FeatureThree things we learned from Jan Molby on the 'We are Liverpool' podcast
Jan Molby was an engaging guest on episode 10 of the 'We are Liverpool' podcast – here's what we learned from his appearance.
The passing master joined Robbie Fowler and Peter McDowall in the studio at the AXA Training Centre for a detailed run-through of his storied career.
Enjoy three takeaways from the show...
We are Liverpool episode 10 - Jan Molby
A failed move to Barcelona and the knock-on effect
In 1990, Johan Cruyff, then manager of Barcelona, came calling for one of his former AFC Ajax teammates.
The Spanish giants had got as far as agreeing a fee with Liverpool to acquire Molby, though the move ultimately broke down over the terms of the transaction.
Molby remembers: "They signed Ronald Koeman and Ronald Koeman ruptured his Achilles [on] a Sunday night. They contacted me on the Monday morning.
"He [Cruyff] said, 'Do you want to come to Barcelona?' I said, 'That's got absolutely nothing to do with me. You contact the club and see if Liverpool are prepared to sell me.'
"I don't know whether they were prepared to sell me or not but in the end they agreed on a £1.6 million fee.
"But in the end, when Liverpool pressed the buttons and said to Barcelona, 'You need to pay £1.6 million up front because we need to replace Jan' they offered them £400,000 over the four years and Liverpool said no.
"Even Johan rang me up and he said, 'I knew we had no money but I thought they would have bent over backwards for Johan Cruyff.'
"They didn't and they told Johan that he had to promote from within the B team. And in November 1990, Pep Guardiola made his debut for Barcelona."
Does he hold any regrets about not playing for another one of football's great institutions?
He answered: "I ended up at Liverpool for 12 years and it gave me a base.
"I'm absolutely 100 per cent convinced that had I gone to Barcelona, I wouldn't have stayed at Barcelona for four years.
"I'd have probably ended up having six years at Liverpool, two years at Barcelona, two years somewhere else and today I would be living back home in Denmark."
Liverpool only offered him a trial initially
He was an international for Denmark, he'd won a league title with Ajax, he'd played with Cruyff – yet he still had to prove his talent when Liverpool were interested.
"I don't think there's many of those players that would be on trial today," Jan says.
The fabled Reds coaching staff of the 1980s needed to act fast when Graeme Souness left for Sampdoria.
Therefore, Molby was offered a 10-day trial with Joe Fagan's side, as Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday also expressed an interest.
He recalls: "The message was pretty clear, 'If you want to have a chance of joining Liverpool, you have to go on trial.' They hadn't scouted me and why would they?
"They invited me over for 10 days. The reason I agreed to it was the chance to join Liverpool but also I thought that I would be able to settle pretty quickly and show what I'd be able to do."
Indeed, he quickly made a positive impression and was signed ahead of the 1984-85 campaign.
It was the start of his Liverpool journey that would see him run out 292 times for the club, becoming a double league and FA Cup winner along the way.
The unusual way to spot a talent
The way to spot a player long before they've even kicked a ball is... by the way they walk (apparently).
That's the entrenched position of Molby and Fowler, who both state their case to a somewhat astonished McDowall.
Fowler: Without being a little bit stupid here, you can see players and their temperament, how they control themselves on a pitch, how they run. It sounds a bit stupid...
Molby: No, no. But you do.
Fowler: How they run, how they control a ball, how they pass the ball.
Molby: Even sometimes how they walk. You go, 'He's got a chance here.'
McDowall: What? By just someone walking onto a training pitch?
Molby: Honest to God, I'm telling you now. It's just things that look right. But a lot of things are just the basics of the way that you behave...
Fowler: By the way you carry yourself. I'm glad you've said that because I've thought about that for years.
Molby: It's a very difficult thing to explain, isn't it? But sometimes you look and you go, 'He looks a player.'
They're two of the most talented players to ever pull on the red shirt, so who are we to scoff at that idea?
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.