The 10 Best Liverpool Left-Backs of All Time
Updated: Sep 17
When you pay attention to the left at Anfield, there is something you realise almost immediately: the left-back often tells you a lot about the way Liverpool want to play. The position has never been about defending alone.
Liverpool's best left-backs have broken up attacks, carried the ball forward, created chances and, on occasion, produced moments that have become part of the club's history. Over the years, that has meant very different types of players.
Some were defensive specialists. Others loved getting forward. A few became leaders, while others quietly provided the consistency that allowed the players in front of them to flourish.
But who are the best left-backs to have played for Liverpool?
Below Are The 10 Best Liverpool Left-Backs of All Time
This ranking considers a player's ability at left-back, longevity, consistency, major honours, importance to successful Liverpool teams and overall contribution to the club.
1. Alan Kennedy
Liverpool's golden era would not have shone quite as brightly without Alan Kennedy. The attacking left-back was defensively reliable but also had the confidence to get forward, and some of his biggest moments came on the greatest stages.
In 1981, Kennedy scored the only goal of the European Cup final against Real Madrid, charging into the penalty area before finishing from a difficult angle. Three years later, he found himself in another European Cup final, this time against Roma.
After the match finished 1-1 following extra time, Kennedy stepped up to take Liverpool's decisive fifth penalty and calmly found the corner to secure another European Cup.
Those moments alone would have secured his place in Liverpool folklore. Kennedy also collected five league titles and four European Cups during his Anfield career, making him one of the most decorated defenders in the club's history. His ability to combine defensive reliability with attacking intent makes him our No.1.
2. Billy Dunlop
The early years of Liverpool required tough and dependable defenders, and Billy Dunlop became an important part of that foundation. Dunlop joined Liverpool in the 1890s and became a long-serving left-back during the club's formative years.
Liverpool's own historical records describe him as the backbone of the defence, praising his tackling, aerial ability and capacity to play the ball out from the back. He helped Liverpool win league titles in 1901 and 1906 and accumulated more than 300 appearances for the club.
Dunlop played in a very different era from Kennedy or Robertson, but his importance should not be judged through a modern football lens.
He represented the type of defender Liverpool relied upon during its early rise and helped establish standards that later generations would build upon.
3. Ronnie [Ronald] Moran
Ronnie Moran is perhaps best known for his extraordinary contribution to Liverpool as a coach, but his playing career deserves plenty of recognition too.
Moran spent more than a decade at Anfield and made 379 appearances for Liverpool, establishing himself as a committed and dependable left-back.
He played through the difficult period when Liverpool dropped into the Second Division before helping the club return to the top flight. Moran was also part of Bill Shankly's emerging Liverpool side and collected a First Division championship medal in 1964.
His playing career was eventually affected by injuries, and Gerry Byrne moved across to left-back during the 1964/65 season. But Moran's importance to Liverpool did not end when he stopped playing.
His professionalism impressed Shankly, who offered him a position on the coaching staff, beginning an extraordinary second chapter at the club. Few Liverpool players have contributed so much both on and off the pitch.
4. Gerry Byrne
Gerry Byrne's Liverpool career is remembered for courage as much as defensive quality.
His most famous moment came in the 1965 FA Cup final against Leeds United. Byrne suffered a broken collarbone early in the match but continued playing, helping Liverpool eventually win 2-1 after extra time.
It became one of the defining images of the Bill Shankly era. Byrne had already established himself as a dependable defender before that famous afternoon, and he remained an important member of the side as Liverpool developed into a major force.
He won two league titles and the FA Cup during his Liverpool career, as well as three Charity Shields.
His ability to play through injury became part of his legend, but Byrne's importance was based on much more than one match. He was a tough, committed defender who represented the character of Liverpool during the early Shankly years.
5. Phil Neal
Phil Neal is one of the most successful full-backs in Liverpool history. Although he is more naturally associated with right-back, Neal's versatility means he deserves consideration in a discussion of Liverpool's greatest full-backs, particularly given the quality of his performances across the defence.
He made 650 appearances for Liverpool and won 18 major honours, including eight league titles and four European Cups. Neal also played in all four of Liverpool's first four European Cup triumphs, scoring in two of those finals. His consistency was remarkable.
He rarely attracted the same attention as the team's star attackers, but managers could rely on him week after week, season after season.
That reliability became one of the defining characteristics of Liverpool's dominant teams under Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan. There is a reason Neal is remembered as "Mr Consistency".
6. Alec Lindsay
Alec Lindsay was a versatile and dependable member of Bill Shankly's Liverpool. Signed from Bury in 1969, Lindsay quickly became part of a team that was beginning to establish itself as one of the dominant forces in English football.
He could operate in different defensive roles and possessed the technical ability to contribute to Liverpool's attacking play. Lindsay won two league titles with the club and was part of the team that lifted the UEFA Cup in 1973.
His Liverpool career also included a period of transition as Shankly continued to build the side that would dominate English and European football during the following decade.
He was not always the most spectacular player on the pitch. But Lindsay offered something every successful defence needs: reliability.
7. Donald McKinlay
Donald McKinlay's Liverpool career stretched across two decades. The Scottish defender joined the club in 1909 and remained at Anfield until 1929, eventually becoming one of Liverpool's longest-serving players of the period.
McKinlay also captained Liverpool for several years and played an important role in the teams that won consecutive league titles in 1922 and 1923. His versatility allowed him to operate in different defensive positions, while his leadership made him an important figure within the team.
The football of McKinlay's era was very different from the modern game, but his longevity and influence make him impossible to overlook when considering Liverpool's early great defenders.
He was one of the players who helped establish Liverpool as a major force in English football during the first part of the 20th century.
8. Andrew Robertson
Andrew Robertson has a strong case as the greatest modern Liverpool left-back. He arrived from Hull City in 2017 with little fanfare and eventually became one of the defining full-backs of Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.
Robertson brought enormous energy to the position. His overlapping runs, crossing, defensive work and ability to recover quickly made him an important part of a Liverpool side that competed at the highest level in England and Europe.
He started the 2019 Champions League final and played a major role in the Premier League title-winning campaign that followed.
Robertson eventually left Liverpool after nine seasons with 378 appearances and eight major honours, including two Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups.
His departure means his Liverpool career can now be assessed as a whole rather than as an ongoing story. That record places him firmly among the club's greatest left-backs.
9. Joey Jones
Joey Jones took an unconventional route to the top of the game. The Welsh defender grew up in Wrexham and eventually joined Liverpool after making his name with his hometown club.
Jones was a hard-working and fearless defender who fitted comfortably into Bob Paisley's Liverpool. He was part of the side that won the European Cup in 1977 and later collected further major honours during his time at Anfield.
Jones did not have the same individual statistics as some of the other players on this list, but his attitude made him an important member of Liverpool's successful teams.
There was little fuss about his approach. He defended, competed and gave everything for the shirt. That was enough to make him a popular figure among Liverpool supporters.
10. John Arne Riise
If power had a name on Liverpool's left flank, it was John Arne Riise. The Norwegian's left foot became one of the most recognisable weapons at Anfield, particularly when he found space outside the penalty area.
Riise joined Liverpool from Monaco and quickly established himself as a regular. He combined physical strength with an attacking instinct that made him dangerous from distance, while his willingness to get forward suited Liverpool's style.
He made 348 appearances for the club and scored 30 goals. His time at Anfield also included the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul, when Liverpool produced one of the greatest comebacks in European Cup history.
Riise was explosive, fearless and capable of producing spectacular moments.
Few Liverpool left-backs have ever struck a football quite like him.
Table: Liverpool's 10 Greatest Left-Backs in History Ranked
Rank | Player | Liverpool career |
1 | Alan Kennedy | 1978–1985 |
2 | Billy Dunlop | 1894–1909 |
3 | Ronnie Moran | 1952–1965 |
4 | Gerry Byrne | 1957–1969 |
5 | Phil Neal | 1974–1985 |
6 | Alec Lindsay | 1969–1977 |
7 | Donald McKinlay | 1909–1929 |
8 | Andrew Robertson | 2017–2026 |
9 | Joey Jones | 1975–1982 |
10 | John Arne Riise | 2001–2008 |
Who Is Liverpool's Greatest Left-Back?
Alan Kennedy takes the top spot. There are strong cases for several players, particularly Andrew Robertson, Phil Neal and the historic figures who helped establish Liverpool as a major club.
But Kennedy combined longevity, defensive ability, attacking quality and an extraordinary collection of important moments.
His two decisive contributions in European Cup finals are particularly difficult to overlook.
The goal against Real Madrid in 1981 and the winning penalty against Roma in 1984 helped Liverpool become European champions on two separate occasions.
Robertson's modern achievements have brought him firmly into the conversation, while Neal's trophy haul and consistency make him another obvious contender. But Kennedy's contribution to Liverpool's greatest European nights gives him the edge.
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