Ian Rush facts for kids

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Ian Rush
MBE
Personal information
Rush in 2010
Full name	Ian James Rush
Date of birth	(1961-10-20) 20 October 1961 (age 63)
Place of birth	St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	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)
International career
1980–1996	Wales	73	(28)
Managerial career
2004–2005	Chester City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer. He played as a forward. Many people think he is one of the best strikers ever. He is also considered one of the best Welsh players in football history.

Rush played for Liverpool from 1980 to 1987 and again from 1988 to 1996. He is Liverpool's all-time top goalscorer. He scored 346 goals for the club in all competitions. He also holds records for being the top scorer in the EFL Cup and the finals of the FA Cup. For his country, Rush played 73 games for the Wales national football team. He was their record goalscorer with 28 goals from 1980 to 1996. Gareth Bale broke this record in 2018.

Ian Rush is seen as one of Liverpool's greatest players. Fans voted him 3rd in a poll called "100 Players Who Shook The Kop". He also played for Chester, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham, and Sydney Olympic. After stopping playing in 2000, Rush managed Chester City for a short time (2004–05). He has also worked as a football expert on TV.

Playing Career Highlights
International Career for Wales
Life After Playing: Management and Media
Personal Life
Honours and Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out at Chester

Ian Rush was born in St Asaph, Wales. He became well-known while playing for Chester. In January 1980, he scored in a 2–0 FA Cup win against Newcastle United. Chester reached the last 16 of the FA Cup that year. They lost closely to Ipswich Town. His last game for Chester was a 2–1 win against Southend United in April 1980.

Even though he was an Everton fan as a boy, Liverpool signed the 19-year-old in April 1980. They paid £300,000, which was a record fee for a teenager at the time. This remained Chester's biggest sale until 2010.

Joining Liverpool: First Spell (1980–1987)

Rush made his first international appearance for Wales in May 1980. This was just before he officially joined Liverpool. His first game for Liverpool was on 13 December 1980. It was a league match against Ipswich Town. He wore the number 7 shirt, filling in for Kenny Dalglish.

In his first season, Rush mostly played for the reserve team. His first goal for Liverpool came on 30 September 1981. It was in a European Cup game against Oulun Palloseura. Liverpool won that game 7–0.

Rush scored his first two league goals on 10 October 1981 against Leeds United. A month later, he scored in the Merseyside derby against Everton. He scored a hat-trick against Notts County in January 1982. He ended the season as Liverpool's top scorer with 30 goals in 49 games. He helped Liverpool win the league title and the 1982 Football League Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur.

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, Rush scored four goals against Everton in a 5–0 win. This was a record for goals by one player in a Merseyside derby after World War II.

Rush won many awards in 1984, including PFA Player of the Year. Liverpool won the league, League Cup, and European Cup that season. He scored 47 goals in 65 games, making him the top scorer in all competitions. Liverpool beat Everton 1–0 in the League Cup final replay. They also won their fourth European Cup by beating AS Roma on penalties.

The 1984–85 season was Liverpool's first without a trophy in ten years. They reached the European Cup final against Juventus. After a sad event before the match, English clubs were banned from European competitions. This meant Rush and Liverpool could not play in the 1985–86 UEFA Cup.

In the 1985–86 season, Rush scored twice in the 1986 FA Cup Final against Everton. Liverpool won 3–1, completing the club's first ever League and FA Cup double. Rush was named Man of the Match.

Moving to Juventus (1987–1988)

On 2 July 1986, Rush signed for Italian club Juventus for a British record fee of £3.2 million. He stayed at Liverpool for one more season on loan before joining Juventus. In the 1986–87 season, he was the second-highest goalscorer in the English league with 30 goals. However, Liverpool finished second in the league and lost the League Cup final to Arsenal.

His time at Juventus was not as successful. He scored only eight goals in 29 games. This was partly because Italian teams played with very strong defenses. It was said he found it hard to settle in Turin. He later said that a famous quote about him being homesick was a joke made up by Kenny Dalglish.

Returning to Liverpool (1988–1996)

Rush returned to Liverpool on 18 August 1988 for £2.7 million. This was a record signing for an English club at the time. When he came back, Liverpool had new strikers like John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley.

Rush playing for Wales in 1988

Rush scored twice against Everton again in the 1989 FA Cup Final. He came on as a substitute and helped Liverpool win 3–2 in extra time. This FA Cup Final was very important because of the Hillsborough disaster that happened earlier that year. Many Liverpool fans died at a semi-final match. Rush and his teammates attended many funerals.

Rush played in the 1989 League title decider against Arsenal. Arsenal won the title with a last-minute goal. Rush got injured during the first half of that game.

In the 1989–90 season, Rush won another league title, his fifth and last. Liverpool finished nine points ahead of Aston Villa. Rush scored 18 goals in 36 games. However, Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.

English clubs were allowed back into European competitions for the 1990–91 season. But Liverpool had to wait an extra year. In 1990–91, Rush continued to score goals. Liverpool led the league for a long time but were overtaken by Arsenal. Manager Kenny Dalglish resigned in February 1991. Graeme Souness took over. Liverpool finished second.

In 1992, Rush won his third FA Cup medal. He scored Liverpool's second goal in a 2–0 win against Sunderland. This gave Liverpool another chance to play in Europe. He also scored against Manchester United in a 2–0 win. This stopped Manchester United from winning the championship.

The 1992–93 season was tough for Liverpool. They struggled in the new Premier League. Rush scored only three league goals by March. But he finished strong, scoring 11 goals in the last two months. He ended as the club's top scorer with 14 league goals. He was also the top scorer in 1993–94 with 19 goals. Manager Souness left in January 1994, and Roy Evans took over.

Rush won his fifth League Cup medal in 1995. Liverpool beat Bolton Wanderers 2–1. Rush scored a hat-trick against Blackburn Rovers earlier in the competition. Liverpool finished fourth in the Premier League that season.

In 1995, Liverpool bought striker Stan Collymore for a record fee. This made Rush's place in the team less certain. He started the season playing with Collymore. But soon, Robbie Fowler became Collymore's regular partner.

In February 1996, it was announced that Rush would leave Liverpool for free in June. Many clubs wanted to sign him. His long time at Liverpool ended with him playing as a substitute in the 1996 FA Cup Final. Liverpool lost 1–0 to Manchester United.

Later Career (1996–2000)

Rush joined Leeds United on 20 May 1996. He spent one season there, scoring three goals in 36 Premier League games. He then moved to Newcastle United on a one-year contract. He scored an important goal in the FA Cup against Everton. This was his 44th FA Cup goal, a record for the 20th century.

He then went on loan to Sheffield United. In 1998, he signed for Wrexham. The 37-year-old Rush did not score in 17 games for Wrexham. He later played briefly for Sydney Olympic in Australia, scoring one goal in two games. He finally retired at age 38 in 2000.

International Career for Wales

Rush played his first game for Wales on 21 May 1980 against Scotland. He played for Wales for over 15 years. He scored 28 goals in 73 games.

He scored the only goal in a surprise win against Italy in 1988. In 1991, he scored the winning goal in a memorable Euro 1992 qualifier against Germany. On 9 October 1992, he scored a hat-trick against the Faroe Islands. This was the first Welsh hat-trick in over 13 years. Rush was Wales' record goalscorer until Gareth Bale broke his record in 2018.

Life After Playing: Management and Media

After working as a coach for Liverpool in 2003, Rush became manager of his first professional club, Chester City, in August 2004. Chester was struggling, but Rush led them to a two-month unbeaten run. He also took the club to the FA Cup third round.

However, things became difficult. Rush resigned in April 2005 after his assistant was fired without his knowledge. Chester was almost safe from relegation when he left.

Rush in 2008

Since November 2005, Rush has worked in media. He has been an analyst for ESPN and a pundit for Sky Sports. He also works for LFC TV.

In 2006, Rush was added to the English Football Hall of Fame for his achievements. In 2007, he became Elite Performance Director for the Welsh Football Trust. This role helps develop new players for Wales.

Rush released his autobiography, Rush: The Autobiography, in August 2008. In April 2010, he returned to work with Liverpool FC. He became the club's Soccer Schools Ambassador. He also helps the club with its business partnerships. Rush still represents Liverpool as an ambassador.

In 2010, a special rhino statue was made in Chester to honor Ian Rush. It was painted wearing a Chester City football kit.

Personal Life

Ian Rush was the ninth of ten children. His parents were Francis and Doris Rush. They lived in Flint, North Wales. Ian Rush is partly of Irish descent.

He married Tracy in 1987. They had two sons, Jonathan and Daniel. Their marriage ended in 2015. Ian Rush is the great-uncle of footballer Owen Beck, who plays for Liverpool.

Rush was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 1996 for his services to football.

Honours and Achievements

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 Awards

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