Heritage is one of the most important things in any society. Regardless of the field, it plays a vital role in almost every aspect of life. For any country, heritage is something that defines the roots of the nation, the very image of it. And that applies to football as well.
One of the most talked-about topics in football is history. Fans of clubs with rich historical backgrounds flaunt the past with great pride and seem to exude a vibe of superiority over clubs that have only recently made their names in the echelons of giants.
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Among them, along with the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich, a club from England stands tall and is regarded as the one of the most successful clubs in the history of the sport: Liverpool Football Club.
Founded 125 years ago, the Merseyside club are known for their rich heritage that sets them apart from most clubs in the world. With five Champions League titles to their name, Liverpool stand as England’s best representative in Europe’s premier competition.
The Reds have also won 18 Premier League titles in their history, but that’s far from the only thing that makes this club so unique.
Ask anyone who has visited Anfield and they will tell you exactly why the club is special. It is a cauldron of noise as the Liverpool fans cheer fervently even under the most adverse of situations. It is one of the best, if not the best, supported club in the world and Liverpool supporters are known for their knowledge and passion towards the game.
Any player would love to play for a fanbase like that. To hear people cheering for them despite going through a tough time is really something every player craves for. No matter how much a player makes while playing football, at the end of the day, it is the fans’ love that truly matters.
A great set of fans and an opulent background guarantee another thing: legendary players. Over the years, Liverpool have been responsible for producing some of the best players and managers in the history of the sport. From the likes of Bill Shankly to Billy Liddell; from Kenny Dalglish to Bob Paisley; from John Barnes to Ian Rush; plenty of footballing personalities have graced the hallowed turf of Anfield.
We won’t go too far back to explain this point. Instead, we will just shower laurels on Steven Gerrard. The former Liverpool captain was not only the club’s best ever player, but also one of football’s greatest players of all time.
At his brilliant best, Gerrard was the complete midfielder. From making an inch-perfect tackle to executing a pinpoint long ball in the very next moment to scoring a long range screamer when his team most needed it, he was everything any young midfielder would aspire to be.
Agile, strong, defensively sound, creative, aerially decent, quick, unmatched technical prowess… these are just some terms to label the former England captain, but none so much as ‘big match player’. He is the only player in the world to have scored in the finals of the Champions League, UEFA Cup, League Cup, and FA Cup!
In fact, it won’t be a stretch to claim that Gerrard was England’s best midfielder ever.
There are also a lot more players that made their names at Liverpool. From Xabi Alonso to Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez to Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool have a tendency to turn talented youngsters into world class players.
The greatness of a club is measured by their ability to respond under pressure – and what is a better example than the miracle of Istanbul? The Reds were down by three goals at half-time against Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan side – which was arguably the best team in the world at the moment.
All seemed lost when the players went into the tunnel with their heads down at half-time. However, when they reappeared on the field to play the second half, it felt like something had happened.
Buoyed by the ferocious support from the crowd, the players looked rejuvenated and more importantly, they gave off the vibe that they believed. They say that faith can move mountains and that night at Istanbul, we witnessed something in the same mould.
Three goals in the space of six minutes meant that Liverpool had come from behind to equalise against the Rossoneri. It was an unbelievable turnaround, a testament to the nerves of steel that the Liverpool players possessed. In the end, when the match was still undecided after an excruciating extra-time, Liverpool won the game on penalties and lifted the Champions League for the fifth time.
It only seems right that a great club like Liverpool kit up with a company of similar guile – New Balance. Like the Reds, New Balance also have a rich heritage when it comes to providing quality apparel and never break down under pressure.
The two joined hands in 2012 when New Balance’s subsidiary Warrior started designing kits for the 5-time European champions. The parent company, New Balance, took over from 2015, continuing on the 6-year deal that was signed between the two parties initially.
Liverpool are releasing their new kit today (19th May) to commemorate their 125-year anniversary and you can buy it on Jabong.
