4th July

Happy birthday Jan
1963 - Jan Mølby was born in Kolding. The big Dane arrived at Anfield in August 1984, signed by Joe Fagan for £225,000 from Ajax. He netted 61 times in his 292 reds games, including a remarkable 42 of his 45 attempted spot-kicks. He won three League titles, two FA Cups and Screen Sport Super Cup while at Anfield, before moving into management.

Off goes Bobby
2023 – Roberto Firmino moved on to Al-Ahli Saudi after 111 goals in 362 reds games since signing from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for an initial £21m in July 2015. He helped us to clinch the Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and FA Community Shield, as well as scoring the only goal as we won the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2019. He netted nine times in 34 outings in his first campaign in Saudi Arabia.

Stan sets a record
1995 - Stan Collymore signed from Nottingham Forest for a British record fee of £8.5m. He went on to net 35 times in 81 games, before moving on to his boyhood heroes Aston Villa for £7m two years later.

His armband proved he was a red
2007 - Fernando Torres signed from Club Atlético de Madrid for £20.2m in a six-year deal, although this fee was greatly inflated in the media. He proved an instant hit, notching 81 goals in just 142 reds outings, becoming the top scoring new Premier League import in his first campaign. He moved to Chelsea for a British record transfer fee of £50m on deadline day in January 2011.

Supersub departs
1983 - David Fairclough was sold to Swiss side Luzern after 55 goals in 154 reds games, two-fifths of which were from off the bench. The bionic carrot helped us to three League titles, European Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and two League Cups in his nine years at Anfield.

Three in, one out
2005 - Three players arrived with one departing. Pepe Reina signed from Villarreal for £6m, keeping a remarkable 177 clean sheets in his 394 games and helping us to claim the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FA Charity Shield before moving to Bayern München for £2m in August 2014. Bolo Zenden arrived from Middlesbrough on a free transfer, netting twice in 47 games before being released two years later. Also incoming was young right-back Antonio Barragán, who joined from Sevilla for £240,000. He too has already been moved on, joining Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña for €1m in August 2006.

On the way out was second string defender Jon Otsemobor, who signed for Rotherham United on a free transfer, having made just six senior reds appearances. He only played fourteen times for the Merry Millers before moving to Crewe Alexandra in January 2006.

In comes the Doss
2008 – Left-back Andrea Dossena signed from Udinese for £7m in a four-year deal. He made 31 appearances during his time at Anfield, saving his two goals to date for the same week, first at home to Real Madrid and then at Manchester United. He left in January 2010 for SSC Napoli. On the same day, Harry Kewell signed for Galatasaray, after his contract with the reds had expired. He notched 34 times in ninety games, helping them to claim the Turkish Super Cup in 2008.

Also on the move
2006 - Gabriel Paletta officially signed from Club Atlético Banfield for £2m. The young Argentine centre-back made just eight senior appearances, notching on his debut against Reading in the League Cup in October 2006 before returning to his native land to join Boca Juniors in August 2007. On the same day, reserves forward Ramon Calliste joined Sc***horpe United, for whom he failed to play a first-team game, before being released.
2011 – The appointment of Andrew Parkinson as Operations Director was announced.
2016 – Ex-reds loanee midfielder Conor Thomas signed for Swindon Town, having been released by Coventry City a month earlier. He netted once in forty games for the Robins.
2022 – Czech keeper Vítězslav Jaroš joined Stockport County on loan, making thirteen appearances for the League Two side. On the same day, forward Ben Woodburn signed for Preston North End, having been released by the reds. He struck twice in 42 outings in his first campaign with the Lilywhites.

Other birthdays
1949 - Former first team Coach Alex Miller was born in Glasgow. He became a scout under Gérard Houllier in 1999, before being given a first-team role by Rafael Benítez. He left the club in May 2008 to take over as Manager of JEF United Ichihara Chiba in Japan, leading them to safety from a perilous position in his first season in charge, although he was sacked in July 2009.

1966 - John Scales was born in Harrogate. He was signed by Roy Evans for £3.5m in September 1994, bagging four goals in 94 appearances before being sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £2.6m two years later.
1886 - Scottish full-back Bob Crawford was born in Blythswood. He played 115 times for the reds after signing from Arthurlie in January 1909, netting once in a career badly interrupted by injury.

World Cup despair galore
1990 - Peter Beardsley and future red Mark Wright suffered World Cup heartbreak as England were knocked out of the World Cup after a penalty shoot-out defeat to old enemies West Germany in their Semi-final encounter at the newly-opened Stadio delle Alpi in Turin. John Barnes was injured and so could not take part in this match. Future red Karl-Heinz Riedle came on from the bench to win his final cap as a SV Werder Bremen player for the victors, scoring in the penalty shoot-out, as did Beardsley.

1994 - Future reds Phil Babb and Jason McAteer and ex-reds Ray Houghton and Steve Staunton all featured as the Republic of Ireland lost 2-0 to the Netherlands in their Quarter-final match in Orlando. This was Phil Babb’s last cap as a Coventry City player and Ray Houghton’s last game for his country while with Aston Villa. On the same day, future reds goalkeeping coach Cláudio Taffarel played as Brazil beat host nation USA 1-0 in Stanford.
1998 - Yet another Quarter-final ended in misery as future red Dietmar Hamann was on the losing side as Croatia beat Germany 3-0 in Lyon. He was winning his twelfth cap, and last one as a Bayern München player.
2014 – Mamadou Sakho played as France lost 1-0 to Germany at the same hurdle in Rio de Janeiro.

Red Olympians
1912 - The UK won Olympic Gold as they beat Denmark 4-2 in the Final in Stockholm. Ex-reds winger Arthur Berry was on the scoresheet, while future reds left-half Joe Dines also played.

Bye bye Babb
2000 - Centre-back Phil Babb signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal on a free transfer after falling out of contract at Anfield, having struck once in 170 reds appearances. He spent two years in Lisbon, before returning to England to join Sunderland.

World Cup wins
2001 – Future red Maxi Rodríguez featured as Argentina Under-20’s reached the Final of the World Championships in Buenos Aires by thumping Paraguay 5-0.
2004 - Ex-red Rigobert Song won his last cap as a Racing Club de Lens player, skippering Cameroon in their 2-0 defeat of future red Kolo Touré‘s Ivory Coast in a World Cup qualifier in Yaoundé.
2011 – Future red Samed Yeşil bagged a brace as Germany Under-17’s beat England 3-2 in the Quarter-final of the World Championship Finals in Mexico. Jack Dunn and Brad Smith featured for the losing side, with Raheem Sterling winning his last cap at this level, while future red Emre Can skippered the Germans. Future red Takumi Minamino also played at this level for the final time as Japan lost 3-2 to Brazil at the same stage.

Doctor Ged
2002 - Gérard Houllier was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Liverpool.

South American stars
2015 – Ex-red Javier Mascherano featured as Argentina lost on penalties to host nation Chile in the Copa América Final in Santiago after a goalless two hours.
2011 – Luis Suárez netted as Uruguay drew 1-1 with Peru in a Copa América group game in Argentina.
2007 – Future reds keeper Alexander Doni played as Brazil beat Ecuador 1-0 in a Copa América group game in Venezuela, with Mark González playing in Chile’s goalless draw with Mexico. On the same day, future red Luis Suárez and ex-red Antonio Barragan both featured in Under-20’s World Championship Finals group games in Canada.

Wedded bliss
1964 - Tommy Smith married Susie.
1970 – Future red Peter Cormack married Marion at St. Bernard’s Church in Edinburgh.

Red departures
2001 - Young Welsh midfielder Layton Maxwell left for Cardiff City on a free transfer, after spending the previous season on loan at Stockport County. He made just 45 appearances in three seasons with the Bluebirds.
2012 – Reserves right-back Stephen Darby signed for Bradford City, after just six senior reds appearance. He eventually became the Bantams’ club captain, but was released in May 2017.

Also on the move
2001 - Future reds centre-forward Peter Crouch joined Portsmouth from Queens Park Rangers for £1.25m. He had struck twelve times in 47 games for the West London outfit as they were relegated from the First Division. On the same day, ex-reds winger Mark Kennedy joined Wolverhampton Wanderers from Manchester City for £2m. He was a regular as they finally won promotion to the Premiership, but then moved on to fellow Championship outfit Crystal Palace in July 2006.

2011 - Alou Diarra joined Olympique de Marseille from Girondins de Bordeaux for €5m, having struck eleven goals in 133 League games for les Girondins.
2013 - Nicolas Anelka signed for West Bromwich Albion, notching twice in nine outings before having his contract terminated following a controversial ‘quenelle’ gesture. On the same day, Scott Carson joined Wigan Athletic from Bursaspor for £700,000, playing eighteen times in his first campaign back in England.
2017 – Paul Ince’s son Tom was sold to Huddersfield Town from Derby County, after 38 goals in 114 games for the Rams.
2020 – Midfielder Curtis Jones signed a new contract, having struck three times in thirteen senior outings at that time.