Ian Rush facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ian Rush
MBE

Rush in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1961-10-20) 20 October 1961 (age 63)
Place of birth	St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales
Height	5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m)
Playing position	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1978–1980	Chester	34	(14)
1980–1986	Liverpool	182	(109)
1986–1988	Juventus	29	(7)
1986–1987	→ Liverpool (loan)	42	(30)
1988–1996	Liverpool	245	(90)
1996–1997	Leeds United	36	(3)
1997–1998	Newcastle United	10	(0)
1998	→ Sheffield United (loan)	4	(0)
1998–1999	Wrexham	17	(0)
1999–2000	Sydney Olympic	2	(1)
Total		601	(254)
National team
1980–1996	Wales	73	(28)
Teams managed
2004–2005	Chester City
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal scorer. Many people think he is one of the best strikers and Welsh players ever.

Rush played for Liverpool for many years, from 1980 to 1987 and again from 1988 to 1996. He is Liverpool's top goal scorer of all time, with 346 goals! He also scored the most goals in the history of the EFL Cup and the finals of the FA Cup. For his country, Rush played 73 games for the Wales national football team. He held the record for most goals for Wales (28 goals) from 1980 until Gareth Bale broke it in 2018.

Fans often say Rush is one of Liverpool's greatest players. He was voted 3rd in a poll of "100 Players Who Shook The Kop." He also played for other clubs like Chester, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham, and Sydney Olympic. After he stopped playing in 2000, Rush managed Chester City for a short time and became a football expert on TV.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out at Chester

Ian Rush was born in St Asaph, Wales. He started his football journey at Chester. In January 1980, he scored a goal in an FA Cup game against Newcastle United. This helped Chester reach the last 16 of the competition, which was a great achievement for them.

Even though he was a fan of Everton when he was young, Liverpool signed him in April 1980. They paid £300,000, which was a lot for a teenager back then. This was Chester's record sale for many years.

Becoming a Liverpool Star: First Spell (1980–1987)

Rush made his first appearance for Liverpool on 13 December 1980. He played instead of the famous Kenny Dalglish. In his first season, he mostly played for the reserve team.

His first goal for Liverpool came on 30 September 1981 in a European Cup game. He scored in a huge 7–0 win. Soon after, he scored his first league goals and even a hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Notts County. He became the club's top scorer that season, with 30 goals in 49 games. He helped Liverpool win the League championship and the 1982 Football League Cup Final.

In 1983, he was named PFA Young Player of the Year. He helped Liverpool win the League and League Cup again. On 6 November 1982, he scored four goals against Everton in a 5–0 win. This was a record for a single player in a Merseyside derby after World War II.

The 1984 season was amazing for Rush and Liverpool. He won many awards, including PFA Player of the Year. He scored 47 goals in 65 games, making him the top scorer in all of Europe that season! Liverpool won the League, the League Cup, and the European Cup that year. They beat AS Roma in the European Cup final on penalties.

The 1984–85 season was tough. Liverpool didn't win any trophies. They also played in the European Cup final against Juventus during the sad Heysel Stadium disaster. This event led to English clubs being banned from European competitions for many years.

In the 1985–86 season, Liverpool won both the League and the FA Cup. This was the first time the club achieved this "double." Rush scored two goals in the 1986 FA Cup Final against Everton, helping Liverpool win 3–1. He was also named Man of the Match.

Time in Italy: Juventus (1987–1988)

After his great success, Ian Rush moved to the Italian club Juventus in 1986 for a British record fee of £3.2 million. He stayed at Liverpool for one more season on loan before joining Juventus. In his last season before leaving, he scored 30 league goals.

His time in Italy was not as successful, as he only scored eight goals in 29 games. The style of play in Italy was very defensive, which made it harder for strikers to score. There were rumors he was homesick, but Rush has said this was not true and that he enjoyed his time there.

Return to Liverpool: Second Spell (1988–1996)

Rush in 1988

Rush returned to Liverpool on 18 August 1988 for £2.7 million. He faced strong competition from other strikers like John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley.

In the 1989 FA Cup Final, Rush came off the bench and scored two goals against Everton in a thrilling 3–2 win in extra time. This helped Liverpool win the Cup. This final was very important because of the tragic Hillsborough disaster that happened earlier that year. 97 Liverpool fans sadly lost their lives at a semi-final match. Rush and his teammates attended many of the funerals.

In the 1989–90 season, Rush won another League title with Liverpool, his fifth and last. He scored 18 goals in 36 games. However, Liverpool lost in the FA Cup semi-final to Crystal Palace.

Liverpool was finally allowed to play in European competitions again in the 1990–91 season. Rush continued to score regularly. In 1992, he won his third FA Cup medal, scoring in the 2–0 win against Sunderland. He also scored against Manchester United for the first time, which helped stop them from winning the league title.

In the 1994–95 season, Rush won his fifth League Cup medal. He also scored a hat-trick against Blackburn Rovers, who went on to win the Premier League that season.

In 1995, Liverpool bought a new striker, Stan Collymore, which meant Rush played less often. In February 1996, it was announced that Rush would leave Liverpool when his contract ended. His last game for Liverpool was in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester United, which Liverpool lost 1–0.

Later Career (1996–2000)

After leaving Liverpool, Rush joined Leeds United. He played one season there, scoring three goals in 36 games.

Then, he joined Newcastle United, where he reunited with his former teammate and manager, Kenny Dalglish. He scored an important goal in the FA Cup against Everton, which was his 44th goal in the competition – a 20th-century record.

He later had short loan spells at Sheffield United before signing for Wrexham in 1998. He didn't score any goals in 17 games for Wrexham. He finished his playing career in Australia with Sydney Olympic, scoring one goal in two games, before retiring at age 38 in 2000.

Playing for Wales

Ian Rush played for the Welsh national team for over 15 years. His first game was on 21 May 1980 against Scotland. He scored 28 goals in 73 games for Wales.

He scored the winning goal in a big game against Germany in 1991. In 1992, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against the Faroe Islands. He was Wales' record goal scorer until Gareth Bale broke his record in 2018.

Life After Playing

Management and Coaching

After he stopped playing, Rush worked as a coach for Liverpool. In 2004, he became the manager of his first club, Chester City. He helped the team improve and reach the FA Cup third round. However, he resigned in April 2005 after his assistant was fired without his knowledge.

Media and Other Activities

Since 2005, Rush has worked in the media, appearing as a football expert for TV channels like ESPN and Sky Sports. He also works for LFC TV, Liverpool's own TV channel.

In 2006, he was added to the English Football Hall of Fame because of his amazing achievements in football. In 2007, he became the Elite Performance Director for the Welsh Football Trust, helping young players develop.

In 2008, he released his autobiography called Rush: The Autobiography. In 2010, he returned to Liverpool FC as a Soccer Schools Ambassador, helping to promote the club around the world. He also became an ambassador for the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final held in Cardiff, Wales.

Personal Life

Ian Rush was one of ten children. His parents were Francis and Doris Rush. He married Tracy in 1987, and they had two sons, Jonathan and Daniel. They later divorced in 2015.

He is the great-uncle of Owen Beck, who also plays football for Liverpool. In 1996, Ian Rush was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award for his services to football.

Career statistics

Club

International

Manager

Honours

Source:

Liverpool

• Football League First Division: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90
• FA Cup: 1985–86, 1988–89, 1991–92
• Football League Cup: 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1994–95
• Football League Super Cup: 1985–86
• FA Charity Shield: 1982, 1986 (shared), 1989, 1990 (shared)
• European Cup: 1980–81, 1983–84

Individual

• PFA Young Player of the Year: 1983
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1984
• FWA Footballer of the Year: 1984
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year: 1984
• PFA First Division Team of the Year: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991
• PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007
• European Golden Boot: 1984
• First Division Golden Boot: 1984
• Liverpool Top Goalscorer: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94
• FAI International Football Awards – International Personality: 2010

Images for kids

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  Rush in 2008

See also

In Spanish: Ian Rush para niños