GORDON HODGSON

Egyptian King Mohamed Salah has been unstoppable as of late and scored his 241st goal to go level with South African-born striker Gordon Hodgson as third in the all-time Reds top-scorer goal charts in February. Mo subsequently went ahead of the South African great when netting in the 3-1 win against Southampton FC, but Hodgson scored his goals in 10 games less than Liverpool FC’s No. 11. However, he had a nine-year tenure between 1926 and 1935, while it only took the Egyptian King eight years and Mo will point out he’s a winger, not a striker! With his incredible goalscoring record, Hodgson is a cemented member of the Liverpool FC Hall of Fame, but maybe one of the most overlooked and underrated frontmen due to the period he played in. He scored an average of more than 20 goals per season across his nine seasons with the Reds before moving on to Aston Villa FC in early 1936. Top goalscorer in seven out of his nine seasons at Anfield, he scored a fruitful 241 goals in only 377 appearances, and while he was born in Johannesburg, he played internationally for England as he qualified due to his English parents. In the 1930/31 season, Hodgson scored 36 league goals - the most in a season since 1902/03 - and a tally that wasn’t beaten for another thirty years until Sir Roger Hunt came along. Hodgson is also known as the Reds’ ultimate hat-trick hero, scoring a club-record 17 hat-tricks in his time at Liverpool FC. Hodgson had first visited England as part of a South African touring side in which he dazzled in a 5-2 win against Liverpool FC, catching the eye of the Reds staff in October 1924. He then signed for the club in December 1925 from Transvaal and made his debut in February 1926. Hodgson was also skilled on the cricket pitch and played 56 cricket matches as a fast bowler for Lancashire County Cricket Club, having netted 159 of his LFC goals at Anfield to become a huge favourite on the…

SPION KOP

The iconic Spion Kop turned 125 years old this year, but it hasn’t always been known as the Kop! Its iconic name came from a hill in South Africa, named Spioenkop, where the British were defeated in the Boer war in 1900, known as the Battle of Spion Kop. Spioen means spy, and Kop means hill, and SpioenKop in Afrikaans - the language of South Africa - means ‘Lookout Hill’. Hundreds of British soldiers died in the war, including many from Merseyside, and after reconstruction work at Anfield by architect Archibald Leitch in 1906, the stand previously known as The Walton Breck Road End now had a steep incline. Due to its resemblance to Spioenkop, the Liverpool Echo's sports editor, Ernest Edwards, suggested naming the stand in memory of the fallen comrades in the battle and so the most famous stand in football had a new name. Over the last 125 years those who stood on the terraces until 1994, or have sat and stood in the all-seater Kop, have witnessed some of the greatest nights in football and seen players of all nationalities play in front of them for the Reds, including South African born goalkeeper…

BRUCE GROBBELAAR

Bruce Grobbelaar is best-known for his iconic wobbly legs in the 1984 European Cup final penalty shoot-out success against AS Roma. Born in Durban, he grew up in Zimbabwe (known as Rhodesia at the time) and served in the Rhodesian Army before moving to Canada. He joined Liverpool FC in March 1981 for £250,000 from Vancouver Whitecaps FC, but had played on loan at Crewe Alexandra FC in 1979/80, where he was scouted by the Reds. He was originally signed by Bob Paisley as a backup to the legendary Ray Clemence, but when Clemence left for Tottenham Hotspur FC in the summer of ‘81 he was promoted to become Liverpool FC’s no.1. Agile but eccentric, Grobbelaar went on to play 317 consecutive games spanning five years from his debut in 1981 to 1986. He appeared in a trophy-loaded 628 games for the Redmen and won the League six times, three FA Cups, three League Cups, the 1983/84 European Cup and five FA Charity Shields. Known for his unconventional goalkeeping, he bit the net like it was spaghetti and wobbled his legs to distract AS Roma players in the 1984 European Cup final shoot-out win against Roma in Rome, which later inspired Jerzy Dudek in the famous 2005 UEFA Champions League final shoot-out success against AC Milan in Istanbul after Jamie Carragher had a word in his ear! Grobbelaar was also part of the LFC squad who, in 1994, met…

NELSON MANDELA

It was May ‘94 when Roy Evans’ Reds travelled to South Africa to play in the United Bank Soccer Festival against Aston Villa FC, Cape Town Spurs FC and Kaizer Chiefs FC. Liverpool FC came from behind to beat Aston Villa FC 2-1 in their matchup at Ellis Park, with goals from Robbie Fowler and Michael Thomas, and late on Bruce Grobbelaar was brought on for David James, bringing joy to the Johannesburg fans to see a South African-born player. The Reds returned to Ellis Park to play FC Cape Town Spurs and had a visitor to the dressing-room. “There was a knock on the door and there he was,” recalled Evans. “It was a fantastic moment and one I think everyone will remember for a long time. Mr Mandela has to be the number one man in the world right now, and it was a privilege to be introduced to him.” The iconic picture of the LFC squad with Mandela was taken just 16 days after he was sworn in as South Africa’s first black head of state and John Barnes presented the President with a Liverpool FC shirt, which he put on. Mandela admitted to Barnes he was a Liverpool FC fan who loved and admired the club and that LFC shirt now lives in the Nelson Mandela National Museum in Soweto, which is 28 miles west of Boksburg, birthplace of ex-Reds goalie…

ARTHUR RILEY

Like Gordon Hodgson, Arthur Riley was a member of the South African travelling team who visited England to play Liverpool FC in a friendly in 1924. He also caught the attention of the Anfield coaching staff and was signed by Liverpool FC in August 1925, aged 21. He went on to play a highly respectable 338 games as a Red, keeping 69 clean sheets, having been signed as cover for Elisha Scott, whom he replaced between the posts for an extended period of games in October 1927 and cemented his role as first-choice goalkeeper. Scott reclaimed his spot at the start of the 1931/32 season, but Riley returned in 1933 for another spell between the posts. Riley’s career was not trophy-laden, being part of a lacklustre Liverpool FC side in terms of success, but he was a dedicated and trustworthy player, competing for the Reds for almost 15 years, and his dad was instrumental in the signing of his fellow South African….

BERRY NIEUWENHUYS

Winger Berry Nieuwenhuys was born in Kroonstad and worked in the mines in the Transvaal, a South African province. He also played football and during a game in 1933 a man ran onto the pitch and asked if he wanted to play for Liverpool FC? Incredibly, that’s how he signed for LFC! Arthur Riley’s father still lived in South Africa, had been impressed after watching Nieuwenhuys and contacted the Liverpool FC management, who told him to sign him. So he did, alongside another South African, left winger Lance Carr. Thanks to his long name being a mouthful, Nieuwenhuys was nicknamed ‘Nivvy’, which is how he’s fondly remembered. A versatile and flexible right winger, known for his menacing shot and incredible pace, he could fill almost any position on the pitch and played everywhere except LW and GK. Nivvy made his debut against Tottenham Hotspur FC and contributed two assists, to defeat Spurs at White Hart Lane, before scoring on his Anfield debut - a 3-0 Merseyside derby win against Everton FC, making him an instant favourite on the Spion Kop. Nieuwenhuys went on to play 257 games for Liverpool FC, scoring 79 goals, and won a league title in 1946/47, his final season at Anfield after football resumed following World War II. Almost 40 years later the Reds had another league-winning South African-born winger by the name of…

CRAIG JOHNSTON

Although an Aussie through and through, hence the nickname ‘Skippy’ after the TV kangaroo, Craig Johnston was born in Johannesburg in 1960 to Australian parents before they headed home to raise him down under. He had a trophy-stacked career at Anfield and was loved by Kopites for never stopping running, giving his all in every game. His love and excitement for playing was borne out of being told to stop playing football after suffering a leg bone disease that left him potentially facing amputation, but that didn't stop the dedicated winger, who at 15 wrote to English clubs asking for a trial and got one at Middlesborough FC. Boro boss Jack Chartlon told him he’d never make it after his first trial game, but he proved him wrong by making 73 appearances for the Teesiders before signing for LFC in 1981 and winning nine trophies with the Reds in 271 games, racking up a total of 79 goal involvements along the way. Johnston played in the 1984 European Cup final and scored in the 1986 FA Cup final as King Kenny Dalglish’s Reds beat Everton FC 3-1 at Wembley to clinch the club’s first league and FA Cup double. He also co-wrote the cult-classic ‘Anfield Rap’ FA Cup final song in 1988 and invented the Predator football boot, but quit playing football aged 28 in ‘88 to return home to care for his sister, who was seriously injured in an accident. Craig returned to Liverpool after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster to comfort the bereaved families and raised over £40,000 back in Australia for the families. Johnston is one of 16 South African born players, including Sean Dundee in the 1990s and Mark Gonzalez in the 2000s, to play for LFC, but none scored anywhere near as many goals as…

GORDON HODGSON

While Mo Salah has scored 182 Premier League goals for LFC, all of Gordon Hodgson's 233 League strikes came from 358 games in the First Division. That incredible ratio would be highly lauded had he played in the modern game, but Liverpool FC have had so many superstar goalscorers since Gordon arrived at Anfield 99 years ago - in an era where few games were caught on film - that his achievements aren’t perhaps given the recognition they deserve.While no South African-born player has played for Liverpool FC since Mark Gonzalez, a Durban-born Chilean international winger, in 2007, many of the club's underrated gems were discovered there and the interconnecting history between the club and the country still shines bright. So next time you are on the Spion Kop,or hear how the mighty Salah has edged further ahead of Gordon Hodgson, take a second to remember Liverpool FC’s South African connections and the role they have played in our club.