Gary McAllister only spent two years at Liverpool Football Club, and amazingly he didn’t sign for the club until he was thirty-five years old. Many fans doubted the wisdom of signing a player of this age, but after making 87 appearances and scoring 9 goals for the club, he became a true Liverpool legend.

After a successful professional football career that included playing for Leicester City, and winning the League title with Leeds United in 1992, McAllister joined Coventry City before joining Liverpool in the summer of 2000, and although he joined on a free transfer, many were sceptical about manager Gerard Houllier’s decision to sign the player.

Gary McAllister soon proved his sceptics wrong, as he played an instrumental part in Liverpool winning three trophies during the 2000-2001 season. The key to his success over the years was his versatility, being able to play on either wing and as a central midfield player, he was a great asset to any team.

McAllister was also an expert from the penalty spot and free kick situations and during his first season at Liverpool, his most memorable goals were a penalty against Barcelona in the UEFA Cup semi final and an outstanding free kick against local rivals Everton.

Arguably Liverpool’s greatest season in recent years, saw Liverpool become only the second team to win the League Cup and FA Cup in the same season, beating Birmingham on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal playing time. McAllister came on a s a substitute against Arsenal during the FA Cup final which was said to be a turning point in the match as Liverpool came from behind to win the cup 2-1.

A few days later Liverpool completed an amazing treble by winning the UEFA Cup by beating Deportivo Alaves 5-4 in extra time, McAllister scored one of the Liverpool goals and was awarded man of the match after his great performance. While Liverpool only managed to finish third in the league, it meant they gained qualification for the Champions League for the first time.

Gary McAllister enjoyed another season at Liverpool, playing in 38 matches, and began the season scoring a penalty as Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-1 in the Charity Shield match, at the end of the season he left Liverpool to re-join Coventry City after a total of 87 Appearances for the club, in the short time he played for Liverpool he became a true legend.