NewsMural tribute to Howard Gayle unveiled in Toxteth

Gayle became the first black player to represent the club when he debuted for the Reds in October 1980, having signed professional terms three years earlier.

Later in that season, as an early substitute for Kenny Dalglish, he memorably helped Liverpool secure a 1-1 draw away at Bayern Munich that sent them to the European Cup final.

Then, in Paris in May 1981, Gayle was on the bench for Bob Paisley’s team, who defeated Real Madrid 1-0 to lift the trophy for a third time.

In total, he made five senior appearances for the Reds and scored once, before going on to play for clubs including Birmingham City, Sunderland, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers, and become a long-time activist in the effort to eradicate racism.

“It does not get any better [than] playing for Liverpool. It’s a dream most people don’t get to live and me being black and the first to play, it adds that extra speciality about it,” he told the Liverpool Echo.

“The barriers had been broken down, I done what I done, I achieved and always tried to promote black culture and give a better understanding of who we are as a people. Hopefully I had opened doors and inspired a lot of our young people.

“[I wanted to] change the narrative for our children, tell them there’s something else out there and if you’ve got the ability to do it, try it and see if you can make something and do better than what I did.

“The talent in our area, it’s immense. It just needs nurturing in the right manner [and] black footballers play a big part in football now.”

The mural – which is located on Upper Warwick Street – was created by local artist John Culshaw, having been commissioned by Liverpool charity Mandela8 in association with Riverside Foundation.

Sonia Bassey, chair of Mandela8, said: “Howard is a role model in the community; for his activism, achievements in football, his stance against racism and the work he does with young people.

“It’s really important to us for people to see others who achieve these things and give them hope they can become who they want to be. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving than Howard.”