Liverpool

History of Liverpool FC: You'll Never Walk Alone, Six European Cups and a Twentieth Title

England's most successful club in Europe, Liverpool built their legend on Anfield, on the Kop and on a collective culture handed down from Bill Shankly. In 2025 the Reds equalled the record of twenty domestic titles; in 2026 they had to surrender the crown to Arsenal.

1. Born from a Dispute over a Ground (1892–1958)

Liverpool FC were born in 1892 out of a quarrel: the owner of the Anfield ground, brewer John Houlding, fell out with Everton, who moved to Goodison Park. Houlding kept the stadium and founded a new team. Champions of England as early as 1901, Liverpool won five titles before the Second World War, but then declined so far that they were playing in the Second Division by the late 1950s.

2. Shankly, the Boot Room and the Conquest of Europe (1959–1983)

The arrival of Bill Shankly in 1959 changed everything. He took the club back up, rebuilt the Melwood training ground, hung the "This Is Anfield" sign in the tunnel and turned the Kop into the most famous stand in football. The anthem You'll Never Walk Alone, taken up by supporters from the 1960s, became the club's defining emblem. Shankly also created the "Boot Room", an in-house coaching group that would provide rare continuity.

It was his successor, Bob Paisley, who lifted Liverpool to the summit of the continent: three European Cups in five years (1977, 1978, 1981) and six English championships. Joe Fagan added a fourth European crown in 1984. Liverpool dominated English football as no club had before.

3. The Tragedies and the Long Wait (1985–2014)

Two disasters marked the institution forever: Heysel in Brussels in 1985, which cost thirty-nine lives and led to a five-year ban on English clubs in Europe, then Hillsborough in 1989, where ninety-seven Liverpool supporters lost their lives. It took decades of campaigning by the families for the truth to be recognised. On the pitch, the 1990 title was followed by a thirty-year wait.

The club nevertheless kept writing European history. On 25 May 2005 in Istanbul, 3–0 down at half-time to AC Milan in the Champions League final, Liverpool levelled within six minutes and won on penalties: a fifth European Cup and one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history, led by captain Steven Gerrard.

4. The Klopp Era: Back to the Top (2015–2024)

Jürgen Klopp, appointed in October 2015, rebuilt the club around Gegenpressing, targeted recruitment and an intense bond with the supporters. After a final lost in 2018, Liverpool won a sixth Champions League in 2019 (2–0 against Tottenham in Madrid), an English record. The following season the Reds were crowned champions of England with 99 points, ending a thirty-year wait. Around Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, the club came within touching distance of a historic quadruple in 2022.

5. 2025: A Twentieth Domestic Title

After Klopp's departure, the Dutchman Arne Slot made an exceptional start: in his very first season, 2024–25, Liverpool were crowned champions of England. It was the club's twentieth domestic title, equalling the record held by Manchester United.

6. The 2025–26 Season: The Crown Surrendered

As defending champions, Liverpool were unable to retain the title. The 2025–26 Premier League was won by Arsenal, crowned on 19 May 2026 with a match to spare, ending a twenty-two-year wait for the Gunners.

The Champions League run was more mixed. The Reds first comfortably dispatched Galatasaray 4–1 on aggregate in the round of 16, before falling in the quarter-finals to the eventual winners: a 0–2 and 0–2 double defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, 4–0 on aggregate, one of the most emphatic eliminations the club has suffered at that stage.

7. Looking to 2026–27: Chasing a Twenty-First

Since the restart, Liverpool have pursued a clear objective: to take the domestic crown back from Arsenal and claim the twenty-first title that would make the Reds the most successful club in English football history. With Anfield expanded beyond sixty thousand seats, recruitment still guided by data analysis and one of the most mobilised supporter bases in the world, the club retains every means to match its ambitions.

Honours, Stadium and Legends

Main honours: twenty English championships, eight FA Cups, ten League Cups (a record), six European Cups and Champions Leagues (an English record), three UEFA Cups (1973, 1976, 2001), four UEFA Super Cups and one Club World Cup (2019). Anfield, expanded to more than sixty thousand seats, with its Kop stand and the Shankly Gates, remains one of world football's sanctuaries. Ian Rush is the club's all-time leading scorer and Ian Callaghan holds the appearance record. Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan, Graeme Souness, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Mohamed Salah, now among the Reds' greatest-ever scorers, form its pantheon. Derbies against Everton and clashes with Manchester United are the club's great rivalries, and the Hillsborough memorial beside the stadium honours the ninety-seven supporters who lost their lives in 1989.