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In comes Spud 1997 - Danny Murphy arrived from Crewe Alexandra for an overall £3m fee. Spud was nearly on his way out early into his Anfield career, but later established himself as a vital squad member. He made 249 first-team appearances, scoring a useful 44 times, before moving to Charlton Athletic for £2.5m in August 2004. He had helped us to claim the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, League Cup and FA Charity Shield in his time at the club. Double capture 2011 – Winger Stewart Downing signed from Aston Villa for £18.5m, while keeper Alexander Doni joined on a free transfer from Roma. Downing netted seven times in 91 outings before moving to West Ham United for £6m in August 2013, as well as scoring in the shoot-out as we claimed the Carling Cup at Wembley in 2012. Doni featured four times before joining Botafogo in his native Brazil in January 2013 having apparently suffered a heart attack during a routine medical in the summer of 2012. The Wright signing 1991 - Mark Wright arrived from Derby County for £2.2m. With Alan Hansen retired, Glenn Hysén soon to go and Gary Gillespie moving on to Celtic, we were in dire need of a quality centre-back, and Wright was drafted in after his impressive displays for England at the 1990 World Cup. He notched nine times in 210 reds appearances and lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in 1992 before retiring from playing in August 1998. Final despair 2018 – Dejan Lovren played in the World Cup Final in Moscow, with France beating Croatia 4-2. 2007 - Javier Mascherano was on the losing side in the Copa América Final, also being booked as Argentina were beaten 3-0 by future red Alexander Doni’s Brazil in Venezuela. Meanwhile, Emiliano Insúa featured as Argentina Under-20’s beat Mexico 1-0 in the Quarter-final of the World Championships in Ottawa. Off goes Igor 2005 - Igor Bišcan signed for Panathinaikos after 118 reds games. The big Croat netted three times as he helped us to the Worthington Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Charity Shield in 2001, the Worthington Cup again two years later, as well as playing a key role on the road to Istanbul. He had arrived from Dinamo Zagreb for £5.5m in December 2000. Lazar signs on 2014 - Serbian winger Lazar Marković signed from SL Benfica for £20m. He struck three times in 34 games before spending much of his time out on loan, moving on to Fulham for free in February 2019. Bellers off the mark 2006 - Paul Anderson and Craig Bellamy both scored in their first reds games as we won a friendly 2-0 at Wrexham. Also making their first senior appearances that day were Godwin Antwi, Danny Guthrie, Adam Hammill, Jack Hobbs, Besian Idrizaj, David Martin, Danny O'Donnell, Gabriel Paletta, Lee Peltier, Miki Roqué, James Smith and Robbie Threlfall. More reds firsts 2009 - Keeper Péter Gulácsi, right-back Glen Johnson and centre-backs Daniel Ayala and Mikel San José all made their reds bows as we were held to a goalless draw in our friendly with St. Gallen 1879 in their AFG Arena in Switzerland. Bonne anniversaire 1981 - French midfielder Alou Diarra was born in Villepinte. After his free transfer from Bayern München in July 2002, he spent three seasons on loan in France, first at Le Havre AC, and then at Bastia and Racing Club de Lens, who he signed permanently for in June 2005. His only appearance in a red shirt came in a friendly win in Le Havre, when he enjoyed the rare distinction of returning to the pitch after having been substituted, as a replacement for Vegard Heggem. Suso the champion 2012 – Suso featured as Spain Under-19’s beat Greece 1-0 in the European Championships Final in Estonia. 2016 – Future red Dominic Solanke scored for England Under-19’s as they beat the Netherlands 2-1 in a group stage game in Germany, with Sheyi Ojo and Jordan Rossiter also in action. This was his second and last strike at this level. Stevie signs on again 2013 – Steven Gerrard signed a new contract to tie him to the club until 2015. He struck 186 times in 710 reds games, moving on to LA Galaxy in July 2015, before returning to the reds on the Academy staff. Redders in charge 1999 - It was confirmed that Jamie Redknapp would take over from the departed Paul Ince as reds captain. Robbie Fowler was appointed as his deputy. Unfortunately, much of his time as skipper was blighted by injury. Ray’s birthday 1920 - Keeper Ray Minshull was born in Bolton. He spent most of his five years at Anfield as deputy to Cyril Sidlow, making just 31 first-team appearances after joining the reds in September 1946. He left for Southport in June 1951, playing more than 200 times for them, and later became Player/Manager at Wigan Athletic. On the move 2003 – Future reds right-back Glen Johnson joined Chelsea from West Ham United for £6m, becoming the first signing of the Roman Abramovich era. He bagged four goals in 71 outings before joining Portsmouth in August 2006, initially on loan. On the same day, ex-reds reserves defender Alex Watson left basement side Exeter City for nearby Southern League side Taunton Town after one goal in 51 outings since signing on free transfer from Torquay United two years earlier. 1997 - Ex-red Ray Houghton signed for Reading from Crystal Palace on a free transfer. He struck just once in 56 appearances in his two seasons with the Royals before moving on to Stevenage Borough. 2016 – Ex-reds right-back Antonio Barragán joined Middlesbrough from Valencia, playing 27 times as they were relegated in his only campaign on Teesside, moving on to Real Betis Balompié in July 2017. 1993 - Ex-reserves striker John Durnin joined Portsmouth from Oxford United for £200,000, four years after moving to the Manor Ground from Anfield. He bagged just 33 goals in his 207 appearances for Pompey before moving on to Carlisle United on a free transfer. 2006 - Former reserves defender Gareth Roberts signed for Doncaster Rovers from Tranmere Rovers. He netted eight times in 165 games for his new club helping them to reach and remain in the Championship, before moving on to Derby County in July 2010.

Time for the Rafalution 2004 - Rafael Benítez was appointed Manager. His first season in charge saw him lead us to glorious victory in the Champions League Final in Istanbul, to claim the European Cup for the fifth time in our history. He then added the UEFA Super Cup and FA Cup to the Anfield trophy collection to become the first reds boss to claim major trophies in his first two seasons in charge. He went on to claim the FA Community Shield and take us to a second European Cup Final in three seasons, as well as our best-ever points tally in a Premiership season before a disappointing last campaign led to his departure in June 2010. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag 1967 - Jürgen Klopp was born in Stuttgart, West Germany. He took over as reds boss in October 2015, leading us to three unsuccessful cup finals before finally landing the UEFA Champions League in Madrid last June, as well as to the brink of our first League title in thirty years. Diouf departs 2005 - El-Hadji Diouf was sold to Bolton Wanderers for £4.5m, having spent the previous season on loan with the Trotters. He grabbed 24 goals in 136 games for Wanderers, having only netted six times in eighty reds games following his £10m capture from Racing Club de Lens in June 2002. On the same day, future red Sotirios Kyrgiakos was booked as Greece lost 3-0 to Brazil in the Confederations Cup in Leipzig. World Cup goals 2006 – Future red Maxi Rodríguez bagged a brace as Argentina thumped Serbia & Montenegro 6-0 in Gelsenkirchen, with fellow future red Javier Mascherano also featuring. 1993 - Ex-red Steve Staunton netted the only goal of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier in Lithuania. Ronnie Whelan and ex-reds John Aldridge and Ray Houghton all also featured. Future reds Patrik Berger and Jari Litmanen all also played for their countries that day. 2015 – Javier Mascherano played for his country again, as they beat Uruguay 1-0 in a Copa América group game in Chile. Also on target 1983 - Captain Graeme Souness scored one of his four international goals as Scotland won 3-0 in Edmonton, in their third and final game against Canada on their tour there. 2013 – Luis Suárez netted for Uruguay as they lost 2-1 to Spain in a Confederations Cup group game in Brazil, with future red Mario Balotelli netting in Italy’s 2-1 win over Mexico. Ex-reds Alberto Aquilani and Álvaro Arbeloa both also featured in the competition that day, while former keeper Charles Itandje and ex-reserves centre-half Carli Medjani were both in World Cup qualifying action in Africa as future red Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of Egypt’s qualifier in Mozambique. Boss at the World Cup 1954 - Andy Beattie managed Scotland as they lost 1-0 to Austria in the World Cup in Zurich. Beattie had guested with the reds during the war, and later joined the backroom staff at Anfield after a successful management career. Also at the World Cup 2002 - El-Hadji Diouf featured as Senegal beat Sweden 2-1 in Oita thanks to a golden goal to make it through to the Quarter-finals, becoming only the second African side ever to reach that stage. Salif Diao was suspended for this game. Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland were knocked out by Spain following a penalty shoot-out, after the match in Suwon ended 1-1, with future red Fernando Morientes on target during the match proper. Ex-red Steve Staunton won his 102nd and final international cap in this game, with future reds Steve Finnan and Robbie Keane both scoring in the shoot-out. 2010 – Fernando Torres and ex-red Xabi Alonso played as Spain lost their opening game of the tournament 1-0 to Switzerland in Durban, while ex-red Mark González featured as Chile beat Honduras 1-0 in the same group. Also in action was future red Luis Suárez as Uruguay beat the host nation 3-0 in Pretoria. 2014 – Ex-red Victor Moses featured in Nigeria’s goalless draw with Iran in Curitiba, while ex-red Raúl Meireles played as Thomas Müller scored a hat-trick for Germany in their 4-0 defeat of Portugal in Salvador. 2018 – Dejan Lovren faced ex-red Victor Moses as Croatia beat Nigeria 2-0 in a group stage game in Russia. On the same day, ex-red Javier Mascherano played as Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland. 1998 – Stig Inge Bjørnebye played as Norway drew 1-1 with Scotland in Bordeaux. 1982 - Phil Neal and Phil Thompson played in England’s 3-1 defeat of France in Bilbao. 1990 - John Barnes and future red Mark Wright turned out in England’s goalless draw with the Netherlands in Cagliari, with Glenn Hysén skippering Sweden to a 2-0 defeat by Scotland in Genoa on the same day. 1985 - Barnes also represented his country in a 5-0 friendly defeat of the USA in Los Angeles. Barry is born 1935 - Half-back Barry Wilkinson was born in Bishop Auckland. He represented England at youth level, joining the reds from his hometown club in June 1954. He made 79 first-team appearances for us before moving on to Bangor City in August 1960 for a £500 fee. Final caps 1996 - Brad Friedel won his final cap as a Galatasaray player, and 39th in total, as the USA drew 2-2 with Mexico in a US Nike Cup game at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena. 1993 - He also played as the USA lost 1-0 to Uruguay in a Copa América game in Ecuador. 2012 – Victor Moses won his last cap while with Wigan Athletic as Nigeria beat Rwanda 2-0 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier in Calabar. At the European Championships 2016 – Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to score an injury-time winner as Roy Hodgson’s England beat Wales 2-1 in a group game in France. Joe Allen, Adam Lallana and ex-red Raheem Sterling also featured. 2004 - Future red Fernando Morientes struck as Spain were held to a 1-1 draw by Greece in Porto, with another future red, Fernando Torres, also in the side. 1996 - Bayern München’s Markus Babbel and Christian Ziege both played in Germany’s 3-0 defeat of Russia at Old Trafford. 2012 – Ex-red Milan Baroš featured as the Czech Republic beat host nation Poland 1-0 in Wroclaw to top their group. 2000 - Sander Westerveld won his third senior cap as a substitute in the Netherlands’ 3-0 defeat of Denmark in Rotterdam, with future red Bolo Zenden on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, Vladimír Šmicer and future red Nicolas Anelka both featured as France beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in Brugge. These results meant that the Dutch and French qualified for the Quarter-finals. 2007 - Future red Ryan Babel played for Netherlands Under-21’s as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in the European Championships Finals in Heerenveen. 2019 – Kamil Grabara and future red Mario Balotelli both featured for the Under-21’s in the European Championships Finals in Sweden. On the same day, ex-red Luis Suárez scored as Uruguay beat Ecuador 4-0 in a Copa América group game in Brazil, with Liam Millar and Mohamed Salah also in international action that day. Tony on a run 1969 - Ex-red Tony Hateley scored in the sixth of all seven games of an FA Tour as England thumped Hong Kong 6-0 at the Happy Valley Stadium. He netted a total of seventeen goals on the tour. Four released 2009 – Defenders Ronald Huth, Godwin Antwi, Miki Roqué and midfielder Gary Mackay-Steven were all released by the reds. 2011 – The club announced that keeper Deale Chamberlain, centre-half Steven Irwin, midfielder Alex Cooper and forward Nikola Sarić had all been released. Happy days 2007 - Steven Gerrard married Alex Curran in Cliveden House, Berkshire. 2012 – Martin Škrtel was married to Barbora Lovásová in his native Slovakia, while ex-red Charlie Adam wed Sophie-Leigh Anderson on the same day. David honoured 2012 – Ex-reds keeper David James was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Released 2007 - Ex-reds winger Richie Partridge was released by Rotherham United after four goals in 36 appearances for the Merry Millers. 2011 – Future reds scout Jonathan Woodgate was let go by Tottenham Hotspur after scoring three times in 65 games.

Happy birthday Saint 1938 - Ian St. John was born in Motherwell. He joined from his hometown club in May 1961 for a then club record fee of £37,500. The Saint scored 118 goals in 425 games for the reds, including the winning goal in the 1965 FA Cup Final and also helped us to win two First Division titles, the Second Division and FA Charity Shield, before moving to South Africa in February 1971 to join Hellenic. 1988 – Former reserves centre-half Godwin Antwi was born in Kumasi in Ghana. He appeared in our victorious FA Youth Cup campaign in 2006 but spent most of his time out on loan. He was released in June 2009 and was last seen playing for Melaka United in Malaysia. 1936 – Left-winger Ron Smith was born in Liverpool. He signed amateur terms in 1955, turning professional two years later. However, he moved on to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in 1959, having failed to break through to the first team. In comes Cloughie 1993 - Nigel Clough signed from Nottingham Forest for £2,275,000. He was far less successful than expected, scoring just nine times in his 44 reds appearances, despite a bright start of four goals in his first four games. His finest hour probably came when he struck twice to help us come from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Manchester United at Anfield in January 1994. He left Anfield for Manchester City in January 1996 for £1.5m. Red trebles 1922 - Harry ‘Smiler’ Chambers bagged a hat-trick as we beat Genoa 4-1 in a friendly at their Stadio di Marassi. Dick Forshaw nabbed the other. 1953 - Billy Liddell netted a treble as we beat a Chicago All Stars side 4-2 at Soldier Field, with Kevin Baron also on target. Disaster strikes for Djibril again 2006 - Djibril Cissé broke his leg while winning his thirtieth cap in France’s 3-1 friendly defeat of China in Saint-Étienne. Xabi Alonso, Luis García, Harry Kewell and Pepe Reina all also featured in friendlies that day, with future red Fernando Torres on target in Spain’s 2-1 defeat of Croatia in Geneva. 2017 – Ex-reds Iago Aspas, Sebastián Coates and Pepe Reina all featured in international friendlies. 2019 – Aspas played for Spain again in their 4-1 European Championships qualifying win in the Faroe Islands. Lancs champs again 1947 – We claimed the Lancashire Senior Cup for the seventh time by beating Bury 2-1 at Anfield in the Final. Albert Stubbins and Jack Balmer struck our goals. On the move 2013 – Hungarian keeper Péter Gulácsi joined Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg on a free transfer. He had sat on the reds bench on 51 occasions without making a senior appearance. 2002 - Nicolas Anelka joined Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain for £13m. He struck 46 times in 103 games for City before joining Fenerbahçe SK for £7m in January 2005. Christian milestones 2000 - Future red Christian Ziege won his fiftieth cap in Germany’s 8-2 trouncing of Liechtenstein in a friendly in Freiburg im Breisgau. Dietmar Hamann and future red Markus Babbel both also played. On the same day, Alberto Aquilani played for Italy Under-15’s as they lost 2-0 to Argentina. 1997 - He won his last cap as a Bayern München player, and 31st to date, as the Germans were held to a goalless draw in a World Cup qualifier in the Ukraine. On the same day, future red Paul Ince featured in England’s 1-0 defeat of France in Le Tournoi in Montpellier, while fellow future red Alex Manninger played in a 3-1 win for Austria Under-21’s in a European Championships qualifying win in Latvia. New contracts 2007 - Xabi Alonso and Pepe Reina both signed new contracts until 2012. Reina was sold to Bayern München for £2m in August 2014 after 394 first-team outings, while Alonso moved to Real Madrid for £30m five years earlier after nineteen goals in 210 games. 2018 – Ovie Ejaria signed a new contract, joining Rangers on loan on the same day. He netted twice in 28 games for the Gers. Final caps 2003 - Ex-red Øyvind Leonhardsen won his 86th and final cap as Norway lost 1-0 to Denmark in a European Championships qualifier in Copenhagen. John Arne Riise also played. Stéphane Henchoz and future reds Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Morientes and Andriy Voronin all also represented their countries that day. 2013 - Lazar Marković won his last cap as a Partizan player in Serbia’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat by Belgium in Brussels, with ex-red Christian Benteke also in action. 2015 - James Milner played for England for the last time while with Manchester City as England were held to a goalless draw by the Republic of Ireland in a friendly in Dublin, with Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling all also featuring for Roy Hodgson’s side. Christian Benteke won his last cap while with Aston Villa in Belgium’s 4-3 friendly win in France. Coaching moves 2012 – Following the sacking of boss Kenny Dalglish, the departures of Steve Clarke and Kevin Keen as First Team Coaches were announced. They had been at the club for seventeen and eleven months, respectively. 2016 – Ex-reds coach Paco Herrera was appointed Manager of Real Valladolid, remaining in charge for a year. Recent international goals 2015 - Lazar Marković scored in Serbia’s 4-1 friendly defeat of Azerbaijan in Austria, while Philippe Coutinho struck his first senior international goal as Brazil beat Mexico 2-0 in Sao Paulo, with future red Roberto Firmino also in action, as AS Monaco’s Fabinho made his senior bow. 2014 – Ex-red Victor Moses netted as Nigeria lost 2-1 to the USA in a friendly in Florida. Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Glen Johnson, Rickie Lambert, Daniel Sturridge and future red Adam Lallana all featured for Roy Hodgson’s England as they were held to a goalless draw by Honduras in the same state. Also in international action hat day were future red Divock Origi and ex-reds Xabi Alonso, Robbie Keane, Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodríguez. 2013 – Ex-red Robbie Keane grabbed a treble as the Republic of Ireland beat the Faroe Islands 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Dublin. On the same day, reserves forward Krisztián Adorján struck for Hungary Under-21’s in their 2-1 European Championships qualifying defeat of Albania. Also in World Cup action that day were future red Mario Balotelli and ex-reds Alberto Aquilani, Alexander Kačaniklić, Javier Mascherano and Raúl Meireles. 2011 – Ex-red Xabi Alonso netted in Spain’s 3-0 friendly win in Venezuela, with ex-red Fernando Torres also in action. 2008 – Future red Raúl Meireles bagged his first senior international goal as Portugal beat Turkey 2-0 in a European Championships group game in Geneva. 2003 - Sami Hyypiä was on target as Finland beat Serbia & Montenegro 3-0 in a European Championships qualifier in Helsinki. Ex-red Jari Litmanen also played. On the same day, El-Hadji Diouf netted as Senegal beat Gambia 3-1 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier in Dakar, with Salif Diao also in the side. Meanwhile, future red Robbie Keane scored his first goal as a Tottenham Hotspur player in the Republic of Ireland’s 2-1 Euro 2004 qualifying defeat of Albania. 2002 - Future red Fernando Morientes bagged a brace as Spain beat Paraguay 3-1 in a World Cup Finals group game in South Korea. Meanwhile, Emile Heskey and Michael Owen both featured in England’s 1-0 defeat of Argentina in Japan, with Owen winning the penalty from which England scored. Stan from a corner 1992 - Ex-red Steve Staunton scored for the Republic of Ireland direct from a corner as they beat Portugal 2-0 in the US Cup in Boston. Ray Houghton and ex-red John Aldridge both also featured. This was Stan’s first strike in his first spell as an Aston Villa player, and he also converted direct from a corner against Northern Ireland at Lansdowne Road ten months later! King Kenny on target 1979 - Kenny Dalglish struck in Scotland’s 4-0 thumping of Norway in a European Championships qualifier in Oslo. Future red John Wark was also in the side. 1978 - Dalglish also turned out as the Scots were held to a 1-1 draw by Iran in a World Cup fixture in Argentina. In the process he became his country’s most capped player with 56, going on to play 102 times in total, still a record. Thumped at Deepdale 1941 - We were beaten 6-1 at Preston North End in a Wartime League game with Thomas Lyon bagging our consolation in his only ever guest appearance for the reds. First and last caps 2018 – Trent Alexander-Arnold made his senior England debut in their 2-0 friendly defeat of Costa Rica at Elland Road, with Jordan Henderson also in action. Liam Millar played for Canada Under-23’s on the same day. 2011 - John Arne Riise won his last cap as a Roma player in their 1-0 friendly victory over Lithuania in Oslo, with Krisztián Németh playing his game for Hungary as an Olympiacos player, as they won 3-0 in San Marino in a European Championships qualifier. Lucas was also in international action that day. 1972 - Kevin Keegan and Larry Lloyd both won their final England Under-23’s caps as they held the USSR to a goalless draw in Kiev. 1997 – Future reds reserve Haukur Ingi Gudnason made his debut for Iceland Under-21’s in their 1-1 European Championships qualifying draw in FYR Macedonia. 1995 - Dean Saunders won his last cap as an Aston Villa player, and 49th in total. Wales were beaten 1-0 in Cardiff by Georgia in a Euro ‘96 qualifier, with Ian Rush also playing. Ex-red Jim Magilton and future reds Patrik Berger and Markus Babbel also won international caps that day. 1992 - Saunders also played for his country as they won a friendly in Japan 1-0. Tony on a run 1969 - Ex-red Tony Hateley scored in the third of all seven games of an FA Tour as England thumped a New Zealand Squad XI 5-0 in Hamilton. He netted a total of seventeen goals on the tour. World Cup reds 2008 – Harry Kewell skippered Australia as they lost 1-0 to Iraq in a World Cup qualifier in Dubai. Meanwhile, Nabil El Zhar won his third cap as he appeared from the bench as Morocco won 4-1 in Mauritania. Digger’s last game 2009 – John Barnes took charge of his last game as Manager of Jamaica as they beat Panama 3-2 in a friendly in Kingston. Meanwhile, ex-red Rigobert Song captained Cameroon in their goalless World Cup qualifier against Morocco in Yaoundé, with future red Oussama Assaidi also in action for his country that day. In Toulon A host of other reds have played in the Under-21’s Toulon Tournament on this day in history. 1993/1994 - Jamie Redknapp featured in 2-0 defeats of Portugal in both years, with the second victory coming in the Final, alongside Dominic Matteo, while future reds Academy coach Mike Sheron played in the first game. Future reds Michael Thomas and Neil Ruddock had played in the late 1980’s. 2009 – Gerardo Bruna played for Argentina as they drew 1-1 with the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, future red Christian Benteke scored twice as Belgium Under-19’s thumped Sweden in a friendly in Genk. Carra honoured 2011 - Jamie Carragher was named Philanthropist of the Year at the Spirit of Merseyside Awards at the Philharmonic Hall, for his charity work with the 23 Foundation. Family changes 2014 – Joe Allen married Lacey-Jo Hughes, while young Spanish forward Luis Alberto was wed to Patricia Venegas. 2012 - Maxi Rodríguez became a father to his second daughter, Aitana. 2008 – Future red Robbie Keane married Claudine Palmer in Ballybrack, South Dublin. 2002 - Grégory Vignal became a father as his girlfriend Naomi gave birth to a girl called Lorenza.