Graeme Souness

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Lore & Background

As a player, Souness established himself at Middlesbrough, where he played for six years, before moving to Liverpool in 1978. During his six years at Liverpool he won five First Division titles and three European Cups. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year every season between 1981 and 1984. Described by The Guardian as 'the driving force of an all conquering side', Souness was captain for three seasons at Liverpool between 1981 and 1984. In 2026 he was ranked the club's sixth greatest ever player in an official Liverpool F.C. poll. His Liverpool teammate Mark Lawrenson, who in 2015 ranked Souness fourth in his top 10 Anfield greats, called him 'a great leader of men'. He moved to Sampdoria in 1984 and won the Coppa Italia the following season, and then became player-manager for Rangers, leading the club to three Scottish titles and four league cups. His final game as a player came in the closing minutes of Rangers' final match of the 1989–90 season, which was his only appearance of the season. Souness continued as Rangers coach for a further year before joining Liverpool as manager for the 1991–92 English First Division season. Winning the FA Cup in 1992, his time as manager of Liverpool did not come close to matching his success as a player at the club, and after two substandard seasons he resigned in 1994 before he went on to have spells at Galatasaray, Southampton, Torino, Benfica, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. At international level, Souness gained 54 caps for Scotland, captaining the team on 27 occasions.

In Their Own Story

The 1983–84 season showcased Souness's ferocity at its peak. In the semi-final second leg against Romanian champions Dinamo București, an ill-tempered first leg saw him break the jaw of captain Lică Movilă at Anfield, a foul that went unpunished by the referee. Liverpool advanced to the final, where they faced Roma in a penalty shootout after extra time ended goalless. Souness stepped up to score one of the crucial penalties that secured the club's fourth European Cup. Earlier that season, he had also led the team to their third consecutive league title and an all-Merseyside League Cup victory over Everton. His final act as a player at Anfield was not on the pitch, but in his departure; after 358 appearances, he left for Sampdoria in 1984, ending a period where he had won five First Division titles and three European Cups.

Reader's Guide

Souness' playing career is best remembered for his seven seasons at Liverpool, where he won five League Championships, three European Cups and four League Cups, and spent the last three seasons as captain. His time at Anfield began in January 1978 as a replacement for veteran Ian Callaghan. After winning his first European Cup in 1977, Liverpool manager Bob Paisley sought reinforcements by signing three Scottish players, all of whom were to contribute substantially to further success. Central defender Alan Hansen arrived from Partick Thistle for £110,000. Kenny Dalglish – an established Scottish international – signed from Celtic for a then British record fee of £440,000. Souness formed the final part of the Scottish triumvirate, leaving Middlesbrough in acrimonious circumstances for a club-record fee of £350,000 on 10 January 1978. Souness' Liverpool debut came in a 1–0 league victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 14 January 1978. His first goal – a volley from just inside the penalty box, eventually awarded fans' goal of the season – came in a 3–1 win over rivals Manchester United at Anfield on 25 February 1978. Souness played a pivotal role in Liverpool's retention of the European Cup against FC Bruges in 1978 at Wembley Stadium, providing the pass for Kenny Dalglish to score the match's only goal. Souness's first League title medals were won in seasons 1978–79 and 1979–80. A second European Cup medal for Souness arrived in 1981 with a 1–0 victory over Real Madrid – the culmination of a campaign in which Souness scored a hat-trick in the quarter-final against CSKA Sofia. This burst of success prompted Paisley to award Souness the club captaincy for season 1981–82, to the chagrin of the incumbent Phil Thompson who had made some errors that season and with whom Paisley had a vicious row during one match at Aston Villa. Thompson initially refused to speak to Souness, claiming he had 'stolen the captaincy' from behind his back. This was the start of several long-running feuds between the two robust characters, and over the coming years, they would confront each other in various circumstances. Under Souness' captaincy, two trophies followed as Liverpool regained the League championship and retained the League Cup, trophies that were successfully defended in season 1982–83. For the trophy award presentation after the 2–1 win over Manchester Unit

Did You Know?

• Souness made one first-team appearance for Tottenham Hotspur, in a UEFA Cup tie as a substitute.
• During the summer of 1972, Souness played in the North American Soccer League for the Montreal Olympique and was named in the league's All-Star team.
• Souness scored a hat-trick in Middlesbrough's 8–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the 1973–74 season finale.
• Souness broke the jaw of Dinamo București captain Lică Movilă during the 1984 European Cup semi-final first leg, which went unpunished by the referee.
• Souness became the third Scot to play in Serie A since its re-brand in 1929, after Denis Law and Joe Jordan.