Past playersPeter Crouch
Years: 2005-2008
Appearances: 134
Goals: 42
Honours: FA Cup (2006)
A towering goalscorer with an exquisite touch, Peter Crouch was signed from Southampton by Rafael Benitez in the summer of 2005 and quickly became a cult hero among Liverpool supporters, who admired his work ethic and commitment to the cause.
Crouch's long wait to break his duck with the Reds – 19 appearances – ended with a freak deflected effort at home to Wigan Athletic in December 2005, and the England international quickly followed up with a precise lobbed finish.
By the end of the 2005-06 campaign, he had added his name to the scoresheet 13 times in all competitions from 49 appearances; he also assisted the second goal as Liverpool recovered to lift the FA Cup in dramatic fashion at West Ham United's expense.
With his confidence significantly boosted further by a goal at the 2006 World Cup, Crouch excelled in the following season – his tally increased to 18 and included several moments that have been welcomed into Anfield folklore.
He started by notching the late winner over Chelsea in the Community Shield, then found the target with an outrageous, acrobatic scissor-kick against Galatasaray in the Champions League.
A perfect hat-trick – one goal each with left foot, right foot and head – followed during a handsome 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal in March 2007.
A 12-minute cameo in the Champions League final defeat by AC Milan afforded Crouch little opportunity to change the result, though.
Fernando Torres' sensational impact after jetting in to Merseyside that summer restricted Crouch's playing time and, although all at the club were keen to retain his services, the striker switched to Portsmouth in 2008.
