In December 1997, Anfield’s first statue was unveiled outside The Kop. There was only one contender to be cast in bronze before anyone else: Bill Shankly.

Appointed as Liverpool FC manager in December 1959 when the Reds were a Second Division club struggling to regain top-flight status, Shankly turned the fortunes of LFC around. “My idea was to turn Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility,” he once said. “I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable.”

Shankly signed Scotland’s Ian St John and Ron Yeats. A forward and centre-back, they became the cornerstones of an Anfield revolution that saw Liverpool FC win promotion in 1962, the First Division in 1964 and 1966, and a maiden FA Cup in 1965. A master of psychology, Shanks also introduced our iconic red strip, replacing the white shorts and socks we’d previously worn with red in 1964 because he felt it made his players look more imposing.

Born in the Scottish mining village of Glenbuck, Shankly also built a second great Liverpool FC side in the 1970s. Ray Clemence, Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes and Kevin Keegan were amongst the stars that won the league and UEFA Cup - LFC’s first European trophy and double success - in 1973 and the FA Cup in 1974. Shankly retired that summer, Bob Paisley being promoted as his successor, and he sadly passed away in 1981.

The Shankly Gates were erected in tribute in 1982, but when Liverpool FC sponsors Carlsberg commissioned sculptor Tom Murphy to cast Shankly in bronze 15 years later, the pressure was to get our club’s most iconic figure right. He did precisely that.

Standing 14 feet off the ground with arms aloft and a scarf around his neck, Shankly was placed onto a plinth made of Scottish granite in a nod to his mining background. Upon the base reads the phrase: ‘He Made The People Happy’.

“I wanted to make it look like a living thing,” said Tom, a local artist who also sculpted the Dixie Dean statue outside Everton FC’s Goodison Park. “The pose I chose is one people will immediately recognise: arms straight out and triumphant, saluting victory before his adoring fans.”

Bill’s widow Nessie was the guest of honour at the unveiling, where she was joined by Bob Paisley’s widow Jessie. Shankly’s captain Ron Yeats cut the ribbon and several of his other players - Ian Callaghan, Roger Hunt, Chris Lawler, Peter Thompson, Tommy Lawrence, Gerry Byrne and Willie Stevenson - also attended the ceremony.

In the quarter-of-a-century that has followed, The Shankly Statue has become one of Anfield’s most famous and most photographed landmarks with supporters of every age, and from every nationality - including basketball legend and LFC stakeholder LeBron James - keen to have their photo taken next to the man who laid the foundations that made Liverpool Football Club the most successful in English football.

Bill Shankly is still making the people happy now.

Want to discover more Around Anfield? Why not take the free, self-guided tour. Anfield Origins Tour!

There is no need to book for the Anfield Origins Tour, which is available throughout the year. It can be taken at any time, and starts outside the Anfield museum reception, where those taking part scan a QR code to download an app onto their phones. To find out more about other experiences available at Anfield, including the award-winning LFC stadium tour, visit www.liverpoolfc.com/stadium-tours.