These are the 25 best players to feature for Liverpool in the Premier League and you're not going to like it

These are the 25 best players to feature for Liverpool in the Premier League and you're not going to like it

The ECHO has determined the best players to turn out for Liverpool in the last 32-and-a-bit years - and you're not going to be happy

Former Liverpool players Michael Owen (left) and Luis Suarez (right) along with present attacker Mohamed Salah (centre)

Eight years is rather a long time in the relentless world of elite football. Back in December 2016, Liverpool were not even halfway through their first full season under Jurgen Klopp, a teenage Joe Gomez was the only present squad member at the club, the new Main Stand was still undergoing finishing touches and the AXA Training Centre was a figment of the imagination.

Quite a lot has happened since then, and that's without even taking a global pandemic into consideration. And the impact of the Klopp years - and the impressive start to life under Arne Slot - can be reflected in an updated list of the top 25 Liverpool players of the Premier League era that was first published during the build-up to Christmas 2016.

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Arbitrary? Of course. Prompting debate over the Christmas pud? Most definitely. Did we miss out one of your favourites? Oh yes. But this is our list, and you're not supposed to agree completely. Or indeed at all. So, hard hats on and away we go...

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25 Alexis Mac Allister

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The most recent name on the list and just squeezing into the top 25. Not often Liverpool have a reigning World Cup winner in their ranks, and already the Argentina midfielder has demonstrated himself capable of operating in every engine room position with equal aplomb. To think there is still plenty more to come from the 26-year-old.

24 Dirk Kuyt

A hugely popular figure under both Rafa Benitez and Kenny Dalglish, the Dutchman had a propensity for scoring in big games, such as every round of the Champions League - including a winning penalty in a semi-final shoot-out and a goal in the final defeat to AC Milan in 2007 - a goal in the League Cup final, Goodison derby winners and a hat-trick from a combined five yards against Manchester United. Not bad for a striker turned into a winger.

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23 John Barnes

The Barnes of the Premier League era was different to the devastating winger of the Football League days who, in the grander scheme, remains in the top five of most talented players ever to feature for Liverpool. He was later transformed into a central midfielder who, given the modern game, could argue to be ahead of his time.

22 Dietmar Hamann

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Nobody could win a free-kick quite like the canny German, although he was capable of far more than falling over near the touchline to relieve the pressure on Liverpool. His display from the bench in the 2005 Champions League final highlighted exactly what Hamann was all about at his very best.

21 James Milner

Probably the greatest free transfer in Liverpool history when taken from Manchester City in the summer of 2015. He went on to play 332 games for the club and was vice-captain for the duration of his eight-year stay during which every major honour was secured. Praise for being the ultimate professional overlooks the fact he was also a superb, versatile footballer.

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20 Gini Wijnaldum

Questions were asked when Wijnaldum was snapped up from Newcastle United in 2016 as to where exactly he would play. They needn't have been asked as the Dutchman became the mainstay of Klopp's greatest midfield triumvirate, his durability one of many fine attributes. And even when he didn't start, Wijnaldum's anger saw him produce one of THE great Liverpool substitute appearances against Barcelona. You know what happened then.

19 Andy Robertson

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Ever since Steve Nicol departed in the early 1990s, left-back became an infamous problem position until another Scot was entrusted with the job. And after a slow start following his arrival in 2017, Robertson helped to redefine the role of the attacking full-back along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and continues to be first choice.

Lionel Messi of Barcelona takes on Andy Robertson and Fabinho of Liverpool in May 2019 (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images )

18 Fabinho

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The 2018 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid had highlighted the need for Liverpool to bring in a pure defensive midfield option. And within 48 hours of the final whistle blowing in Kiev, Fabinho had been snapped up from Monaco to help the Reds take the final step both in Europe and the Premier League. Another whose display against Barcelona will be forever remembered, not least one challenge on Luis Suarez.

17 Philippe Coutinho

Okay, he left under a bit of a cloud and was never the same player again. But £142million from Barcelona is a lot of money and helped finance the squad transformation under Klopp. And there's no doubt that at his peak - particularly the title-challenging 2013/14 campaign and the last six months of his Liverpool career - Coutinho was a joy to behold, an attacking midfielder who benefited more than many from the sheer love of playing for the Reds.

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16 Fernando Torres

While Torres blotted his copybook somewhat by pushing through a move to Chelsea, it should be remembered Liverpool were a complete basket case of a club at the time. And, similar to Coutinho, Torres simply enjoyed himself more with the Reds, striking up a remarkable on-field understanding with Steven Gerrard and, in his pomp, capable of scoring goals from whatever the angle or distance. A real striker's striker.

15 Steve McManaman

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The 1990s could be viewed in large parts as the wilderness years for Liverpool as they struggled to adapt to the new commercial Premier League world. And it would have been even darker but for McManaman, who was consistently among the Reds' best players season after season and whose wing wizardry earned him man-of-the-match awards in winning FA Cup and League Cup finals. History has rightly been kind on him after the furore sparked by his at the time unusual free transfer to Real Madrid in 1999.

14 Xabi Alonso

There haven't been many midfielders in Liverpool's history quite as silky in possession as the Spaniard, although Jan Molby runs him close. Pinging balls left, right and centre, Alonso was always going to be a crowd favourite, but had bite to his game too as shown in arguably his best-ever display in a derby win over Everton in 2006 following an early red card for Steven Gerrard. His subsequent success at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich underlined his supreme talent.

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Xabi Alonso and Sami Hyypia talk ahead of Liverpool's Champions League final against AC Milan in 2005 (Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images )

13 Sami Hyypia

One of the centre-back greats at Liverpool, part of both the 2001 treble-winning team under Gerard Houllier and still there when the Champions League and FA Cup were claimed under Benitez. His clever positioning meant a lack of pace was rarely exposed, while his height made him strong in the air. And his impressive tally of 35 strikes in 464 appearances shows he knew where the goal was - such as against Juventus in the Champions League.

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12 Michael Owen

Owen remains persona non grata to some Liverpool fans - playing for Manchester United can do that to a footballer - but that can't disguise the huge impact the striker had during his seven years in the first team, with his pace and devastating finishing frightening opposing defences and making him unplayable when his hamstrings were healthy. Not many have an FA Cup final named after them, and he also remains the only Liverpool player to win the Ballon d'Or.

11 Roberto Firmino

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While Klopp described Firmino as a welcome gift on taking over as boss in October 2015, his predecessor Brendan Rodgers didn't really know what to do with the Brazilian. The new manager put Firmino into what became known as a false nine position and the rest is history, the forward scoring 111 goals and providing 72 assists in 362 appearances with his box of tricks and outrageous imagination making him one of the most popular strikers to play for the club. Si, senor.

10 Jordan Henderson

Henderson will always be one of the most divisive players ever to pull on a Liverpool shirt, with his strengths being seen as weakness by his critics. But there was a reason why Rodgers made him captain and Klopp saw no reason to change that throughout his tenure, with the midfielder becoming the only Liverpool captain to lift the league title, the European Cup, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Ask his team-mates how good he was, and there's your answer.

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9 Sadio Mane

There's a good argument to suggest Mane was the catalyst for everything that came after his arrival as one of the first major signings of Klopp's reign. Having started as a right winger, he shifted to the left flank after Mohamed Salah's signing and, along with Firmino, became part of one of most feared forward triumvirates in the modern game. That he ended his Liverpool career playing down the middle underlines his versatility. An attacker who could do it all.

8 Jamie Carragher

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Only the venerable Ian Callaghan has managed more Liverpool appearances than the 737 Carragher racked up during a career that saw him start in central midfield then switch to left-back and right-back before finally settling at centre-back. His performance in the 2005 Champions League final encapsulated the Bootle-born defender, whose sheer refusal to admit defeat proved infectious. Not many people can say they were there for all five goals Carragher scored in his career.

7 Robbie Fowler

Fowler has a strong claim for being the most natural finisher to ever feature for Liverpool, such was his ability to find the onion bag with such unerring regularity. He scored 30-plus goals in three successive seasons during the 1990s having set the tone by netting on his debut and then scoring five on only his fourth start as an 18-year-old. Injury problems cut him down in his prime, otherwise Fowler would have perhaps been higher on this list.

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6 Trent Alexander-Arnold

Rare can a player be said to have reimagined what is possible from a position, but Alexander-Arnold continues to do that ever since breaking into the first team more than eight years ago. Under Klopp, Liverpool were built around the right-back as a playmaker and he has delivered a record number of assists for a defender in the Premier League era. While his unique talent means he is occasionally misunderstood - not least at international level - nobody can dispute his phenomenal contribution to the Reds.

Alisson Becker celebrates with his Liverpool team-mates after his remarkable injury-time winning header at West Bromwich Albion in May 2021 (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images )

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5 Alisson Becker

From Ray Clemence to Bruce Grobbelaar and all the way back to the likes of Elisha Scott, Liverpool have regularly been blessed with superb goalkeepers. But it could be strongly argued none have been quite the complete package as Alisson, who, fitness concerns notwithstanding, remains the best goalkeeper in the world. His saves at important times - often when having had little to do during games - have previously helped elevate the Reds from contenders to champions and could yet do so again. Oh, scored an injury-time winning header once too - one of the truly magnificent moments in Premier League history.

4 Luis Suarez

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There aren't many footballers who can genuinely get supporters out of their seats while holding their heads in astonishment at what they had just witnessed. The outrageous skill and imagination of Suarez, though, was capable of doing that on almost weekly basis. It wasn't all great - the racist comment aimed at Patrice Evra and the biting of Branislav Ivanovic were among the biggest lows ever committed by a Liverpool player - but in terms of the sheer audacity to harness his vast talent, the Uruguayan is unsurpassed in the club's history.

3 Virgil van Dijk

Only the very best players can turn a good team into a great one by improving those around him by his mere presence. And the delayed £75million purchase of Van Dijk in January 2018 remains one of the biggest bargains in the club's history given the impact of the Dutchman that remains ongoing. Tall, strong, elegant in possession and hugely intimidating to opposing forwards, only Alan Hansen can compete with Van Dijk for the title of Liverpool's greatest-ever centre-back.

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2 Mohamed Salah

There will come a time when the Egyptian walks on to the pitch and doesn't create a new landmark. But it says everything about the longevity, sheer output and the player's willingness to do everything to remain operating at the highest level that, now in his eighth season at Liverpool, he is just as potent now as he ever has been. At several points during his Anfield career, Salah has genuinely been the best footballer in the world. He is again right now. A bona fide Liverpool legend.

1 Steven Gerrard

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Still the standard against which all Liverpool players from the past three decades are judged. The 2005 Champions League final and 2006 FA Cup final would be sufficient to etch his name in the Anfield pantheon, but Gerrard was much, much more than just a scorer of important goals on the biggest occasions. His ability to inspire, cajole and sometimes simply drag his team-mates to victory was allied to a skillset that made him the complete midfielder, capable of playing in both attacking and defensive roles. Imagine what a Gerrard in his prime would do in the current Liverpool team.

FOR A REMINDER... HERE'S THE 2016 LIST: 1 Steven Gerrard, 2 Luis Suarez, 3 Robbie Fowler, 4 Jamie Carragher, 5 Fernando Torres, 6 Michael Owen, 7 Sami Hyypia, 8 Xabi Alonso, 9 Steve McManaman, 10 Philippe Coutinho, 11 Dietmar Hamann, 12 John Barnes, 13 Dirk Kuyt, 14 Javier Mascherano, 15 Pepe Reina, 16 Daniel Sturridge, 17 Ian Rush, 18 Luis Garcia, 19 Gary Mac Allister, 20 Daniel Agger, 21 Jordan Henderson, 22 Rob Jones, 23 Jamie Redknapp, 24 John Arne Riise, 25 Steve Finnan.

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