Past playersGraeme Souness
Years: 1978-1984
Appearances: 359
Goals: 55
Honours: League title (1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84), European Cup (1978, 1981, 1984), League Cup (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984)
Graeme Souness was both powerful and elegant as he orchestrated the Liverpool side that dominated at home and abroad in the early 1980s.
A complete midfielder in every sense, the Scot enjoyed nothing more than a physical battle and test of the nerve. But he was equally a player with outstanding vision and a delicate touch belying the hard-man reputation he carried.
Bob Paisley invested a record fee between two English clubs to bring the enforcer to Merseyside from Middlesbrough, and the price was repaid in a matter of months – starting with a sensational volley against Manchester United in just his second appearance at Anfield.
Souness was selected in the starting line-up for the 1978 European Cup final and created the only goal of the tie with Bruges, laying in compatriot Kenny Dalglish with a precise, instinctive through ball that dissected the opposition defence.
With Souness patrolling around the Reds' midfield and striking fear into those he faced, Dalglish, Terry McDermott and co were afforded licence to express themselves in a highly effective system.
The league championship was secured in each of the two seasons that followed, while a second European Cup was added to Souness' trophy collection in 1981. That campaign also heralded the beginning of a four-year domination of the League Cup.
Such was the midfielder's influence and importance to the Reds, Paisley named him captain in January 1982. The position of leadership simply inspired Souness further and he collected the First Division title three times as skipper.
His zenith was undoubtedly 1983-84, when he played in 61 of the side's 67 fixtures in all competitions and notched the winning goal in the League Cup final triumph over Everton.
The following month, his performance in the European Cup semi-final against Dinamo Bucharest, under incredible scrutiny from a hostile Romanian crowd, propelled Liverpool into the Rome showpiece.
Souness then repeated the trick on AS Roma's own turf, blasting home in the penalty shootout and making history by receiving the club's fourth prize.
It would prove to be Souness' final appearance for the club; in a decision typical of his character, he opted to experience another league and switched to Sampdoria having left an unforgettable legacy in just six years.
