Liverpool have produced some absolutely incredible footballers over the years, and some of the club’s greatest-ever sides were full of homegrown talent.
From the glory years of the 1970s and 1980s to the Champions League winners of 2005 or Jurgen Klopp’s all-conquering side of recent years, you’ll find local talent from Merseyside somewhere in the team. But which have been the very best players to have come through the club’s academy?
Here’s our all-time Liverpool academy graduate XI, arranged in a 4-3-1-2 formation.
GK: Tommy Lawrence
Caoimhin Kelleher deserves a shout given his cup heroics, but the Republic of Ireland will need to usurp Alisson and have a brilliant career if he’s to make it into this team.
Lawrence made over 300 appearances for the Reds between 1957 and 1971 and won two league titles and one FA Cup.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold
The 2022-23 campaign might not have been his best, but it shouldn’t be forgotten quite how good Alexander-Arnold has been.
He’s still just 24 and has won everything there is to win already.
CB: Tommy Smith
A local boy born in Crosby, Smith went on to make over 500 appearances for the Reds and captained the club during their first great era.
He won four league titles, two FA Cups, two UEFA Cups and two European Cups.
“I loved him from the Kop because of his passion, commitment and never-say-die attitude,” former team-mate Phil Thompson told Sky Sports following Smith’s death in 2019.
“And then to go play alongside him, rub shoulders with him, go into battles with him, he was iconic. He wanted and desired the points every week.
“He was an incredible figure who helped me out enormously. To go from being a fan to play with him… he never gave up. Liverpool Football Club owe this guy a debt of gratitude.
“Tommy was the epitome of what Bill Shankly demanded. He drove the team, he was incredible. Who will forget his headed goal that won the 1977 European Cup final? The fella drove us on.”
#YNWA Great header by Virgil van Dijk today, but not a patch on Tommy Smith’s ROME 77 goal, an absolute Liverpool Legend. Bill Shankly said “Tommy Smith wasn’t born, he was quarried”. pic.twitter.com/ByKu10qeAV
— THECASHMAN (@THECASHMAN8) January 19, 2020
CB: Phil Thompson
Thompson was born and raised in Kirkby and supported Liverpool from the Kop growing up.
He played alongside Smith and succeeded him into the late 70s and early 80s, playing in his place in the 1978 European Cup final victory over…
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