Ian Callaghan facts for kids
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Callaghan in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 April 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Toxteth, Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 1.70 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1959–1978 | Liverpool | 640 | (49) |
| 1978 | → Ft Lauderdale Strikers (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 1978–1981 | Swansea City | 76 | (1) |
| 1979 | → Canberra City (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 1981 | Cork United | 2 | (0) |
| 1981 | Crewe Alexandra | 15 | (0) |
| Total | 762 | (50) | |
| National team | |||
| 1966–1977 | England | 4 | (0) |
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Ian Robert Callaghan, born on April 10, 1942, is a famous English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, which is a key position in the middle of the field. Ian is especially known for playing for Liverpool for a very long time. He holds the amazing record for playing the most games for the club. In 1975, he was given a special award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his contributions.
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Playing for Liverpool
Ian Callaghan played an incredible 857 games for Liverpool between 1960 and 1978. He joined the first team soon after Bill Shankly became the manager. Ian made his first appearance on April 16, 1960, at Anfield, where Liverpool won 4–0 against Bristol Rovers.
He quickly became a regular player. He helped Liverpool get promoted to the top division in 1962. After that, he helped them win the league title five times: in 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, and 1977. He also helped them win the FA Cup in 1965 and 1974.
Ian was part of the teams that won the UEFA Cup in 1973 and 1976. He also won the biggest club competition in Europe, the European Cup, in 1977. He was even voted the best player in England by football writers in 1974.
A fun fact about Ian Callaghan is that he was only booked (given a yellow card) once in his entire career! This happened in the 1978 League Cup final replay.
In 1977, Ian played in the 1977 European Cup final, where Liverpool beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1. The 1978 season was his last year at Liverpool. He played less often as younger stars like Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish joined the team. Ian was on the bench when Liverpool won the European Cup again in 1978.
His Later Football Journey
After leaving Liverpool in 1978, Ian Callaghan joined Swansea City. The team was managed by his former Liverpool teammate, John Toshack. Ian helped Swansea get promoted to a higher division in 1979.
Towards the end of his career, he also played for short periods in other countries. He played in the United States, Australia, and Ireland. His final season was with Crewe Alexandra in 1981–82. He played 15 games there before retiring as a player when he was 40 years old.
Playing for England
Ian Callaghan played four times for the England national team. He was part of the squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Even though England won the World Cup that year, he did not play in the final game. This meant he did not get a winner's medal at the time.
He did play in a group-stage match against France on July 20, 1966. In that game, Ian helped Roger Hunt score a goal, and England won 2-0. Years later, a campaign was started to give medals to all squad members. So, in 2009, Ian Callaghan finally received his World Cup medal from Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
His next game for England after 1966 was in 1977, against Switzerland. This gap of over 11 years between his England games is the longest for any England player!
Amazing Achievements
Ian Callaghan won many trophies during his career, especially with Liverpool.
- Football League First Division: 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77
- Football League Second Division: 1961–62
- FA Cup: 1964–65, 1973–74 (also runner-up in 1970–71, 1976–77)
- FA Charity Shield: 1964 (shared), 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977
- European Cup: 1976–77, 1977–78
- UEFA Cup: 1972–73, 1975–76
- European Super Cup: 1977
With England
- FIFA World Cup: 1966
See also
In Spanish: Ian Callaghan para niños
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
Images for kids
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Ian Callaghan playing for Liverpool in 1966.
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