Ranking the 5 best Liverpool players in Premier League history

Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and in the Premier League. The English club, founded in 1892, is one of the most decorated clubs in the world. They have won over 60 trophies, including 19 league and six Champions League titles.

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Liverpool have been an ever-present in the competition. Although the side only lifted their first Premier League title last year, the Merseyside club have always been one of the best sides in the competition.

Liverpool have fielded many fine players during the Premier League era, some of whom have lit up the competition. These players have had varying levels of success at the club. However, all of them contributed in one form or the other to help create some of the best moments the Anfield faithful have ever seen.

On that note, let's take a look at five of the best Liverpool players in the Premier League era.

#5 Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018 on a world-record fee for a defender. The Merseyside club paid £75 million to Southampton for the Dutch defender's services.

After his arrival, van Dijk quickly transformed an often unreliable Liverpool defence. Despite joining the side midseason, he helped Liverpool to the Champions League final, which Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid. However, Van Dijk's impact on the side was unquestionable, as he was included in the UEFA squad of the season that campaign.

Van Dijk helped Liverpool to another Champions League final the next season, this time against Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool won 2-0, with van Dijk being voted the Man of the Match. In the Premier League, Liverpool finished just one point behind eventual winners Manchester City. The Reds also conceded the fewest goals in the league that campaign, and Virgil van Dijk was voted the PFA Player of the Year.

In his third season, Van Dijk helped Liverpool win their first-ever Premier League title. The Reds also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup that season. This time, Van Dijk would be voted for the Ballon d'Or, where he finished second behind Lionel Messi. He also finished runner-up in the running for The Best FIFA Men's Player award.

#4 Robbie Fowler

Robbie Fowler should be perhaps higher up this list, as he is Liverpool's all-time top goalscorer in Premier League history. Making his debut at the age of 18, Fowler quickly showed the stuff he was made up of as he endeared himself to the Liverpool faithful.

Fowler scored 18 goals in his debut season at Liverpool, just one behind the club legend Ian Rush, who was the top scorer. The youngster's goalscoring prowess was outstanding, to say the least, as he went on to hit the 30-goal mark in all competitions for three consecutive seasons.

Injuries, though, hampered Fowler's progress at Liverpool. Nevertheless, the striker managed another 55 goals in four-and-a-half seasons at the club before leaving in 2001.

During his stint at Liverpool, Fowler scored 183 goals for the club, with 128 of them coming in the Premier League. Fowler never managed to win the league title at Liverpool, but won the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup.

#3 Luis Suarez

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has established himself over the years as one of the best to have ever played the game. The Uruguayan has always split opinions, but his goalscoring prowess is unquestionable.

Suarez signed for Liverpool from Ajax in January 2011. He was brought in to replace the departing Fernando Torres. Those were huge shoes to fill, considering the Spaniard's track record at Liverpool. Suarez, though, was not overawed, and proved to be an able replacement for Torres.

The Uruguayan scored four goals in his first half-season at Liverpool. Although he struggled a bit in his first full season at the club, he still managed to score 17 goals. Suarez, though, came alive in his third season at Liverpool, netting 30 times, including 23 in the Premier League.

Suarez fared even better in his fourth and final season at Liverpool, scoring 31 goals in the Premier League as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the league title.

Nevertheless, his exploits saw him included in the PFA Team of the Year. He also won the Premier League Golden Boot, Premier League Player of the Season and the FWA Footballer of the Year award that year.

Despite scoring over 80 goals in all competitions for the club, Suarez left Liverpool in 2014 after winning only the League Cup.

#2 Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool from Serie A side AS Roma in 2017 for a then-club-record fee of €42 million. His achievements at the club since then have been nothing short of extraordinary.

In his debut season at Liverpool, Salah scored a staggering 44 goals in all competitions, breaking countless records along the way; 32 of those strikes came in the Premier League, a record in a 38-game Premier League campaign. He also holds the record for the most games scored in during a Premier League season with 24.

Salah's exploits in his debut season at Liverpool saw him win the Premier League Golden Boot, FWA Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season awards. He also won the PFA Player's Player of the Year award as well as the PFA Fan's Player of the Year award.

In subsequent seasons, Salah has managed to surpass the 20-goal mark every time. He has won four trophies with Liverpool, including one Champions League and one Premier League title.

#1 Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard was one of the greatest players of his generation and is perhaps the most notable name in Liverpool history.

Gerrard graduated from the Liverpool academy and made his debut for the first team in 1998. He went on to spend 17 seasons at the club, and played over 700 games in the famous red shirt of Liverpool, scoring 186 goals.

Gerrard famously captained Liverpool to a Champions League triumph in 2005 in the famous 'Miracle of Istanbul' game. That win was the club's first in the competition in 20 years. Gerrard's performances for Liverpool that season saw him win the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award. The Englishman also managed to finish third in the Ballon d'Or race that season.

Perhaps the only negative in Gerrard's time at Liverpool was his failure to win a Premier League medal. Nonetheless, the midfielder won nine other trophies at Liverpool and also received numerous other individual accolades.

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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Edited by Bhargav