Ian Rush

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Rush's reputation was enhanced by scoring for Chester (later Chester City) in a 2–0 FA Cup third round win away to Second Division team Newcastle United in January 1980, with Chester equalling their best run by reaching the last 16 where they narrowly lost to Ipswich Town. His last game for Chester was a 2–1 win over Southend United at Sealand Road on 26 April 1980. Despite interest from Manchester United, and in spite of Rush being a boyhood Everton fan, Liverpool won the race to sign the 19-year-old in April 1980, though he had to remain at Chester until the end of the season as the transfer deadline (27 March 1980) had passed. Recommended by chief scout Geoff Twentyman, Liverpool paid a record fee for a teenager of £300,000. It remained Chester's record sale until they went bankrupt in March 2010. Rush was managed throughout his time at Chester by Alan Oakes, although much of the credit for his development is given to youth manager Cliff Sear. Nearly 20 years later, Rush and Sear worked together on the coaching staff at Wrexham.

In Their Own Story

The atmosphere at Wembley was electric on May 10, 1986, as Liverpool faced Everton in the first all-Merseyside FA Cup final. The score remained level until the second half when Rush latched onto a pass from Jan Mølby to round goalkeeper Bobby Mimms and slot the ball into an empty net, leveling the match at 1–1. Just six minutes later, after Craig Johnston scored to make it 2–1, the game hung in the balance until the 84th minute. Ronnie Whelan led an attack, and although Dalglish made a run across his path, Whelan used it as a dummy, clipping a pass over three Everton defenders directly into Rush's path. From the angle of the six-yard area, Rush fired past Mimms to seal a 3–1 victory, completing Liverpool's first League and FA Cup double in club history. This moment encapsulated Rush's ability to deliver when it mattered most, having also scored crucial goals in the League Cup final replay against Tottenham Hotspur earlier that season.

Reader's Guide

Rush made his international debut in May 1980, just before he officially became a Liverpool player. His Liverpool début came on 13 December 1980 in a First Division fixture at Portman Road against Ipswich Town. He was standing in for his future strike-partner, Kenny Dalglish (out with an ankle injury), and wore his No 7 shirt. At this stage, Liverpool were defending the league title and also contending for the European Cup, while Ipswich were emerging as surprise title contenders. Liverpool finished fifth (with Aston Villa winning the title), but they did win the European Cup (for the third time) and the League Cup (for the first time). For the League Cup triumph Rush only made one appearance during the cup run but it was a crucial one; starting the replay in the final where they beat West Ham United. For the European Cup campaign Rush also made one appearance; in the semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, but he was left out of the squad for the final. During his first season at Liverpool the young Rush mostly played reserve team football, rather than the first team. His first goal for the club came on 30 September 1981 during a European Cup first round second leg tie at Anfield against Oulun Palloseura. Liverpool had already won the first leg at the Raatti Stadium 1–0. They won the second leg 7–0, with Rush scoring in the 67th minute after coming on three minutes earlier for David Johnson. His first two league goals came on 10 October 1981 in a 3–0 home win over Leeds United, and a month later he scored in the Merseyside derby at Anfield in a 3–1 win. After Christmas, Rush and Liverpool moved from tenth up to the top of the league. He scored a hat-trick in the 4–0 away league win over Notts County on 26 January 1982, and scored in both of the next two games. He managed eight goals in the League Cup (one of them in the final win over Tottenham Hotspur) and three in the FA Cup campaign which ended in a fifth round defeat by Chelsea. He ended the season as the club's top scorer, scoring 30 times in 49 appearances in all competitions, a ratio of 1 goal every 1.6 games. 17 of these goals came in the League as he helped Liverpool reclaim the League championship from Aston Villa. He also scored a goal to help Liverpool win the 1982 Football League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur. Rush was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1983 after helping Liverpool

Did You Know?

• Rush is Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer with 346 goals in all competitions.
• He holds the record for the highest goalscorer in the history of the EFL Cup and in FA Cup finals.
• Rush was the PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, and received the European Golden Boot in 1984.
• He scored four goals against Everton in a 5–0 victory at Goodison Park on 6 November 1982, a post-war record for a single player in a Merseyside derby.