With Liverpool being one of the more diverse teams in the Premier League, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time when the team had no players of color.
In fact, it took until 1980 for Liverpool to field their first black player – Howard Gayle.
Born in Toxteth, Gayle grew up a Liverpool fan. His dream of playing for the Reds came true when he was signed to the first-team from the academy in 1977. This contract made the then 19-year-old the first-ever colored player in Liverpool’s first-team.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Gayle expressed:
"“I was simply proud to come from Liverpool and to break new ground by becoming part of an institution that was opening its doors to colour.”"
However, the Liverpool dream wasn’t ideal for the forward as he soon realized he wasn’t treated like everyone else:
"“I had to deal with a lot. If I had been allowed to develop like the other players…I was joining a culture that didn’t understand my culture.”"
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In many interviews and his own autobiography 61 Minutes in Munich, Gayle described all the hardships he faced with the club. Back then, Melwood was synonymous with locker room banter that toughened up players. There was a belief that “if you could survive Melwood, you could survive all taunts”.
Phil Thompson was often teased for his big nose and David Fairclough for his red hair, but Gayle—it was different, it was for his skin color. The most noticeable of the abuse came from club legend Tommy Smith, who would commonly dish out profane insults towards the young forward.
Gayle cited that: “Liverpool dictated that I was expected to just allow it to go over my head and not take things so seriously,” but of course that isn’t easy to do, especially when it comes to race.
With all the adversity, Gayle never got a fair chance with the first team. The majority of his time with the Reds was spent with the reserves. As a matter of fact, it took three years for the forward to make his debut for the first-team, which came in a cameo against Manchester City in 1980.
However, Gayle was sent out on loan to Fulham immediately after. After impressing at the Craven Cottage, the forward was called back by Liverpool after just a mere four months.
Kenny limps off at Bayern Munich at the European Cup Semi Final in 1981. A young Scouse lad named Howard Gayle came onto the pitch and ran them ragged, which took us to the Final in Paris that same year. pic.twitter.com/eSFWlP9QXD
— "YNWA" The Story of Liverpool FC (@LFCHistoryShow) April 20, 2019
Gayle’s big moment with the Reds would eventually come a year later in April of 1981. Due to an abundance of injuries, he was called to travel with the first-team by Bob Paisley as Liverpool prepared to face Bayern Munich in a crucial European Cup semi-final second-leg tie.
The Reds’ injury woes continued shortly after kick-off as Kenny Dalglish was forced off after a heavy challenge by Karl Del’Haye. So, it was finally Gayle’s time and he made the most of his opportunity. The forward caused great trouble for Bayern’s defense. His play clearly frustrated the German side and their fans as he was met by racial abuse every time he touched the ball. He was constantly fouled and should have won a penalty, yet the whistle never blew.
Unfortunately for Gayle, Paisley took him out after he received a booking for a weak challenge on Wolfgang Dremmler. The Reds would go on to win the tie and eventually capture their third European title.
The heroic display against Bayern earned Gayle a regular role for the next couple of weeks as the Reds continued to deal with the injury problem. In this run, the forward managed to bag his first and only goal for Liverpool after scoring against Spurs.
Sadly, this would be the peak of Gayle’s time with the Reds. He never made another first-team appearance and was loaned off again, this time to Newcastle. Eventually, he was sold to Birmingham City and went on to have a solid career with various clubs.
Liverpool footballer Howard Gayle has turned down an MBE nomination, saying it would be a betrayal to Africans who suffered at the hands of the British Empire. pic.twitter.com/CthS3eJk2L
— Fuad Alakbarov (@DrAlakbarov) November 16, 2019
Gayle’s impact on the beautiful game continued after he retired in 1993. He went on to become an ambassador for the Show Racism the Red Card campaign and still continues to combat racism in football every day.
His patronage ad contributions to the anti-racism campaign earned him a spot in the SRTRC Hall of Fame in 1998. He even got a nomination for an MBE, which he famously rejected as a protest of British imperialism in Africa.
Today, Liverpool Football Club is composed of players from a wide array of backgrounds. Of course, none of that would be possible if it weren’t for the strength, perseverance, and heroics of Howard Gayle.