The 10 Greatest Liverpool Forwards in History
Updated: Sep 18
Liverpool's 10 Greatest Forwards of All Time Ranked
Liverpool have been blessed with some extraordinary forwards. Across the club's history, Anfield has witnessed prolific goalscorers, intelligent creators, explosive attackers and players who seemed to save their best moments for the biggest occasions.
Ian Rush became Liverpool's greatest goalscorer, while Roger Hunt and Gordon Hodgson established remarkable scoring records in earlier generations.
Kenny Dalglish combined goals and creativity, Robbie Fowler became one of the Premier League's most natural finishers, and Mohamed Salah eventually joined the very top scorers in the club's history.
Then there are forwards such as Kevin Keegan, Michael Owen, Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres, who each produced periods of brilliance in a Liverpool shirt. But who are the greatest Liverpool forwards of all time?
The 10 Greatest Liverpool Forwards in History
This ranking considers goals, individual ability, longevity, trophies, influence on successful Liverpool teams and the overall impact a player had at Anfield.
It is not simply a list of Liverpool's highest goalscorers. A forward's creativity, importance to the team and influence on an era also count.
1. Ian Rush
Ian Rush is Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer and one of the greatest finishers in English football history. The Welshman made 660 appearances for Liverpool across two spells between 1980 and 1996, scoring an extraordinary 346 goals.
Rush was more than a penalty-box striker. He had pace, intelligent movement and a relentless work rate that made him extremely difficult for defenders to contain. He could finish with either foot, score headers and create problems with his movement away from the ball.
His partnership with Kenny Dalglish became one of the defining attacking combinations in Liverpool's history. Rush also delivered on the biggest stages. He helped Liverpool win five league titles, two European Cups, three FA Cups and five League Cups.
His 47 goals in the 1983/84 season remain the club record for goals in a single campaign. That combination of goals, trophies, longevity and consistency makes Rush the standout forward in Liverpool's history.
2. Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish was not simply a goalscorer. He was a forward who could create chances, bring teammates into play and control attacking moves as well as finish them himself.
Dalglish joined Liverpool from Celtic in 1977 and went on to score 172 goals in 515 appearances. His partnership with Rush became legendary, but Dalglish's individual contribution was just as important.
He won six league titles and three European Cups as a Liverpool player, along with numerous domestic honours. His intelligence between the lines made him particularly difficult to defend against. Dalglish could drop deeper, link play and create opportunities for others before arriving in dangerous positions himself.
His influence was so significant that he remained one of the central figures of Liverpool's success after his playing career, later managing the club to further major honours.
Liverpool's own 2026 all-time player poll placed Dalglish second overall, behind Steven Gerrard, which underlines the scale of his standing at the club.
For a list about forwards rather than pure goalscorers, Dalglish's combination of scoring and creativity makes him particularly difficult to overlook.
3. Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt was one of the great goalscorers of Liverpool's first major era under Bill Shankly. He joined Liverpool in 1958 and remained at the club until 1969, making 492 appearances and scoring 285 goals.
Hunt was a superb finisher, but his willingness to work for the team was equally important. He formed an outstanding attacking partnership with Ian St John and became Liverpool's leading scorer in eight consecutive seasons.
Hunt scored 41 league goals during Liverpool's Second Division title-winning campaign in 1961/62, helping the club return to the top flight before continuing his goalscoring form at the highest level.
He subsequently helped Liverpool win two First Division titles and the 1965 FA Cup.
Hunt was also part of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team, scoring three times during the tournament.
His final Liverpool tally of 285 goals remains second only to Rush in the club's all-time scoring records.
4. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah's Liverpool career is now complete, and his numbers place him among the greatest forwards ever to represent the club. Signed from Roma in 2017, the Egyptian spent nine seasons at Anfield and finished with 257 goals in 442 appearances.
Only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt have scored more goals for Liverpool. Salah was initially regarded primarily as a right-sided attacker, but his goalscoring output soon became one of the defining features of his Liverpool career.
His pace, close control, movement and finishing made him a constant threat. He scored 44 goals during his first season and went on to become Liverpool's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer.
Salah also played a major role in some of the club's most successful modern campaigns. He helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020, before adding another league title in 2025.
His honours also include the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, making him one of the best African players in Premier League history.
His individual record is equally impressive. Salah won four Premier League Golden Boots and became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons. By the time he left Anfield, he had established himself as one of the greatest players in Liverpool's history.
5. Gordon Hodgson
Gordon Hodgson belongs near the top of any serious discussion about Liverpool's greatest goalscorers. The South African forward played for Liverpool between 1925 and 1936 and scored 241 goals in 377 appearances.
His goalscoring record becomes even more outstanding when placed in context. Hodgson scored 233 league goals for Liverpool and remains the club's record holder for hat-tricks, with 17 to his name.
That record has survived generation after generation of Liverpool forwards. Hodgson was a prolific and versatile attacker who could contribute from different areas of the forward line.
His career predates Liverpool's modern golden eras, but his scoring record ensures he remains one of the most important forwards in the club's history.
Nearly a century after his Liverpool career ended, only three players have scored more goals for the club: Rush, Hunt and Salah.
6. Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler was a natural goalscorer. The Liverpool-born forward came through the club's academy and quickly became one of the most feared finishers in the Premier League.
His nickname, "The Toxteth Terror", reflected the local connection that made Fowler such a popular figure with Liverpool supporters. He scored 183 goals for Liverpool across two spells, placing him among the club's highest goalscorers.
Fowler's 1993/94 season was particularly memorable. He scored a hat-trick against Southampton in only four minutes and 33 seconds, at the time one of the fastest Premier League hat-tricks ever recorded.
The following season he scored 28 league goals as Liverpool finished fourth and reached the FA Cup final. Fowler's career at Liverpool was not as trophy-filled as those of Rush or Dalglish, but his natural finishing ability was exceptional. He remains one of the purest goalscorers produced by the club's academy.
7. Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez spent only three-and-a-half seasons at Liverpool, but his influence was enormous. The Uruguayan arrived from Ajax in 2011 and quickly became one of the most unpredictable and dangerous forwards in the Premier League.
Suárez scored 82 goals in 133 appearances for Liverpool. His dribbling, movement, aggression and ability to create something out of nothing made him a nightmare for defenders. The 2013/14 season was the peak.
Suárez scored 31 Premier League goals and formed a devastating attacking partnership with Daniel Sturridge. Liverpool came within touching distance of winning the Premier League that season, with Suárez producing some of the most memorable individual performances of the campaign.
His Liverpool career was relatively short compared with those of Rush, Hunt and Dalglish, which limits his position in an all-time ranking. But in terms of individual attacking brilliance, Suárez has a very strong case for being one of the best forwards ever to wear the Liverpool shirt.
8. Michael Owen
Michael Owen announced himself to the football world as a teenager. His speed was frightening, his movement was intelligent, and his finishing was remarkably composed for such a young forward.
Owen scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool between 1996 and 2004. He became a regular goalscorer almost immediately after breaking into the first team.
His finest Liverpool campaign came in 2000/01, when he helped the club win the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup. Owen scored twice in the FA Cup final against Arsenal and was named the Ballon d'Or winner later that year.
That made him the first Liverpool player to win the award since the club's great European era and remains one of the defining individual achievements of his career. Injuries eventually affected his consistency, but his peak at Liverpool was outstanding.
9. Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan brought energy, intelligence and personality to Liverpool during the 1970s. Signed from Scunthorpe United in 1971, Keegan quickly became a key figure in Bill Shankly's developing side. He scored 100 goals in 323 appearances for Liverpool.
Keegan was not a traditional centre-forward. He could drop deeper, carry the ball, combine with teammates and attack space, making him an ideal fit for Liverpool's fast and aggressive style.
He helped the club win three league titles, the FA Cup and the European Cup before leaving for Hamburg in 1977. Keegan also won the Ballon d'Or twice after leaving Liverpool, in 1978 and 1979.
His time at Anfield was relatively short compared with some of the players above him, but his influence on Liverpool's rise during the 1970s was substantial.
10. Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres completed this list because of the extraordinary level he reached during his first years at Liverpool. Signed from Atlético Madrid in 2007, the Spanish striker immediately became one of the Premier League's most dangerous forwards.
Torres scored 81 goals in 142 appearances for Liverpool, placing him joint-23rd on the club's all-time scoring list. His first season was particularly impressive. Torres scored 33 goals in all competitions and became the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler to score more than 20 league goals in a season.
He was fast, powerful and technically gifted, with the ability to attack space behind defences while also finishing chances himself. Injuries eventually interrupted his Liverpool career, and he left for Chelsea in 2011.
Nevertheless, the level he reached at Anfield was exceptional and earns him a place among Liverpool's greatest forwards.
Table: Liverpool's Greatest Forwards in History Ranked
Rank | Player | Liverpool goals |
1 | Ian Rush | 346 |
2 | Kenny Dalglish | 172 |
3 | Roger Hunt | 285 |
4 | Mohamed Salah | 257 |
5 | Gordon Hodgson | 241 |
6 | Robbie Fowler | 183 |
7 | Luis Suárez | 82 |
8 | Michael Owen | 158 |
9 | Kevin Keegan | 100 |
10 | Fernando Torres | 81 |
Goals are Liverpool men's first-team totals in all competitions.
Who Is Liverpool's Greatest Forward?
Ian Rush takes the top spot. Liverpool have had forwards with extraordinary individual peaks, including Mohamed Salah, Luis Suárez and Michael Owen, while Roger Hunt and Gordon Hodgson produced exceptional goalscoring records in earlier generations.
Kenny Dalglish offers a different case because his influence extended beyond scoring. He was one of the club's greatest creators as well as a prolific forward. Rush, however, combines the strongest overall package.
His 346 goals remain Liverpool's all-time record, and he delivered those numbers while winning major domestic and European honours across two spells at the club.
His partnership with Dalglish became one of Liverpool's most famous attacking combinations, while his ability to score consistently across more than a decade separated him from most of the forwards who followed. For pure longevity, goalscoring and contribution to Liverpool's most successful teams, Rush remains the benchmark.
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