John Aldridge

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Lore & Background

Aldridge began his career at non-league South Liverpool before signing for Newport County in 1979. He later played for Oxford United, Liverpool, Real Sociedad, and Tranmere Rovers. He won the league and FA Cup once with Liverpool, and played for the Republic of Ireland at two World Cups.

In Their Own Story

The 1987–88 season at Liverpool was defined by Aldridge’s immediate impact and his partnership with Peter Beardsley and John Barnes. He scored in each of the first nine league games, forming a ten-match scoring run that started from his final appearance for Oxford. Liverpool went unbeaten for their first 29 league matches on the way to winning the title with a nine-point lead over Manchester United. However, the season ended in heartbreak at Wembley. In the FA Cup final against Wimbledon, Aldridge scored both goals in the semi-final replay but faced his own penalty miss in the final. Despite taking eleven penalties that season without failure, goalkeeper Dave Beasant saved his spot-kick after noticing a tell: he always placed the ball to the keeper's left. The resulting 1–0 loss meant Liverpool narrowly missed a League and FA Cup double.

Reader's Guide

Aldridge was a striker known for his prolific goalscoring. He played in every English league from the Fourth Division to the First Division. At Liverpool, he scored 63 goals in 104 appearances. He took a penalty in the 1988 FA Cup final which was saved by Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant.

Did You Know?

• Aldridge scored 329 Football League goals, the sixth-highest in English football history.
• He was the first non-Basque player to sign for Real Sociedad in several decades.
• Aldridge scored after four minutes in the 1989 FA Cup final against Everton.
• He played for the Republic of Ireland under Jack Charlton's 'Granny Rule' policy.