1st June

Numero seis
2019 – We secured our sixth European Cup after defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid. Mohamed Salah opened the scoring from the spot after just two minutes, with substitute Divock Origi making the game safe late on. This was the first time we had played a first-class match in June in our history.

In comes Brendan
2012 - Brendan Rodgers was appointed as reds boss. He had a mixed first season in charge, followed by a terrific second campaign as we came a close second in the League, before a disappointing third season. He led us to 85 victories in 166 games before being sacked in October 2015.

Births and death
1963 – Centre-half John McGregor was born in Airdrie. He arrived from Queen’s Park in 1979 but failed to make a senior appearance before joining Rangers in May 1987, with whom he won the League Cup, having been released by the reds a couple of weeks earlier.
1975 – Head of Physiotherapy Lee Nobes was born. He arrived from Manchester City in November 2018.

1985 – Forward Jack ‘Nipper’ Roberts died. He only made one first team appearance after signing from Southport in May 1933, moving on to Wigan Athletic in June 1934. He was an all-round sportsman, even playing baseball for England. He became famous when he escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy, walking 400 miles to freedom despite a broken neck!

More managerial ins and outs
2004 - Rafael Benítez resigned from Valencia, having led them to a second La Liga title and the UEFA Cup in his last season in charge. It was fifteen days later when he was confirmed as our new boss.
1936 - Turn-of-the-century centre-half Alex Raisbeck was appointed Manager of Third Division North side Chester. They finished third and ninth in his two seasons at Sealand Road.
2011 - Gérard Houllier resigned as Manager of Aston Villa due to poor health, having led the Villains to fourteen victories in 39 games in charge.
2019 - Xabi Alonso was appointed as head coach for Real Sociedad’s B-team.
2022 – Former Academy coach Michael Beale became First Team Coach of Queens Park Rangers, leading them to nine victories in 22 games in charge before leaving after five months to take over at Rangers.

2023 – Reds Assistant Coach John Heitinga left as Head Coach of Ajax, having been in charge for five months, leading them to fourteen wins in his 22 games as boss.
2000 - Kenny Dalglish stood down as Caretaker Manager of Celtic, as Martin O’Neill arrived at Parkhead. Kenny had been in charge since John Barnes’ departure four months before. Celtic finished 21 points behind Rangers in the League that season, although they did win the League Cup while Kenny was boss.
1997 - Roy Hodgson was appointed Manager of Blackburn Rovers. He led them to sixth and into the UEFA Cup in his first season, a significant improvement on their previous campaign when they ended in thirteenth. However, his second season in charge started disastrously, and he was sacked in December 1998 with Rovers sitting rock bottom of the table.

Big money signings
1999 - Aboubakar ‘Titi’ Camara signed from Marseille for £2.6m. He scored ten times in 37 reds games, most famously the only goal of the game at home to West Ham United on the day his father died. He joined the Hammers for £2.2m in December 2000, although he only made fourteen appearances for them, before being loaned to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
2002 - El-Hadji Diouf signed for a whopping £10m fee. He went on to bag just six goals in eighty games before moving to Bolton Wanderers in June 2005 for £4.5m after a season-long loan there.
1954 – Half-back Barry Wilkinson signed pro terms with the reds, joining the reds from his hometown club Bishop Auckland. He represented England at youth level, making 79 first-team appearances for us before moving on to Bangor City in August 1960 for a £500 fee.

In friendly action
We have faced a variety of foreign clubs in post-season friendlies on this day over the years.
1922 - We drew 2-2 with a Liguria & Toscana Select team in Pisa, with Harry Beadles and Harry Chambers on target.
1936 - We beat Venus Bucureşti 4-1 at the Splai Ground, with centre-forward Fred Howe bagging a brace and Tom Bush and Alf Hanson also netting.

1948 - We defeated a St. Louis All Stars side 4-2 on our US tour with Billy Liddell grabbing two goals, to add to strikes from Bob Priday and Albert Stubbins.
1971 - We saw off Swedes GIF Sundsvaal 4-0 in our most recent game on this day, thanks to goals from Ian Callaghan, Bobby Graham, Kevin Keegan and Peter Thompson.

Reds at the World Cup
2002 - Dietmar Hamann played as Germany thrashed Saudi Arabia 8-0 in their opening World Cup game in Sapporo with ex-red Christian Ziege also featuring. Meanwhile, ex-reds Steve Staunton and Rigobert Song led their countries out as the Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 with Cameroon in Niigata. Future reds Steve Finnan and Robbie Keane, and ex-red Jason McAteer all also featured. Future red Christian Poulsen featured as Denmark beat Uruguay 2-1 in Ulsan.
1991 - Staunton had also played for his country as they drew a friendly 1-1 in the USA, playing alongside Ray Houghton and ex-red Kevin Sheedy. Future reds Nigel Clough and Mark Wright played on the same day as England won 1-0 in Australia.

Kenny at the double
1977 - Two months before joining the reds from Celtic, Kenny Dalglish grabbed a brace as Scotland beat Northern Ireland 3-0 at Hampden Park in the British International Championships, on their way to retaining the trophy. Meanwhile, Steve Heighway played in a World Cup qualifier in Sofia as Bulgaria beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1. This game was notable for the fact that two players from each side were dismissed.
1974 - Kenny also featured for the Scots as they beat Belgium 2-1 in a friendly in Brugge. Ray Clemence, Kevin Keegan and Alec Lindsay were also in action, with Emlyn Hughes skippering England to a 1-0 friendly win in Bulgaria.
1975 – Dalglish also played in a 1-1 European Championships qualifying draw in Romania.

Carra’s final caps
2000 - Jamie Carragher won his 27th and final England Under-21’s cap as they lost 2-0 to Slovakia in a European Championship Finals group game, a record tally that his since been surpassed by Scott Carson and then James Milner. Danny Murphy and David Thompson both also featured. This was the first ever England international at any level played against Slovakia.
2007 - The first full international at the new Wembley Stadium was played, with Steven Gerrard captaining his country for part of the game as England were held to a 1-1 draw by Brazil. Jamie Carragher won his 34th and last senior cap before retiring, with Peter Crouch, future reds Joe Cole and Stewart Downing and ex-red Michael Owen also featuring. Jamie of course came out of international retirement for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa. On the same day, future reds loanee Nuri Şahin netted his first goal for Turkey Under-21’s as they beat Ukraine 2-1 in a European Championships qualifier in Kyiv.

Rushie on target
1988 - Ian Rush bagged his first goal for Wales as a Juventus player, captaining them for the first time as they beat Malta 3-2 in a friendly in Valletta. Future red Dean Saunders lined up alongside him. On the same day, John Aldridge, Ray Houghton and Ronnie Whelan all played as the Republic of Ireland shared a goalless friendly draw with Norway in Oslo, with future red Glenn Hysén playing for Sweden in a 3-1 friendly win in Spain.

More international skippers
1958 - Tommy Younger captained Scotland as they lost 2-1 in a friendly in Poland.
1983 - Graeme Souness wore the armband for Scotland as they lost 2-0 to England at Wembley in the British International Championships. Sammy Lee, Phil Neal and future red John Wark all also played.
1997 - Future red Gary McAllister skippered the Scots as they lost 3-2 in a friendly in Malta.

2005 – Carl Medjani skippered France Under-20’s as they beat South Africa 2-0 in the Toulon Tournament.
2018 – Ex-red Nuri Şahin led out Turkey as they lost 2-1 to the USA in a friendly in New Jersey. Mamadou Sakho, ex-reds Mario Balotelli, Charles Itandje and Carl Medjani, and future reds Federico Chiesa, Joël Matip and Divock Origi were all also in international action that day.

International goalscorers
2017 – Future red Xherdan Shaqiri scored the only goal of Switzerland’s friendly against Belarus in Neuchatel.
2016 – Future red Gini Wijnaldum scored as the Netherlands beat Poland 2-1 in a friendly in Warsaw, with Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk also playing. Christian Benteke and Divock Origi both also featured for Belgium in their 1-1 friendly draw with Finland in Brussels, with future red Thiago featuring as Spain thumped South Korea 6-1 in Austria.
2011 - Andriy Voronin bagged his first goal as a Dinamo Moskva player as Ukraine beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly in Kyiv, with Emiliano Insúa and future red Fabio Borini also in international action.
2010 – Porto’s Raul Meireles bagged a brace as Portugal beat Cameroon 3-1 in a friendly in Covilhã, while Dirk Kuyt netted as the Netherlands thumped Ghana 4-1 at the Feyenoord Stadion. Daniel Agger, Ryan Babel and future reds John Heitinga, Christian Poulsen and Xherdan Shaqiri all also played in friendlies that day.

2004 - Michael Owen struck his 25th senior international goal, while winning his 55th cap as England were held to a 1-1 draw by Japan in a tournament at the City of Manchester Stadium. Emile Heskey was winning his first cap as a Birmingham City player, with Steven Gerrard, future red Joe Cole and ex-red David James also playing. Florent Sinama-Pongolle and future reds Mark González, John Heitinga and Bolo Zenden also played for their countries that day.
1998 – Future red Bolo Zenden appeared for the Netherlands as they thumped Paraguay 5-1 in Eindhoven.
1996 – Future red Titi Camara bagged a brace as Guinea lost a World Cup qualifier 3-2 in Guinea-Bissau. On the same day, future reds Markus Babbel, Patrik Berger and Christian Ziege all played in friendlies.

2006 – Future reds Ryan Babel and John Heitinga were both on target for the Netherlands as they beat Mexico 2-1 in a friendly in Eindhoven, with Jan Kromkamp and future red Dirk Kuyt also in action. Florent Sinama-Pongolle and John Arne Riise also represented their countries that day.
2008 – Harry Kewell struck for Australia as he skippered them to a 1-0 defeat of Iraq in a World Cup qualifier in Brisbane. Christian Poulsen played his last game for Denmark while with Sevilla as they drew 1-1 with Poland in a friendly in Chorzów. On the same day, Peter Crouch won his final cap as a red as England beat Trinidad & Tobago 3-0 in a friendly in Port of Spain, with ex-red Stephen Warnock making his international bow, winning his only cap while at Blackburn Rovers. Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, future reds Stewart Downing, John Heitinga, Glen Johnson and Sotirios Kyrgiakos and ex-reds Craig Bellamy, David James, Momo Sissoko and John Toshack also represented their countries that day.

1972 - Kevin Keegan netted for England Under-23’s and was then sent off as they drew 2-2 with East Germany in Magdeburg. Clubmate Larry Lloyd also featured.
2000 - Milan Baroš was on target for the Czech Republic Under-21’s as they beat fellow future red Igor Bišcan’s Croatia 4-3 in a European Championships Finals group game in Slovakia.
2012 – Baroš featured for his country at senior level, up against fellow ex-red Krisztián Németh and future red Ádám Bogdán, with Péter Gulácsi, future reds Mario Balotelli, Ragnar Klavan, Mohamed Salah and Gini Wijnaldum, and ex-red Andriy Voronin also in international action that day.

New men
2009 – New Academy Technical Manager José Segura started work. On the same day, Martin Kelly played for England Under-19’s for the fifth and last time in their 2-1 defeat of Scotland in the European Championships Finals at Bramall Lane, with future red Danny Wilson on the losing side and Crystal Palace’s Victor Moses winning his eleventh and final cap at this level.
2023 - Jörg Schmadtke began work as the club’s Sporting Director, although he only remained in the role for seven months.

Another international first
2022 – Ex-reds reserves keeper Kamil Grabara made his senior bow for Poland as they beat Wales 2-1 in a UEFA Nations League group game in Wrocław, with Neco Williams and ex-red Danny Ward also in action. On the same day, Andy Robertson skippered a Scotland side managed by ex-reds coach Steve Clarke as they lost a Worlds Cup Play-off 3-1 to Ukraine at Hampden Park, while ex-red Bernard Diomède took charge of France Under-20’s who thumped Saudi Arabia 5-0 in a friendly in Salon-de-Provence.

Macca at Anfield
2008 - Paul McCartney headlined the Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield, staged as part of the city’s status as European Capital of Culture. The Zutons and Kaiser Chiefs also played.

Harper’s off
1983 - Reserves defender Alan Harper was sold to Everton for £100,000. He had never made a first-team appearance at Anfield, going on to net five times in 178 games in this first spell with the Toffees.

Happy days
2012 – Ex-reds midfielder Danny Guthrie married Rebecca at Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire.
2022 – James Milner was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Year Honours list.

Also in international action
1909 – Sam Hardy kept goal for England as they trounced Austria 8-1 in a friendly in Vienna.
1968 – Peter Thompson played for England in their 1-0 friendly defeat to West Germany in Hannover.
1973 – Future reds David Johnson and Ray Kennedy featured as England Under-23’s lost 3-0 in Czechoslovakia.
1984 – John Wark played for Scotland in their 2-0 friendly win in France, while Jim Beglin appeared in the Republic of Ireland’s goalless draw with SC Internacional in a Kirin Cup game in Japan.
1987 – Ex-red Avi Cohen and future Ronnie Rosenthal both played for Israel as they lost 4-0 to Brazil in Tel-Aviv.

1993 – Jamie Redknapp and future reds coach Mike Sheron both featured for England Under-21’s in their 1-1 draw with Norway in a European Championships qualifier in Stavanger.
1994 – Future red Øyvind Leonhardsen played for Norway as they beat Denmark 2-1 in a friendly in Oslo.
2001 – Future red Nicolas Anelka played for France as they lost a Confederations Cup game 1-0 to Australia in South Korea. On the same day, future reds John Arne Riise, Christian Poulsen and Pepe Reina also played for their countries.
2021 – Ex-red Nikolay Mihaylov played for Bulgaria as they drew 1-1 with Slovakia in a friendly in Austria.