Liverpool won 18 First Division titles before the Premier League era. Then they had inspirational captains such as Alan Hansen, Phil Thompson and Graham Souness. Winning the Premier League was hard to come by for Liverpool, but they finally did it in 2019/20 and 2024/24. The Reds still had some great captains during the early years of the Premier League, even if they did not win the title.
Every Liverpool captain of the Premier League era ranked from worst to best
10. Jamie Redknapp 1999-2002
Jame Redknapp is now a popular pundit on Sky Sports, but older fans will remember him captaining Liverpool. He was a very good player for the Reds and represented them 308 times. However, his tenure as captain was disrupted due to injuries. He missed the entirety of the 2000/2001 campaign, when the Reds won the treble. He left in 2002 and went on to play for Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton before retiring.
9. Paul Ince 1997-1999
It was a coup when Liverpool signed the former Manchester United player Paul Ince from Inter Milan in 1997. He instantly became captain, but the team was inconsistent and finished third and seventh in the league. They did not win a trophy with Ince as captain, and he left in 1999 after a falling out with Gérard Houllier.
8. Mark Wright 1991–1993
Mark Wright was Liverpool's captain at the start of the Premier League era. He led them to FA Cup success in 1992, with the inaugural Premier League season starting later that year. Wright lost the armband after the Reds finished sixth in the 1992/93 campaign. He still went on to play for the Reds until 1998.
7. John Barnes 1993 and 1996-1997
John Barnes had two stints as Liverpool captain, but his tenure in 1993 was short. When he was captain in 1996/97, he was past his best, and he was now a midfielder instead of a winger. The Reds finished fourth in that campaign, and he went on to join Newcastle United.
6. Ian Rush 1993-1996
In Ian Rush's second stint as a Liverpool player after he had returned from Juventus, he became captain. He scored 45 goals in his three campaigns as captain and led them to claim the 1995 League Cup. Rush's tenure as captain was during a transition period.
5. Robbie Fowler 2000-2001
When Redknapp was injured during the 2000/01 season, Robbie Fowler stepped into the captain's role. He scored the winning goal in the League Cup that campaign, and also guided the Reds to win the FA Cup and UEFA Cup.
Fowler was called 'God' by the Liverpool fans. Supporters were devastated when Fowler left the club at the start of the 2001/02 campaign after his relationship with Houllier turned sour. Fowler went on to play for Leeds United and Manchester City before returning to Liverpool.
After his second stint at Anfield, he played for Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers. He would then have spells playing and coaching in India and Australia. Fowler was most recently the boss of Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia.
4. Sami Hyypiä 2002-2003
Reliable presence at the back for Liverpool, Sami Hyypiä led the Reds to a League Cup campaign in 2003. One of his most notable moments was handing the armband on to Steven Gerrard smoothly.
Hyypiä left Liverpool in 2009 to join Bayer Leverkusen. He would go on to manage the Bundesliga side, and this followed a short stint in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion. His last role as manager was with Zurich during the 2015/16 season.
3. Virgil van Dijk 2023 - present
Virgil van Dijk had already established himself as one of the best defenders in the world when he became captain. He had also already won the Premier League with the Reds. Van Dijk guided Liverpool to another league title when Arne Slot was in charge.
Whilst other star players such as Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have moved on, Van Dijk remains at the club. Andoni Iraola will need to keep Van Dijk onside if he is to be a success as the new Liverpool manager.
2. Jordan Henderson 2015-2023
When he initially arrived at Liverpool from Sunderland, Jordan Henderson was not rated. However, he turned his Reds career around. He succeeded Gerrard as captain and did something that his predecessor could not; Henderson was captain when Liverpool won their first Premier League title. The Reds also won the Champions League and the Club World Cup with Henderson as captain.
Henderson gained many plaudits off the field when he was with Liverpool. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Henderson led Zoom calls with other Premier League captains, who went on to raise £4 million for the NHS.
Unfortunately, Henderson's departure from Liverpool was controversial as he joined Al-Ettifaq. Henderson had previously shown support for the LGBTQ+ community, but he was going to a country where homosexuality was illegal. The midfielder did not stay long in Saudi Arabia, as he returned to Europe with Ajax. He then joined Brentford and managed to get back into the England squad.
1. Steven Gerrard 2003-2015
Despite not winning the Premier League as captain, Gerrard is, without a doubt, Liverpool's greatest captain of the division's era so far. He could turn a game around, as he did in the 2006 FA Cup final and the Champions League final the year before.
Gerrard's longevity as captain and loyalty to the club are what make him great. He could have gone to Chelsea and won multiple league titles. However, Gerrard stayed with his club before a stint at the Los Angeles Galaxy at the end of his career.
The midfielder is even regarded as one of Liverpool's greatest captains of all time. He was always expected to return to Anfield as the manager of the club. However, his tenure in the dugout has been mixed. Gerrard won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, but followed this with a disappointing spell at Aston Villa. He was most recently the boss of Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Add us as a preferred source on Google