Liverpool
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England, founded in 1892. The club competes in the Premier League and has played its home games at Anfield since its formation. Liverpool is one of the most valuable and widely supported clubs in the world, having won a joint-record twenty league titles, eight FA Cups, a record ten League Cups, six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four UEFA Super Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup. The club established itself as a major force under managers like Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, and Jürgen Klopp, with their most recent league title coming in 2025 under Arne Slot.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Liverpool Football Club was founded in 1892 following a dispute between the Everton committee and John Houlding, who was the club president and owner of the land at Anfield. After Everton relocated to Goodison Park, Houlding founded Liverpool F.C. to play at Anfield. Originally named "Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd," the club became Liverpool F.C. in March 1892 and gained official recognition three months later. The club joined the Football League in 1893 and has remained at Anfield throughout its history, becoming one of the most successful clubs in English football.
Most recent season and achievements
Under manager Arne Slot, who was announced as Jürgen Klopp's successor, Liverpool won a record-equalling twentieth top-flight league title in his first season in charge in 2025. This achievement came after Klopp's departure in 2024, during which he won his final trophy with the club - the League Cup. The club has maintained its position as one of the Premier League's elite teams and continues to compete at the highest level both domestically and internationally.
History
Early years
Liverpool played their first match on 1 September 1892, a pre-season friendly against Rotherham Town which they won 7–1. The team was composed entirely of Scottish players, known as the "Scotch Professors" or the "team of Macs." Manager John McKenna had recruited these players after a scouting trip to Scotland. The club won the Lancashire League in its debut season and joined the Football League Second Division at the start of the 1893–94 season. After promotion to the First Division in 1896, Tom Watson was appointed manager and led Liverpool to its first league title in 1901, winning the league again in 1906.
Successful period
The club's golden era began in the 1960s under Bill Shankly, who was appointed manager in 1958. Shankly transformed the club, releasing 24 players and establishing the famous "Boot Room" culture at Anfield. Liverpool was promoted back to the First Division in 1962 and won it in 1964. The club won its first FA Cup in 1965 and continued to achieve success throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. When Shankly retired, his assistant Bob Paisley took over and led the club to unprecedented success, winning 20 trophies in nine seasons, including three European Cups, six League titles, and three consecutive League Cups.
Joe Fagan succeeded Paisley in 1983 and Liverpool won the League, League Cup, and European Cup in his first season, becoming the first English side to win three trophies in a season. However, the 1985 European Cup final against Juventus at Heysel Stadium was marred by tragedy when 39 fans died after Liverpool supporters charged Juventus fans, causing a wall to collapse. This led to English clubs being banned from European competition for five years, with Liverpool receiving an additional year ban.
Crisis and recovery
Following the Heysel disaster, Kenny Dalglish was appointed as player-manager and continued the club's success, winning three more league titles and two FA Cups, including a League and Cup double in 1985–86. However, the club was overshadowed by another tragedy - the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 97 Liverpool fans died in an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest due to overcrowding and police failures. Dalglish cited the disaster's repercussions as the reason for his resignation in 1991.
The 1990s and 2000s saw Liverpool struggle to maintain their previous dominance. Managers like Graeme Souness, Roy Evans, and Gérard Houllier had mixed success, with Houllier achieving a treble of FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup in 2001. Rafael Benítez replaced Houllier in 2004 and led the club to Champions League glory in 2005, defeating AC Milan in a dramatic final.
Current period
Financial difficulties under American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks led to the club being sold to Fenway Sports Group in 2010. After a period of rebuilding under various managers, Jürgen Klopp was appointed in 2015 and transformed Liverpool back into a global powerhouse. Under Klopp, the club won the Champions League in 2019, their first league title in 30 years in 2020, and achieved a domestic cup double in 2022. Following Klopp's departure in 2024, Arne Slot continued the success by winning the club's twentieth league title in 2025.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Liverpool has won a joint-record twenty league titles, with their most recent coming in 2025. The club has also won eight FA Cups, with their first success coming in 1965. Liverpool holds the record for most League Cup victories with ten wins, and has won sixteen FA Community Shields. The club achieved several notable doubles and trebles, including League and FA Cup doubles, and a historic treble of League, League Cup, and European Cup in 1983–84. In 2001, Liverpool won a different treble consisting of the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup under Gérard Houllier.
Continental and global competitions
Liverpool is the most successful British club in international football with fourteen trophies. The club has won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League six times (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019), which is an English record. Liverpool also holds English records with three UEFA Cup victories and four UEFA Super Cup wins. In 2019, the club won the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, becoming the first English club to win the international treble of Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup. The club's European success has made it one of only a few teams to be awarded the European Cup permanently after winning it five times.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The Liverpool badge is based on the city's liver bird symbol, which was adopted as the club's badge in 1901, although it wasn't incorporated into the kit until 1955. In 1977, a red liver bird standing on a football was granted as a heraldic badge by the College of Arms, though Liverpool never used this design. In 1992, to commemorate the club's centennial, a new badge was commissioned featuring the Shankly Gates. The following year, twin flames were added to represent the Hillsborough memorial, with an eternal flame burning in memory of those who died. In 2012, the shield and gates were removed, returning to the 1970s design, with the flames moved to the back collar surrounding the number 96. Following Andrew Devine's death and subsequent coroner ruling, the number 97 has been worn since the 2022–23 season.
Traditional home and away kits colors
For much of Liverpool's history, the home colors have been all red. When founded in 1892, the club used blue and white quartered shirts until adopting the city's color of red in 1896. The iconic all-red kit was introduced in 1964 when manager Bill Shankly decided to change from red shirts and white shorts to an all-red strip. Shankly believed the color scheme would carry psychological impact, with red representing danger and power. The away strip has traditionally been yellow or white shirts with black shorts, though various combinations have been used including grey, green, gold and navy, and ecru. The club has had several kit manufacturers over the years, including Umbro, Adidas, Reebok, Warrior Sports, New Balance, and currently Nike, with a return to Adidas planned for 2025.
Traditional club anthem
"You'll Never Walk Alone," originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and later recorded by Liverpool musicians Gerry and the Pacemakers, is the club's anthem. The song has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early 1960s and has become an integral part of Liverpool's identity. The song's title adorns the top of the Shankly Gates and is reproduced on the club's badge. The pre-match ritual of fans raising scarves and singing the anthem has become as much a part of Liverpool's fabric as their red shirts.
Traditional Rivals
Everton
Liverpool's longest-established rivalry is with fellow Liverpool team Everton, against whom they contest the Merseyside derby. The rivalry stems from Liverpool's formation and the dispute with Everton officials over Anfield. Known as the "friendly derby," it's one of the few local derbies that doesn't enforce fan segregation. However, since the mid-1980s, the rivalry has intensified, and since the Premier League's inception in 1992, the Merseyside derby has had more players sent off than any other Premier League fixture. Within the city, Liverpool fans outnumber Everton supporters by a ratio of 2:1.
Manchester United
Liverpool's rivalry with Manchester United stems from the cities' competition during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. Ranked as the two biggest clubs in England, both teams have global fanbases and are the most successful English teams in domestic and international competitions. Viewed as one of the biggest rivalries in world football, it's considered the most famous fixture in English football. The rivalry is intensified by the fact that the clubs rarely transfer players between them - the last being Phil Chisnall in 1964. Despite their combined 40 league titles and nine European Cups, the two rivals have rarely been successful simultaneously, with Liverpool's dominance in the 1970s-80s coinciding with United's title drought, and vice versa during the Premier League era.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
Liverpool was the first English professional club to have a sponsor's logo on its shirts, agreeing a deal with Hitachi in 1979. The club has since been sponsored by Crown Paints, Candy, Carlsberg, and Standard Chartered. The Carlsberg contract, signed in 1992, was the longest-lasting agreement in English top-flight football until it ended in 2010 when Standard Chartered Bank became the sponsor. Current kit suppliers include Nike, though the club will return to Adidas in 2025 under a new 10-year partnership.
Nicknames
Liverpool is commonly known as "the Reds," a nickname that reflects their iconic all-red kit introduced under Bill Shankly. Fans often refer to themselves as "Kopites," a reference to those who once stood and now sit on the Kop at Anfield. The team was historically known as the "team of Macs" in their early years due to the Scottish players recruited by manager John McKenna.
Ownership and finances
Liverpool has had various owners throughout its history, starting with founder John Houlding. The club was owned by the Moores family for over 50 years before being sold to American businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks in 2007 for £218.9 million. Financial difficulties led to the club being sold to Fenway Sports Group in 2010 for £300 million. Forbes valued the club at $5.37 billion in 2024, making it the fourth-most valuable football club in the world. The club is described as a global brand with trademarks and intellectual property valued at £141 million.
Traditions and culture
Liverpool's culture is deeply rooted in the "Boot Room" tradition established by Bill Shankly, where coaches would discuss strategy in a converted boot storage room at Anfield. The club's supporters have been involved in two major tragedies - Heysel in 1985 and Hillsborough in 1989 - which have profoundly shaped the club's identity and led to significant safety improvements in football. The club has a worldwide fanbase with 300 officially recognized Supporters Clubs in 100 countries and was the first Premier League club to reach 10 million YouTube subscribers.
Stadium
Liverpool's home stadium is Anfield, built in 1884 and originally used by Everton before Liverpool's formation. The stadium is famous for the Kop, where the club's most vocal supporters gather. Originally a terraced stand built in 1906 and named after the Battle of Spion Kop, it could hold 28,000 spectators at its peak. Following the Taylor Report recommendations after Hillsborough, Anfield was converted to all-seater, reducing capacity to 45,276. Recent expansions have increased capacity to 61,276, with the Main Stand redevelopment completed and the Anfield Road stand expansion finished in 2024. The stadium remains 2 miles from Liverpool city center and continues to be the heart of the club's identity.