FeatureKop 10: The Liverpool defenders with the most appearances

Nicknamed ‘Jockey’, Hansen was an integral part of the Reds’ enormous success in the late 1970s and 1980s, captaining the side to multiple trophies.

He later became an excellent and respected pundit on Match of the Day, and sits 10th on the club’s all-time appearances list.

But where is he in the Reds’ standings for games played by defenders? Read on to find out…

10. Ron Yeats – 454 games

Yeats was a cornerstone of Bill Shankly’s first great Liverpool side in the 1960s. He captained the Reds as they rose from the old Second Division and into the top flight. To this day, only Steven Gerrard has led a Liverpool side on more occasions.

When Beatlemania was rocking the world, Yeats led the team to a pair of league titles and the club’s first FA Cup. Liverpool also played European football for the first time in this period, with Yeats integral in their run to the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1966.

After his playing days ended, Yeats later returned to the club as chief scout, a position he held for two decades.

As Shankly once said, “[Yeats] was a natural to be a captain; a big man who commanded respect.”

9. Sami Hyypia – 464 games

One of the many players scouted by Yeats was Hyypia, the Finnish centre-back who joined Liverpool for what would prove to be a bargain £2.5m in 1999.

He immediately became a mainstay of Gerard Houllier’s side, with the Frenchman making Hyypia captain during his first campaign with the club.

He then made 58 appearances the following season as the Reds won a trophy treble of League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

Hyypia remained a vital part of the side for much of Rafael Benitez’s time in charge too, playing a key role in the Champions League win of 2005 and another FA Cup triumph the following season.

His final start came in a memorable 4-1 win at Old Trafford in 2009. Few players have deserved a better close to their career with Liverpool.

8. Steve Nicol – 468 games

Nicol played in just about every position for Liverpool apart from in goal and up front. His hat-trick at Newcastle United in a 4-1 win in 1987 suggested he could’ve done a decent job in the latter position too.

But it was in defence where he was most frequently found. Predominantly a right-back, Nicol also played on the opposite flank and often deputised at centre-back when other regulars were unavailable.

He won a European Cup, four league titles and three FA Cups with the club and was Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 1989. It’s rare for a defender to win that award but Nicol was more than good enough to justify it.

7. Phil Thompson – 477 games

Thompson is the first name in our countdown who came through the ranks at the club, eventually completing a remarkable journey from boyhood Liverpool fan through to European Cup-winning captain.

While he played in the final seasons of Shankly’s reign, the rest of his career with the Reds was spent enjoying tremendous success under Bob Paisley. The managerial legend once described Thompson as ‘one of the best possible examples of a true professional’, and approval doesn’t come much higher.

The homegrown hero later returned to the club in a coaching capacity, first with the reserves and later as assistant manager to Houllier. He even led the side while the Frenchman recovered from a heart operation, winning Premier League Manager of the Month in the process.

6. Chris Lawler – 549 games

Another Liverpool lad who enjoyed a lengthy career with the club was Lawler.

He once had a streak of 316 consecutive appearances, between 1965 and 1971, which is the fourth-longest such run in club history (and second-best by an outfield player).

Although Lawler won five trophies with the club, including a pair of league titles, arguably his biggest achievement came in goalscoring. His 61 goals, none of which were penalties, is the most by a defender in club history.

Lawler also represented England and later worked for Liverpool as reserve-team manager.

5. Alan Hansen – 620 games

Birthday boy Hansen is next on our countdown and his section could easily be filled simply by listing the 16 major trophies he won with Liverpool.

While his three European Cups inevitably dominate the conversation, Hansen was captain as the Reds won their first – and to date only – league and FA Cup double in 1986.

Happy to carry the ball up the field from the back, through midfield and into the final third, ‘Jockey’ assisted more goals (19) than he scored (11) for the club, a rare trait from a central defender.

Hansen was comfortable on the ball in an era when very few centre-backs were.

4. Tommy Smith – 638 games

The nickname ‘Anfield Iron’ doesn’t come about by accident.

If Shankly ever felt the ground was a little quiet, he’d instruct Smith to make a thundering challenge on an opponent to lift the atmosphere from the home crowd. The Liverpool-born defender was always happy to oblige.

Playing across the backline in his 15 years in the Reds’ first team, Smith was also a handy goalscorer. While he converted penalties and free-kicks, his most famous goal was a header in the 1977 European Cup final, in which Liverpool defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1.

3. Phil Neal – 650 games

The success Neal enjoyed with Liverpool can be summed up with a simple piece of trivia: he won more European Cups than any other English club has, even after the competition was rebranded as the Champions League.

If that wasn’t enough, how about eight league titles, four League Cups and a UEFA Cup? Neal’s final game for the club came one week shy of 11 years after his debut and he didn’t miss that many matches in between.

Indeed, his club-record unbroken run of 417 consecutive appearances between 1976 and 1983 will probably never be beaten.

2. Emlyn Hughes – 665 games

Hughes is the only player to date to twice captain Liverpool when they became champions of Europe.

He led Paisley’s Reds as they won back-to-back European Cups in 1977 and 1978. His versatility meant that he had also played midfield under Shankly – but it was at the back where he enjoyed his greatest success.

A fan favourite, Hughes was nicknamed ‘Crazy Horse’ by an adoring Kop. England’s most-capped player in the 1970s, he died tragically from a brain tumour at the age of just 57 in 2004.

Hughes has since been immortalised outside Anfield. A statue of Paisley carrying him off the pitch was unveiled in 2020 and stands near The Champions Wall.

1. Jamie Carragher – 737 games

Second on the all-time appearance list behind Ian Callaghan and top of our defenders-only countdown is Carragher.

A first-team fixture for 16 seasons, ‘Carra’ rose through the Liverpool ranks to become a vital player for six different managers at the club, winning seven major honours along the way. He was a phenomenal defender, putting his body on the line time and again to make last-gasp blocks and clearances when the Reds needed him most.

We should leave the final words to Hansen: “Carragher is 10 times a better defender than I could ever be,” he said in 2005 after the Champions League semi-final victory over Chelsea.