Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE (born 4 March, 1951 in Dalmarnock, Glasgow) is Liverpool's greatest player ever. Anyone who saw him play will agree with that statement. As well as his successes with Liverpool he is also well noted for his successes with Celtic.
As a testament to his status of Liverpool's greatest he was placed first in Liverpool's list of "100 Players Who Shook The Kop". He is affectionately referred to by adoring Liverpool fans as "King Kenny".
To fully appreciate his Liverpool career it is well worth noting his incredible spell at his first club, Celtic. Dalglish began his career as a youth player at Celtic and broke into the first team in 1971,becoming a prolific striker for the club. He was made the club captain in 1975 and between 1971 and 1977 he won four Scottish First Division titles, four Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup. His performances led to call-ups for the national team and he was part of the undefeated 1974 FIFA World Cup Scotland team, and scored to bring victory over rivals England in both 1976 and 1977. His performances did not go unnoticed as Bob Paisley paid £440,000 to bring Dalglish to Liverpool in 1977, a British record at the time.
When he joined Liverpool he was replacing the popular Kevin Keegan who had moved to "further
his career" in the German Bundesliga with Hamburg. Many Kopites felt that replacing Keegan would be nearly impossible but in fact Keegan was almost totally forgotten after King Kenny's first two or three games for the Reds.
He not only successfully replaced Keegan but his years at Liverpool marked one of the club's most successful periods: he won six league titles, three European Cups and five domestic cups. He also played for Scotland in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. By the time his career had wound down in the late 1980s, Dalglish had set Scottish records for international appearances and goals, and become one of the most successful strikers in Liverpool's
history.
It was a surprise to many however when Dalglish became player-manager of Liverpool in 1985 following the Heysel Stadium disaster, taking over from Joe Fagan. The fans did not need to worry however as he brought the team a League and FA Cup double in his first year, beating Merseyside rivals Everton in the process. During his six-year
tenure, Liverpool always finished either first or second in the league. He guided them to three league wins and two FA Cups from 1985–1991.
He was in charge during the club's darkest hour when in April 1989 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives in an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsbrough Stadium in Sheffield. Eventually the strain of this together with the memories of Heysel four years earlier took its toll on Dalglish and he resigned in February 1991 after an epic 4-4 draw
with Merseyside neighbours, Everton in the FA Cup.
To all Liverpool fans delight Dalglish has rejoined the club in July 2009 in an ambassadorial role and as head of the Academy. Let us hope that this heralds another period of success for the club.
King Kenny himself. This page is dedicated to Kenny Dalglish the greatest Liverpool player ever. What a player, what a manager, what a man. Enjoy our King Kenny tribute.
Enjoy some of Kenny's best moments
A tribute to King Kenny
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