for an English club at the time, which remained unbroken for three years. It was the third time that summer that the national transfer record had been broken.^{[citation needed]}

Rush's departure from Liverpool had sparked the acquisition of new strikers John Aldridge (whose physical resemblance to Rush was often remarked upon^[37]) and Peter Beardsley, and on his return to the Liverpool side he was partnered alongside these players to form a 4–3–3 formation. Rush's former strike partner Kenny Dalglish (who had been appointed player-manager in 1985) was still registered as a player but by then he was in his 37th year and rarely played in the first team, retiring completely in 1990. Rush published a diary of his frustrating time in Italy titled My Italian Diary, 1989. In it, he reflected on his struggles to integrate himself in the dressing room at Juventus and adapt to the Italian style of play.^[38]

Liverpool (second spell): 1988–1996

[edit]

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On his return to Anfield, Rush had serious competition for a place in the new-look Liverpool attack, with John Aldridge having arrived at the club just before Rush's move to Juventus and Peter Beardsley having arrived shortly afterwards. It was deemed that Rush and Aldridge were too similar in style to be able to play together.^[39] Aldridge started the season in front of Rush and consistently scored goals, thus keeping the Welshman on the bench. As the season progressed, Rush came into some form. Rush again scored twice against Everton in a thrilling 3–2 win in the 1989 FA Cup Final. He came off the bench to replace Aldridge, who had opened the scoring for Liverpool in the fourth minute of the game. The sides were locked at 1–1 after 90 minutes, but Rush put Liverpool ahead in the fourth minute of extra time. Everton midfielder Stuart McCall then brought the scores level for a second time, but Rush scored again in the 103rd minute to win the Cup for Liverpool.^[40]

The 1989 FA Cup Final carried even greater significance because of the events of 15 April that year. In the semi-final, Liverpool had been drawn against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, home of Sheffield Wednesday. The game was brought to an abrupt end at 3.06 pm due to the unfolding disaster. 94 fans were crushed to death that day, with the final death toll eventually reaching 97. Rush, along with his teammates, attended many of the funerals.^[41]^[42]

Rush featured in the 1989 League title decider against Arsenal at Anfield. Arsenal needed to win by a two-goal margin to become champions, with a last-minute Michael Thomas goal famously giving them the title. Rush was injured during the first half of the game and had to be replaced by Peter Beardsley.^[43]

At the end of that season, UEFA voted for the ban on English teams in European competitions to continue for at least one more season, meaning that Rush and his teammates would be unable to challenge for the Cup Winners' Cup.^[44]

The 1989–90 season saw Rush win another League title, his fifth and last, as Liverpool finished nine points clear of Aston Villa, with Rush scoring 18 times in 36 games. However, another bid for the League–FA Cup double failed as Liverpool suffered a shock FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace, even though Rush had given the Liverpool the lead with a goal in the 14th minute. The game ended in a 4–3 defeat, a surprising result considering that Liverpool had crushed the newly promoted South London club 9–0 in a league game earlier in the season.^[45]

Although the ban on English clubs in European competition was lifted for the 1990–91 season, Liverpool were unable to compete in the European Cup as UEFA ruled that they would have to serve an extra year's suspension.^[46]

1990–91 saw Rush continue to score regularly and Liverpool led the table from the start of the season until January, having won their opening eight league games, but they were then overhauled by Arsenal and on 22 February 1991 Dalglish announced his resignation as manager. He was replaced by Graeme Souness but the change of manager was not enough to prevent the league title from slipping away from Anfield. Shortly after Dalglish's resignation, Liverpool were eliminated from the FA Cup in the fifth round by neighbours Everton. Liverpool finished second and were finally readmitted to European competition, qualifying for the UEFA Cup and giving Rush and his teammates their first chance of European action since 1984–85.^[47]

In 1992, he picked up a third FA Cup winners' medal, scoring Liverpool's second goal, in the 67th minute, in the 2–0 win against Second Division Sunderland at Wembley. This gave Rush and his colleagues another chance of European football, this time in the Cup Winners' Cup. It was a successful end to a season where Rush had struggled with injuries, and Liverpool had finished sixth in the league. His third goal came in a crucial 2–0 home win over Manchester United on 26 April 1992 which denied their arch-rivals the championship, the title going instead to Leeds United – the conclusion to a campaign where the title challenge had been mostly a two-horse race in which Liverpool had merely been on the fringes. This was the first time he had scored against Manchester United. Liverpool managed only a sixth-place finish in the league that season, the first time since 1981 that they had not finished champions or runners-up.^[47]

1992–93 was perhaps Liverpool's hardest season since beginning their current top flight tenure in 1962. They failed to mount a challenge for the new Premier League title, and as late as March they stood 15th in the table. Dismal form in the league had seen Rush dropped from the starting line-up, having scoring only three league goals by the beginning of March, with Souness favouring the likes of Ronny Rosenthal and Paul Stewart, but Rush returned to his peak during the final weeks of the season with 11 goals during the final two months, and he finished the season as the club's top scorer with 14 league goals, 22 overall.^[48] He topped the goalscoring charts once again in 1993–94 with 19 goals, beginning the season with Nigel Clough as his strike partner until the brilliant young Robbie Fowler broke into the first team. It was another disappointing season for Liverpool as they continued to perform unremarkably in the Premier League and Souness stepped down in late January following a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Bristol City. Long-serving coach Roy Evans took over as manager. Liverpool finished eighth in the league, once again missing out on European competition.^[49]

Rush picked up his fifth League Cup winner's medal in 1995, when two goals from Steve McManaman saw off a spirited challenge from outsiders Bolton Wanderers, as Liverpool triumphed 2–1. Earlier in the competition Rush scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, the team who would go on to win the Premier League that season. Liverpool themselves achieved their best league finish since 1991, as they finished fourth in the Premier League.^[50]

The 1995 close season saw Liverpool pay a national record fee of £8.4million for Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore, putting Rush's future at Anfield in doubt. He began the season as Liverpool's first choice striker alongside Collymore, only to be replaced by Robbie Fowler as Collymore's regular partner after a few games.^[51]

His loss of a regular place in the first team sparked rumours of a transfer during the season. Peter Reid made an offer to Liverpool to sign Rush on loan for Division One promotion challengers Sunderland in January 1996, but Liverpool manager Roy Evans rejected this offer, despite having not fielded Rush in his first eleven for two months, saying that he needed Rush as cover for Fowler and Collymore, as Liverpool began their quest for the FA Cup and were distant challengers in the league title race.^[52]

In late February 1996, it was announced that Rush would be leaving Anfield on a free transfer when his contract expired on 1 June. Numerous clubs were quick to express an interest in signing him. These included Everton, Sunderland, Oldham Athletic, Swansea City,^[53] Leeds United and Tranmere Rovers.^[54]

His long association with Liverpool ended with a substitute appearance in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. A hugely disappointing game looked to be heading for extra time and even a replay until Eric Cantona scored a late winner to give Manchester United a 1–0 victory.^{[citation needed]}

Later career: 1996–2000

[edit]

Rush bid farewell to Anfield on 20 May 1996 when he agreed to sign for Leeds United. Rush spent a season with Leeds and scored three times in 36 Premier League games and was given a free transfer at the end of the 1996–97 campaign.^[55]

He had been brought to Elland Road by manager Howard Wilkinson, who was sacked only a month into the season to be replaced by George Graham.^[54]

He then linked up with Kenny Dalglish at Newcastle United on a one-year contract but lost his place in the side after Christmas, when Alan Shearer returned from a long-term injury. However, Rush did score an important goal in a 1–0 win over Everton in the third round of the FA Cup, his 44th in the competition (a 20th-century record), helping Newcastle on their way to their first FA Cup Final in 24 years. He scored one other goal for Newcastle in a League Cup tie with Hull City.^[56]

He went on loan to Sheffield United later in the season, before leaving St James's Park in the summer of the year 1998 to sign, amid much fanfare, for Wrexham. The 37-year-old less athletic Rush failed to score in 17 Division Two starts for the North Wales club, and was moved into midfield near the end of the season. He made a brief playing comeback with Sydney Olympic in Australia, scoring one goal in two games, before finally retiring, aged 38, in 2000 ending an illustrious career.^[57]

International career

[edit]

Rush made his Welsh debut before he had been handed his first start for Liverpool, playing his first match on 21 May 1980 against Scotland in Glasgow, a 0–1 loss. He played his last international match on 24 January 1996 – a friendly match against Italy in Terni which Wales lost 0 regularly for the Welsh national team for more than 15 years, scoring 28 goals in 73 games.^[58]

He scored in a friendly against Italy in Brescia on 4 June 1988, the only goal in a shock win. During his career the team never qualified for a major tournament, although in 1991 he scored the winning goal in a memorable Euro 1992 qualifier against Germany on 5 June 1991.^[59] On 9 October 1992, he netted a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over the Faroe Islands at Cardiff Arms Park in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, the first Welsh hat-trick in over 13 years, and one of only 14 in the nation's history.^[60] Rush was Wales' record goalscorer until 2018 when his record of 28 goals was surpassed by Gareth Bale.^[61]

Management and coaching career

[edit]

After working as a part-time striker's coach for Liverpool under Gerard Houllier in 2003,^[62] he was appointed manager of his first professional club, Chester City (by this time in Football League Two), in August 2004. Chester had made a dreadful start to their first season back in the Football League and Rush had a hard time at the helm. After losing 3–1 at Boston United in their first game in charge, they strung together a two-month unbeaten run and he led the club to the FA Cup third round. Rush seemed to be answering his critics, including former Liverpool teammate Mark Lawrenson, who doubted whether his tactical and coaching abilities could match his striking history.^[63]

But after Rush ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Welsh manager's job on 1 November 2004 things never seemed to go as well. Several heavy defeats were inflicted and Rush was criticised for long-ball tactics^[64] his managerial team opted to use. Despite pressure from chairman Stephen Vaughan, Rush refused to resign after a humiliating 5–0 loss to neighbours Shrewsbury Town in February 2005. But when Vaughan sacked Rush's assistant Mark Aizlewood in April, after a 1–0 defeat at Darlington, without his knowledge, Rush resigned on principle. By the point of his resignation, Chester were virtually safe from relegation.^[65] His spell in charge saw youngsters such as Robbie Booth, Michael Walsh and Shaun Whalley all given their Football League debuts,^[66] while players including Michael Brown,^[67] George Elokobi^[68] and Robbie Foy^[69] all spent time on loan at the club.

Rush was interviewed for the Peterborough United manager's job shortly after this but lost out to Mark Wright, who had played in the same Liverpool team as Rush from 1991 to 1996, and had preceded Rush as Chester manager.^[70]

Media career and other activities, 2005 to present

[edit]

In 2005, at the age of 43, Rush considered coming out of retirement to play for Total Network Solutions, after the Welsh side were drawn against Liverpool for their opening round UEFA Champions League qualifying match, but later decided against this.^[71]

Since November 2005, Rush has been involved in media work within the game, including a stint as an analyst with ESPN.^[72] He also appears as a pundit and reporter for Sky Sports and Sky Sports News. He has also done work on LFC TV.^[73]

On 27 April 2006, Rush was involved in the Marina Dalglish charity match, which pitted the 1986 FA Cup final teams of Liverpool and Everton against each other in aid of Breast Cancer Research, as Kenny Dalglish's wife Marina had been suffering from breast cancer and the proceeds from the match were being donated to the charity.^[74]

Rush was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006 due to his achievements in the game.^[75]

On 7 September 2007 it was announced that Rush had been appointed Elite Performance Director for the Welsh Football Trust, a part-time role in which he would help develop the next generation of players for Wales' national teams.^[76]

Rush released his autobiography on 21 August 2008, Rush: The Autobiography, through Ebury Press.^[77]

On 26 April 2010, it was announced that Rush had returned to work with Liverpool FC, becoming the club's new Soccer Schools Ambassador and it was announced he would also work with the club's commercial team to help develop and support partnerships with other global sponsors and brands.^[78] Rush can still be seen wearing the red of Liverpool as he is one of Liverpool's ambassadors on public relations tours for the club.^[79]

In summer 2010, as part of an outdoor installation in Chester that featured seventy life sized fibreglass rhinos each with unique artwork, one rhino was in honour of Ian Rush. The rhino was painted with a black moustache and wearing a Chester City football kit and boots.^[80]

In August 2014, Rush was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.^[81]

Rush was one of the pundits in first season (2014) of Indian Super League.^[82]

In August 2016, Rush was named as ambassador for the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, which took place in Cardiff, Wales.^[83]

In popular culture

[edit]

Rush is referenced in the Milk Marketing Board television advert Accrington Stanley, Who Are They?, which ran in the late 1980s and early 1990s.^{[citation needed]}

Rush made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the BBC drama series Hustle.^[84]^[85]

Personal life

[edit]

Ian Rush was the ninth of ten children born to Francis and Doris Rush, who lived in Flint, North Wales.^[86] Francis Rush, who worked in the steel industry for many years, died in July 2003 at the age of 78.^[87] Doris Rush died almost seven years later at the age of 82.^[88] He is of partial Irish descent.^[89]

Rush married Tracy in 1987. The marriage ended in 2015. They had two sons together: Jonathan and Daniel.^[90]

He is the great-uncle of footballer Owen Beck, who made his debut for Liverpool in 2021.^[91]

Rush was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year Honours for services to association football.^[92]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup^[a]		League Cup^[b]		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chester	1978–79^[93]	Third Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	1979–80^[93]	Third Division	33	14	5	4	0	0	—		—		38	18
	Total		34	14	5	4	0	0	—		—		39	18
Liverpool	1980–81^[93]	First Division	7	0	0	0	1	0	1^[c]	0	—		9	0
	1981–82^[93]	First Division	32	17	3	3	10	8	4^[c]	2	—		49	30
	1982–83^[93]	First Division	34	24	3	2	8	2	5^[c]	2	1^[d]	1	51	31
	1983–84^[93]	First Division	41	32	2	2	12	8	9^[c]	5	1^[d]	0	65	47
	1984–85^[93]	First Division	28	14	6	7	1	0	6^[c]	5	3^[e]	0	44	26
	1985–86^[93]	First Division	40	22	8	6	6	3	—		2^[f]	2	56	33
	1986–87^[93]	First Division	42	30	3	0	9	4	—		3^[g]	6	57	40
	Total		224	139	25	20	47	25	25	14	10	9	331	207
Juventus	1987–88^{[citation needed]}	Serie A	29	7	7	5	—		3^[h]	1	—		39	13
Liverpool	1988–89^[93]	First Division	24	7	2	3	4	1	—		2^[i]	0	32	11
	1989–90^[93]	First Division	36	18	8	6	3	2	—		1^[d]	0	48	26
	1990–91^[93]	First Division	37	16	7	5	3	5	—		1^[d]	0	48	26
	1991–92^[93]	First Division	18	4^[j]	5	1	3	3	5^[h]	1	—		31	9
	1992–93^[93]	Premier League	32	14	1	1	4	1	4^[k]	5	1^[d]	1	42	22
	1993–94^[93]	Premier League	42	14	2	1	5	4	—		—		49	19
	1994–95^[93]	Premier League	36	12	7	1	7	6	—		—		50	19
	1995–96^[93]	Premier League	20	5	4	1	2	1	3^[h]	0	—		29	7
	Total		245	90	36	19	31	23	12	6	5	1	329	139
Leeds United	1996–97^[96]	Premier League	36	3	4	0	2	0	—		—		42	3
Newcastle United	1997–98^[97]	Premier League	10	0	1	1	2	1	1^[l]	0	—		14	2
Sheffield United	1997–98^[97]	First Division	4	0	—		—		—		—		4	0
Wrexham	1998–99^[98]	Second Division	17	0	4	0	2	0	—		1^[m]	0	24	0
Sydney Olympic	1999–2000^[99]	National Soccer League	2	1	—		—		—		—		2	1
Career total			601	254	82	49	84	49	41	21	16	10	825	382

^ Includes FA Cup, Coppa Italia
^ Includes Football League Cup
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Appearance(s) in European Cup
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Appearance in FA Charity Shield
^ One appearance in FA Charity Shield, one appearance in Intercontinental Cup, one appearance in European Super Cup
^ Appearances in Football League Super Cup
^ One appearance and one goal in FA Charity Shield, two appearances and five goals in Football League Super Cup
^ ^a ^b ^c Appearances in UEFA Cup
^ Appearances in Football League Centenary Trophy
^ The English National Football Archive attribute Liverpool's second goal in their 2–2 draw away to Chelsea on 19 October 1991 in the 1991–92 First Division as a Paul Elliott own goal,^[93] but multiple sources credit the goal to Rush, including 11v11.com^[94] and LFCHistory.net.^[95]
^ Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
^ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
^ Appearance in Football League Trophy

International

[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[100]
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Wales	1980	2	0
	1981	3	0
	1982	6	4
	1983	6	3
	1984	4	0
	1985	4	4
	1986	4	1
	1987	5	2
	1988	6	2
	1989	3	0
	1990	4	2
	1991	6	1
	1992	4	4
	1993	6	4
	1994	6	1
	1995	3	0
	1996	1	0
Total		73	28

Manager

[edit]

Managerial record by team and tenure^[101]
Team	From	To	Record
Team	From	To	P	W	D	L	Win %
Chester City	29 August 2004	4 April 2005	42	14	13	15	033.33
Total			42	14	13	15	033.33

Honours

[edit]

Source:^[102]

Liverpool

Football League First Division: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90
FA Cup: 1985–86, 1988–89, 1991–92
Football League Cup: 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1994–95
Football League Super Cup: 1985–86
FA Charity Shield: 1982, 1986 (shared), 1989, 1990 (shared)
European Cup: 1980–81, 1983–84

Individual

PFA Young Player of the Year: 1983
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1984
FWA Footballer of the Year: 1984
BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year: 1984
PFA First Division Team of the Year: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991
PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007^[103]
European Golden Boot: 1984
First Division Golden Boot: 1984
Liverpool Top Goalscorer: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94
FAI International Football Awards – International Personality: 2010^[104]

Bibliography

[edit]

Rush, Ian (21 August 2008). Rush: The Autobiography. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-192805-6.
- Paperback (2009): ISBN 978-0-09-192806-3

References

[edit]

^ "Ian Rush". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^ "I. Rush: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^ "Ian Rush: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^ "Ian Rush". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^ "The 30 greatest strikers of all time – ranked". 90min. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
^ "Ranking the Top 60 Strikers of All Time". Bleacher Report. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
^ "Ranked! The 10 best Welsh players ever". FourFourTwo. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
^ "The 5 best Welsh Football Players of all-time". The Sporting Blog. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
^ "Best Liverpool players ever, the top 50". The Daily Telegraph. London. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
^ "Ranked! The 50 best Liverpool players ever". FourFourTwo. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
^ "100PWSTK: 3. Ian Rush" Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Liverpoolfc.com; retrieved 5 January 2013.
^ Jones, Mark (11 November 2016). "Liverpool legend gives the Reds even more motivation to win the Premier League". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
^ "Ian Rush: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^ Wood, Chris. "Geoff Twentyman: Secret Diary of a Liverpool Scout". LFChistory.net. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
^ "Who is Ian Rush? The Liverpool legend whose goalscoring heroics Mohamed Salah is emulating". Goal. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
^ Rush, Ian (31 January 2011). Rush: The Autobiography. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4464-0779-0.
^ Rush, Ian (31 March 2013). Ian Rush – An Autobiography With Ken Gorman. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-7579-6.
^ "List of appearances in 1980–1981 by Ian Rush". lfchistory.net. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
^ "Matchdetails from Liverpool - Oulun Palloseura played on Wednesday 30 September 1981 - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Liverpool Results 1981–82". Liverweb. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
^ Greaves, Jimmy (7 October 2008). Football's Great Heroes and Entertainers: The History of Football through its biggest heroes. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-4447-1815-7.
^ "Ian Rush Liverpool, 1983". 2024.
^ Doyle, Paul, The Joys of Six: Classic Merseyside Derbys, theguardian.com, 19 October 2007; Retrieved 11 July 2014
^ "BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year". BBC Sport. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
^ "Ian Rus hLiverpool, 1984". 2024.
^ Liverpool FC – You'll Never Walk Alone. Coda Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-908538-34-5.
^ Redknapp, Harry (9 October 2014). A Man Walks on To a Pitch: Stories from a Life in Football. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-7659-5.
^ White, Marc (24 October 2012). 101 Things You May Not Have Known About Liverpool. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1-909143-75-3.
^ Scragg, Steven (29 August 2018). "Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush: the greatest partnership in Liverpool history". These Football Times. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Ian Rush Biography". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 February 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ Neil Pointon remembers Everton FC battle to play in 1987 title-winning team Liverpool Echo, 4 May 2012
^ LFC in the League Cup final: 1987 – Arsenal fightback ends Ian Rush's astonishing scoring run Liverpool Echo, 21 February 2012
^ O'Neill, Eoin (24 February 2015). "Ian Rush: twelve months in a foreign country". These Football Times. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
^ "Famous Liverpool FC Quotes". LiverpoolFC.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ Honeyball, Lee (6 February 2005). "It was like living in a foreign country". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ Eaton, Paul (8 January 2008). "60 minutes with Ian Rush". LiverpoolFC.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ "New Straits Times – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
^ "MY ITALIAN DIARY by RUSH, Ian: (1989) | LUCIUS BOOKS (ABA, ILAB, PBFA)". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ Scragg, Steven (2 August 2021). "The story of Rush to Juventus - and an LFC return too soon". This Is Anfield. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "1989 FA Cup Final | Liverpool vs Everton". www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Hillsborough: Timeline of the 1989 stadium disaster". 28 November 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "I cried my eyes out after Hillsborough". Liverpool FC. 14 April 2006. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ Louis Massarella (3 March 2017). "Football's greatest-ever title finish? Arsenal's 1989 triumph over Liverpool, told by the players". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ Gore, David. "The Dark Shadow of Heysel". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Games for the 1989-1990 season - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Liverpool quadruple bid - how the Reds are already closer than ever to landing the 'Fab Four'". BBC Sport. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Games for the 1990-1991 season - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Fixtures and Results 92/93". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Fixtures and Results 93/94". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Fixtures and Results 94/95". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Stan Collymore Signed Liverpool Photograph". Superstar Speakers. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ No Rush to Roker The Mirror, 23 January 1996
^ Royle eyes Rush Daily Record, 29 February 1996
^ ^a ^b Leeds join rush for Ian The Mirror, 12 March 1996
^ "Before Leeds v Liverpool, Ian Rush on where it went wrong for him at Elland Road| All Football". AllfootballOfficial. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Ian Rush Remembers Toon v Hull With Fond Memories!". Newcastle United Mad. Digital Sports Group. 15 October 1997. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
^ "Where is Ian Rush now?". 2024.
^ "Rush record at rsssf.org".
^ "Liverpool legend Ian Rush archive special: Unseen pictures and Daily Mirror pages from the past". Mirror Football. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
^ "Welsh hat-trick heroes". Welsh Football Online. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
^ "Gareth Bale says becoming Wales' record scorer is career highlight". BBC Sport. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ "Web Exclusives: Ian Rush". FourFourTwo. Haymarket Media Group. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
^ "Determined to be successful". Liverpool Echo. 31 August 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
^ "There's no room for sentiment". Chester Chronicle. 30 November 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ "Rush walks out as Chester manager". BBC Sport. 6 April 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
^ Powell, Dave (31 October 2019). "Ian Rush: My Chester spell put me off management for good". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Rush joy as Brown seals loan deal". Chester Chronicle. 24 December 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ "Chester sign U's defender on loan". BBC Sport. 27 January 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ Fudge, Simon. "Chester land duo". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ "Rush for Posh job?". Sunday Mirror. 29 May 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ "Rush considers 'incredible' TNS offer". Irish Examiner. 25 June 2005. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ Melvin, Paul (13 April 2012). "ESPN in UK and Ireland features Liverpool-Everton FA Cup SemiFinal". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ "Rush Scored Four: Watch LFCTV's new documentary - Liverpool FC". www.liverpoolfc.com. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "30,000 relive Merseypride final". BBC News. 1 May 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ "Rush enters the hall of fame - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Rush handed Trust coaching role". BBC Sport. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ "Random House: Book details for Rush: The Autobiography". Random House. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
^ "Rush re-signs for Reds". LiverpoolFC.tv. Liverpool FC. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
^ "Liverpool 'playing better than anyone' in England – Ian Rush". ESPN UK. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ "Chester FC – News, views, gossip, pictures, video". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories | Politics". The Guardian. London. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
^ "Ian Rush's insights on ISL superstars". Indian Super League. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
^ "Ian Rush named ambassador for Cardiff final". UEFA. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^ Wollaston, Sam (13 January 2012). "TV review: Hustle". The Guardian.
^ ""Hustle" Gold Finger (TV Episode 2012) - Full cast & crew - IMDb". IMDb.
^ "Oh Carol – let him steal your heart away... Ian Rush on love and Ireland's Euro hopes". Irish Independent. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
^ Bagnell, Steve (17 June 2003). "Rush says farewell to a fantastic dad". North Wales Daily Post. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
^ Forrester, Katie (3 March 2010). "'Incredible' mother of football legend Ian Rush dies". The Leader. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^ "Noie: Soccer legend Ian Rush swings through Notre Dame".
^ "Ian Rush: Myth And Legend". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
^ Williams, Glen (13 July 2021). "Who is Owen Beck, Liverpool's rising star who's being compared to Andy Robertson". WalesOnline.
^ United Kingdom list: "No. 54255". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 30 December 1995. p. 23.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r "Player Details: Ian Rush". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ "Chelsea v Liverpool, 19 October 1991". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ "Chelsea 2–2 Liverpool". LFCHistory.net. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ "Games played by Ian Rush in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Games played by Ian Rush in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ "Games played by Ian Rush in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ "Australian Player Database: Rush, Ian". OzFootball. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ Klukowski, Tomasz (10 February 2004). "Ian Rush – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ "Manager Details: Ian Rush". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
^ LFChistory.net. "Liverpool career stats for Ian Rush – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". lfchistory.net.
^ "Team of the Century: 1977-1996 – Souness, Robson & Hoddle...not a bad midfield trio!". GiveMeFootball.com. Give Me Football. 30 August 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
^ "21st 3/FAI International Football Award winners announced". Football Association of Ireland. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ian Rush.

Profile at the Liverpool F.C. website
Ian Rush – FIFA competition record (archived)
Ian Rush – UEFA competition record (archive)

Chester City F.C. – managers

Hewitt (1930–36)
Mansley (1936)
Raisbeck (1936–38)
F. Brown (1938–53)
Page (1953–56)
Harris (1956–59)
Pearson (1959–61)
Lambton (1962–63)
Hauser (1963–68)
Roberts (1968–76)
Oakes (1976–82)
Sear (1982)
Sainty (1982–83)
Storton (1983–84)
Sear (1984)
McGrath (1984)
Speight (1984–85)
McNally (1985–92)
Barrow (1992–94)
Pejic (1994–95)
Mann (1995)
Ratcliffe (1995–99)
Smith (1999–2000)
Atkins (2000)
Barrow (2000–01)
Hill (2001)
Mungall (2001)
Porter & Spink (2001–02)
O. Brown & Lewer (2002)
Wright (2002–04)
Mathias (2004)
Rush (2004–05)
Bell (2005)
Curle (2005–06)
Wright (2006–07)
Davies (2007)
Williamson (2007–08)
Davies (2008)
Wright (2008–09)
Wadsworth (2009)
Ryan (2009)
Harvey (2009–10)
Maison (2010)

Awards

v t e European Golden Shoe
L'Équipe award	1967–68: Eusébio 1968–69: Zhekov 1969–70: Müller 1970–71: Skoblar 1971–72: Müller 1972–73: Eusébio 1973–74: Yazalde 1974–75: Georgescu 1975–76: Kaiafas 1976–77: Georgescu 1977–78: Krankl 1978–79: Kist 1979–80: Vandenbergh 1980–81: Slavkov 1981–82: Kieft 1982–83: Gomes 1983–84: Rush 1984–85: Gomes 1985–86: Van Basten 1986–87: Cămătaru & Polster 1987–88: Çolak 1988–89: Mateuț 1989–90: Sánchez & Stoichkov 1990–91: Pančev
Unofficial	1991–92: McCoist 1992–93: McCoist 1993–94: Taylor 1994–95: Avetisyan 1995–96: Endeladze
ESM award	1996–97: Ronaldo 1997–98: Machlas 1998–99: Jardel 1999–2000: Phillips 2000–01: Larsson 2001–02: Jardel 2002–03: Makaay 2003–04: Henry 2004–05: Henry & Forlán 2005–06: Toni 2006–07: Totti 2007–08: C. Ronaldo 2008–09: Forlán 2009–10: Messi 2010–11: C. Ronaldo 2011–12: Messi 2012–13: Messi 2013–14: C. Ronaldo & Suárez 2014–15: C. Ronaldo 2015–16: Suárez 2016–17: Messi 2017–18: Messi 2018–19: Messi 2019–20: Immobile 2020–21: Lewandowski 2021–22: Lewandowski 2022–23: Haaland 2023–24: Kane

English First Division top scorers

PFA Players' Player of the Year

1974: Hunter
1975: Todd
1976: Jennings
1977: Gray
1978: Shilton
1979: Brady
1980: McDermott
1981: Wark
1982: Keegan
1983: Dalglish
1984: Rush
1985: Reid
1986: Lineker
1987: Allen
1988: Barnes
1989: Hughes
1990: Platt
1991: Hughes
1992: Pallister
1993: McGrath
1994: Cantona
1995: Shearer
1996: Ferdinand
1997: Shearer
1998: Bergkamp
1999: Ginola
2000: Keane
2001: Sheringham
2002: Van Nistelrooy
2003: Henry
2004: Henry
2005: Terry
2006: Gerrard
2007: Ronaldo
2008: Ronaldo
2009: Giggs
2010: Rooney
2011: Bale
2012: Van Persie
2013: Bale
2014: Suárez
2015: Hazard
2016: Mahrez
2017: Kanté
2018: Salah
2019: Van Dijk
2020: De Bruyne
2021: De Bruyne
2022: Salah
2023: Haaland
2024: Foden

PFA Young Player of the Year

1974: Beattie
1975: Day
1976: Barnes
1977: Gray
1978: Woodcock
1979: Regis
1980: Hoddle
1981: Shaw
1982: Moran
1983: Rush
1984: Walsh
1985: Hughes
1986: Cottee
1987: Adams
1988: Gascoigne
1989: Merson
1990: Le Tissier
1991: Sharpe
1992: Giggs
1993: Giggs
1994: Cole
1995: Fowler
1996: Fowler
1997: Beckham
1998: Owen
1999: Anelka
2000: Kewell
2001: Gerrard
2002: Bellamy
2003: Jenas
2004: Parker
2005: Rooney
2006: Rooney
2007: Ronaldo
2008: Fàbregas
2009: Young
2010: Milner
2011: Wilshere
2012: Walker
2013: Bale
2014: Hazard
2015: Kane
2016: Alli
2017: Alli
2018: Sané
2019: Sterling
2020: Alexander-Arnold
2021: Foden
2022: Foden
2023: Saka
2024: Palmer

FWA Footballer of the Year

1948: Matthews
1949: Carey
1950: Mercer
1951: Johnston
1952: Wright
1953: Lofthouse
1954: Finney
1955: Revie
1956: Trautmann
1957: Finney
1958: Blanchflower
1959: Owen
1960: Slater
1961: Blanchflower
1962: Adamson
1963: Matthews
1964: Moore
1965: Collins
1966: B. Charlton
1967: J. Charlton
1968: Best
1969: Book & Mackay
1970: Bremner
1971: McLintock
1972: Banks
1973: Jennings
1974: Callaghan
1975: Mullery
1976: Keegan
1977: Hughes
1978: Burns
1979: Dalglish
1980: McDermott
1981: Thijssen
1982: Perryman
1983: Dalglish
1984: Rush
1985: Southall
1986: Lineker
1987: Allen
1988: Barnes
1989: Nicol
1990: Barnes
1991: Strachan
1992: Lineker
1993: Waddle
1994: Shearer
1995: Klinsmann
1996: Cantona
1997: Zola
1998: Bergkamp
1999: Ginola
2000: Keane
2001: Sheringham
2002: Pires
2003: Henry
2004: Henry
2005: Lampard
2006: Henry
2007: Ronaldo
2008: Ronaldo
2009: Gerrard
2010: Rooney
2011: Parker
2012: Van Persie
2013: Bale
2014: Suárez
2015: Hazard
2016: Vardy
2017: Kanté
2018: Salah
2019: Sterling
2020: Henderson
2021: Dias
2022: Salah
2023: Haaland
2024: Foden

BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year

1954 Ken Jones
1955 John Disley
1956 Joe Erskine
1957 Dai Rees
1958 Howard Winstone
1959 Graham Moore
1960 Brian Curvis
1961 Bryn Meredith
1962 Ivor Allchurch
1963 Howard Winstone
1964 Lynn Davies
1965 Clive Rowlands
1966 Lynn Davies
1967 Howard Winstone
1968 Martyn Woodroffe
1969 Tony Lewis
1970 David Broome
1971 John Dawes, the Wales national rugby union team & the Welsh Lions
1972 Richard Meade
1973 Berwyn Price
1974 Gareth Edwards
1975 Arfon Griffiths
1976 Mervyn Davies & the Wales national rugby union team
1977 Phil Bennett
1978 Johnny Owen
1979 Terry Griffiths
1980 Duncan Evans
1981 John Toshack
1982 Steve Barry
1983 Colin Jones
1984 Ian Rush
1985 Steve Jones
1986 Kirsty Wade
1987 Ian Woosnam
1988 Colin Jackson
1989 Stephen Dodd
1990 Ian Woosnam
1991 Ian Woosnam
1992 Tanni Grey
1993 Colin Jackson
1994 Steve Robinson
1995 Neville Southall
1996 Ryan Giggs
1997 Scott Gibbs
1998 Iwan Thomas
1999 Colin Jackson
2000 Tanni Grey-Thompson
2001 Joe Calzaghe
2002 Mark Hughes
2003 Nicole Cooke
2004 Tanni Grey-Thompson
2005 Gareth Thomas
2006 Joe Calzaghe
2007 Joe Calzaghe
2008 Shane Williams
2009 Ryan Giggs
2010 Gareth Bale
2011 Chaz Davies
2012 Jade Jones
2013 Leigh Halfpenny
2014 Geraint Thomas
2015 Dan Biggar
2016 Jade Jones
2017 Jonathan Davies
2018 Geraint Thomas
2019 Alun Wyn Jones
2020 No award
2021 Lauren Price
2022 Olivia Breen
2023 Emma Finucane
2024 Emma Finucane

v t e Liverpool F.C. – Hall of Fame inductees
A'Court Balmer Barnes Bradshaw Callaghan Carragher Clemence Cox Dalglish Gerrard Goddard Hansen Hodgson Hunt Liddell Longworth McDougall McKinlay McQueen Raisbeck Rush Scott Stubbins Yeats

Football League 100 Legends

English Football Hall of Fame

Players

Men

Women

Managers

Referees

Taylor
Welch