Ian Callaghan facts for kids
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Callaghan in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ian Robert Callaghan | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Toxteth, Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1966–1977 | England | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE (born 10 April 1942) is a famous English former footballer. He played as a midfielder and is best known for playing for Liverpool. He holds the amazing record for playing the most games for Liverpool. He was also given an award called the MBE in 1975 for his achievements.
Contents
Ian Callaghan's Football Journey
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 game on 16 April 1960 at Anfield, where Liverpool won 4–0 against Bristol Rovers.
He became a regular player when Liverpool won promotion to the top league in 1962. He then helped them win the league title five times: in 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, and 1977. He also helped them win the FA Cup twice, in 1965 and 1974.
Callaghan 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 a substitute in the 1977 final and also won it again in 1978. In 1974, he was even voted the best footballer of the year by football writers.
An interesting 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 European Cup final when Liverpool beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1. In his last year at the club, 1978, he played less as younger players like Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish joined the team. He was on the bench when Liverpool won the European Cup again in 1978.
Playing for Other Teams
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 for the second time in a row in 1979.
Towards the end of his career, he also played for short periods in the United States, Australia, and Ireland. He finished his playing career in 1982 with Crewe Alexandra, playing 15 games before retiring at 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, which England won. However, he did not play in the final game, so he didn't receive a medal at the time.
He did play in a group-stage match against France in 1966, helping England win 2–0. Years later, in 2009, he finally received his World Cup winner's medal. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, gave him the medal at a special ceremony.
After the 1966 World Cup, Ian Callaghan's next game for England was in 1977, when he was 35 years old. This gap of 11 years and 49 days between his England games is the longest for any England player!
Career Highlights
Ian Callaghan played a total of 762 league games and scored 50 goals in his career. Overall, he played 979 official games and scored 69 goals.
Awards and Trophies
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 a 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
England
- FIFA World Cup: 1966
See also
In Spanish: Ian Callaghan para niños
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
