Ian Rush

Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward.

He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best Welsh players in the history of the sport.

They won the second leg 7–0, with Rush scoring in the 67th minute after coming on three minutes earlier for David Johnson.

At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996.

Additionally, he is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a total of 346 goals in all competitions at the club.

He also holds the records for being the highest goalscorer in the history of the EFL Cup and the finals of the FA Cup.

At international level, Rush made 73 appearances for the Wales national football team and remained the record goalscorer with 28 goals between 1980 and 1996, until the record was broken by Gareth Bale in 2018.

Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Rush's reputation was enhanced by scoring for Chester City in a shock 2–0 FA Cup third round win at Second Division side Newcastle United in January 1980, with Chester City equalling their best run by reaching the last 16 where they narrowly lost to Ipswich Town.

His last game for Chester City was a 2–1 win over Southend United at Sealand Road on 26 April 1980 in which he did not score.

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.

Rush made his international début, in May 1980, just before he officially became a Liverpool player.

His Liverpool début came on 13 December that year 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 but at the time one of the most highly rated strikers in the world), 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).

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.

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.

On 6 November 1982 Rush scored four goals against Everton in a 5–0 victory, a post-war record for goals by a single player in a Merseyside derby.

Liverpool's third successive League Cup triumph was added through a 2–1 win over Manchester United after extra time at Wembley.

He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1983 after helping Liverpool to a second successive First Division/League Cup double, though once again success eluded them in the European Cup.

He scored 24 League goals as Liverpool finished 11 points clear of runners-up Watford.

Rush was voted PFA Player of the Year and BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year in 1984 as Liverpool retained both the League and the League Cup and won the European Cup.

Rush also added the Football Writers Footballer of the Year to the PFA award he had already claimed – the same feat that his strike partner Kenny Dalglish had achieved a year earlier.

He scored 47 goals in 65 games (making him the highest goalscorer in all competitions for any professional club that season), a goal every 1.4 matches, as Liverpool finished three points clear of closest rivals Southampton in the League.

Rush was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year Honours for services to association football.

Since retiring as a player in 2000, Rush has had a stint as manager of Chester City (2004–05), and has worked as a television football pundit.

Regarded as one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Rush came 3rd among Liverpool players in an official Liverpool fan poll, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.

He also had short spells with Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Sydney Olympic.

It remained Chester City'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.