Greatest XI of all time - Liverpool 

Central Midfield - Graeme Souness and Steven Gerrard

Souness was the perfect midfield general for Liverpool

Although the managerial career tarnished his reputation to quite an extent, there is no doubt that Graeme Souness was one of the greatest captains Liverpool ever had. The Scot was exactly the tough-tackling and aggressive leader in the middle of the park which the Reds fans would love to see today. Souness joined Paisley's Reds in 1978 and had a memorable first season where he won the BBC Goal of the Season with his first goal for the club and assisted the winning goal in the European Cup final.

His ability to read the game while being disciplined in midfield played a crucial role in the club's league victories in 1979 and 1980 and naturally, he captained the team during the glory period of the 1980s, leading the team from 1981 until he left the club in 1984 to join Italian side Sampdoria. The Scot was that rare player who could outfox opponents with guile and intelligence with the same ease as those who loved a physical tussle.

One fine example is the second leg of the European Cup semi-final against Dinamo Bucharest in 1984 when the opposition players attacked Souness verbally and physically for breaking their team-mate's jaw in the first leg. The Liverpool captain gave a disciplined performance to win the tie and went on to score in the penalty shootout against AS Roma in the final to win his third European Cup.

In short, Souness was the midfield general who could dominate games and shield the defence with equal aplomb. While he is ideal for being the captain of this team as well, that honour, however, goes to the local lad partnering him in the middle of the park.

Captain Fantastic

If there is one player who epitomized what Liverpool Football Club is all about in this century, then every football-related individual will have only one name on their lips, Steven Gerrard. Possibly the least talented player on this list, the Whiston-born truly showcased the world how sheer passion, desire and work ethic can not only lift the individual but also teams to great heights.

If Souness was the midfield general, Gerrard was the all-action midfielder who could pass, cross, score and tackle with equal effect. The biggest attribute of Gerrard apart from his ability to score screamers was the regularity with which he could step up in big games, which led to Zinedine Zidane once stating that the Liverpool captain was the best midfielder in world football.

He really came into his own under Rafa Benitez and truly led by example as a captain, carrying not so good teams on his own several times during his 17 years with the club. He scored the first goal and won the penalty in Liverpool's unbelievable comeback from 0-3 down against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. In 2006, he single-handedly kept his team in the FA Cup final against West Ham, including scoring an absolute thunderbolt to equalize towards the end of the match.

While the pain of not winning a league title remains for the local boy, he did win 2 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 1 UEFA Cup and 1 UEFA Super Cup apart from the UEFA Champions League. Further, he etched his name into the PFA Team of the Year a record 8 times and can fight with another player on this list for the mantle of being Liverpool's greatest player of all time. Thus, Gerrard is not only on the list but also will captain the greatest XI.