Players - Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman
Birthdate: 11 February 1972
Birthplace: Kirkdale, Liverpool, England
Other clubs: Real Madrid (1999-2003), Manchester City (2003-05)
Signed from: Local
Signed for LFC: Joined 1987 - Professional 19.02.1990
International debut: 16.11.1994 vs. Nigeria
International caps: 37/3 (24/0 at LFC) - 06.10.2001
Liverpool debut: 15.12.1990
Last appearance: 16.05.1999
Debut goal: 21.08.1991
Last goal: 01.05.1999
Contract expiry: 30.06.1999
Win ratio: 48.9% W:178 D:97 L:89
Games/goals ratio: 5.52
Games/assists ratio: 4.28
Honours: FA Cup 1992; League Cup 1995
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 2 / 0
League games / goals / assists: 272 / 46 / 63
Total games / goals / assists: 364 / 66 / 85

Player Profile

"We've another boy who's ten and if he sees a tin can on his way to school, he steps over it. Steven was the opposite." Steve McManaman's father could see that his son was born to play football. Steven grew up as an Everton supporter, but joined Liverpool at 14 years of age. Ten days after his first England u-21 international, the 18-year-old got his first taste of first-team action when he came on against Sheffield United at Anfield on 15 December 1990. He made a couple more substitute appearances before making the starting line-up in the opening game of the 1991/92 season.McManaman had a sensational campaign, playing 51 games and scoring ten goals willing to run with the ball at length on the right wing armed with an unbelievable stamina, vital as John Barnes was out for most of the season. 'He has the chance to be one of the great players,' Graeme Souness judged after McManaman's first start. In the following game he scored his first goal with a diving header in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City. Liverpool reached the FA Cup final and with Barnes unavailable Liverpool were relieved McMamanan had recovered from injuring his cartilage in the semi-final against Portsmouth a month earlier. McMamanan showed no rustiness as he delivered a masterful performance in the 2-0 win over Sunderland in the final. Injuries and the team's inconsistency curtailed McManaman's progress in the next couple of seasons as Souness' disastrous spell as manager came to an end.

The 1993/94 season only produced two goals for McManaman and he was criticized for his goalscoring ability. When Roy Evans took over in 1994, McManaman was given a free role and no longer being tied to the wings inspired him to greater heights. Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 6-1 in the first game of the season and McManaman scored twice, his first goals in 363 days. The League Cup was won for the fifth time, McManaman scoring both goals with another man of the match performance at Wembley. He continued his good form into 1995/96 when Liverpool showed championship form at times but disappointed in the end. The summer went well though for McManaman when he starred for England in Euro 96, reaching the semi-finals.

Liverpool sparkled again in 1996/97, but weren't the finished product. A number of teams tried to stifle McManaman by having one player chase him around for 90 minutes. Despite the close attention he did well enough to be on the five-man shortlist for the Player of the Year. In 1997/98 captain John Barnes left Liverpool and McManaman, now the most experienced player in the side, became vice-captain to Paul Ince. He scored 12 goals that season, including two superb solo goals against Celtic and Aston Villa. Barcelona offered £12 million for him and Liverpool allowed Barca to negotiate with McManaman, but the move didn't materialise. McManaman's ninth and last season at Liverpool was not a pleasant one. His contract had been allowed to run into its last year sparking fears of a Bosman exit. "Roy and I have talked many times about Steve's position and what we might do to try and keep him at the club," said Houllier shortly after his arrival in July 1998. "And we are in complete agreement that our next big signing has got to be Steve." In January 1999 McManaman announced he would be leaving for European champions Real Madrid in the summer. "This was a big, major important contract and if I were to sign for Liverpool, a 3, 4, 5 year deal, it would’ve taken me into my early thirties and I don’t think I’d have played abroad then," McManaman explained later. "And it was something that if I didn’t do now, at 35, 36 I’d look back and would’ve regretted it I think and I don’t want that to happen."

McManaman starred in the Champions League final in his first season, scoring a superb goal in a 3-0 win over Valencia. He won a second Champions League winners' medal with Madrid in 2002 when he came on as a second-half substitute for Luis Figo in the final in Glasgow but on the whole the amount of playing-time he was given was being reduced season by season. After around 150 matches and 16 goals for Real in four campaigns McManaman returned to England in August 2003 with Manchester City, then managed by Kevin Keegan, where he was reunited with former Liverpool teammates Robbie Fowler, Nicolas Anelka and, later, David James. McManaman stayed with City for two seasons, playing in 44 first-team matches, but failed to score a single goal even though he created a few. Keegan resigned in March 2005 and his successor, Stuart Pearce, released the midfielder on a free transfer towards the end of May. Since McManaman's retirement as a player he has been involved in quite a lot of media work, including being a UEFA ambassador as a former Real Madrid player in the build-up to the 2010 Champions League final at the Bernabeu in Madrid. He has also worked for the ESPN Star channel based in Singapore and was a television analyst at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Journalist Tony Barrett rightly considers Steve McManaman one of the best players to grace Liverpool's shirt in the 90's. "There was a buzz about McManaman from early on. He comes from Kirkdale and everyone on Scotland Road was talking about Steve McManaman and from the moment he came into the side you could see why. He had that ability to beat defenders with ease and with just a drop of the shoulder or a jink he would be away. He was so naturally talented but it was easy to forget how much work he got through in a Liverpool shirt. There was no-one who ran more and he was a natural athlete and he ran and ran and ran."
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 272 29 33 30 0 364
1990-1991 2 1 0 0 0 3
1991-1992 30 8 5 8 0 51
1992-1993 31 1 5 3 0 40
1993-1994 30 2 2 0 0 34
1994-1995 40 7 8 0 0 55
1995-1996 38 7 4 4 0 53
1996-1997 37 2 4 8 0 51
1997-1998 36 1 5 4 0 46
1998-1999 28 0 0 3 0 31
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
16 1381 Manchester United
16 1295 Tottenham
16 1282 Everton
15 1364 Wimbledon
15 1258 Chelsea
15 1164 Blackburn Rovers
14 1260 Arsenal
14 1260 Leeds United
14 1230 Southampton
14 1192 Coventry City
13 1157 Aston Villa
13 1114 Newcastle United
12 1080 Sheffield Wednesday
11 966 West Ham United
11 906 Nottingham Forest
11 890 Middlesbrough
9 810 QPR
9 782 Manchester City
9 706 Crystal Palace
8 720 Leicester City
8 628 Ipswich Town
8 594 Sheffield United
6 540 Norwich City
6 540 Bolton Wanderers
5 450 Sunderland
5 450 Charlton Athletic
5 435 Burnley
4 360 Derby
4 332 Oldham Athletic
3 270 Stoke City
2 180 Bristol City
2 180 Bristol Rovers
2 180 Luton Town
2 180 Birmingham City
2 180 Swindon Town
2 180 Barnsley
2 180 Spartak Vladi.
2 180 Brøndby
2 180 Valencia
2 180 Spartak Moscow
2 180 Kuusysi Lahti
2 180 Auxerre
2 180 Swarovski Tirol
2 180 Genoa
2 180 Celtic
2 180 Mypa 47
2 180 Sion
2 180 Brann
2 180 Paris St Germain
2 180 Strasbourg
2 171 Notts County
2 169 Port Vale
1 120 Portsmouth
1 90 WBA
1 90 Crewe
1 90 Peterborough United
1 90 Apollon Limassol
1 90 Rochdale
1 90 Shrewsbury Town
1 90 Chesterfield
1 90 Grimsby Town
1 78 Kosice
1 22 Fulham
Total Started/substitutions
348 Started
6 On the bench
16 Substitute
27 Substituted
Total Venue
181 Home
178 Away
5 Neutral
Total Competition
240 Premier League
33 League Cup
32 League
29 FA Cup
19 UEFA Cup
11 European Cup Winners Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
218 115 53 50 52.8% Roy Evans
113 49 35 29 43.4% Graeme Souness
17 7 4 6 41.2% Gérard Houllier
14 5 5 4 35.7% Evans / Houllier
2 2 0 0 100% Kenny Dalglish
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 46 5 10 5 0 66
1990-1991 0 0 0 0 0 0
1991-1992 5 3 3 0 0 11
1992-1993 4 0 2 1 0 7
1993-1994 2 0 0 0 0 2
1994-1995 7 0 2 0 0 9
1995-1996 6 2 1 1 0 10
1996-1997 7 0 2 1 0 10
1997-1998 11 0 0 1 0 12
1998-1999 4 0 0 1 0 5
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 15.12.1990 Sheffield United Anfield League
50 21.03.1992 Tottenham Anfield League
100 12.09.1993 Blackburn Rovers Anfield League
150 26.12.1994 Leicester City Filbert Street League
200 28.10.1995 Manchester City Anfield League
250 27.10.1996 Derby Anfield League
300 18.10.1997 Everton Goodison Park League
350 30.01.1999 Coventry City Highfield Road League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 75 21.08.1991 Manchester City Maine Road League
50 23 26.08.1997 Leeds United Elland Road League
Related Articles
Steve McManaman - The Running Man

LFChistory.net was lucky enough to sit down for a good chat about Macca's exceptional career.

Steve McManaman: the man no English export can touch

Published 24/08/2017 by Steven Scragg on thesefootballtimes.co.

Michael Robinson - leaving Liverpool for Spain - Part 2

LFChistory.net recently met former striker Michael Robinson in Madrid and had a good chat with him about his career.

Pool ace is upset over fresh claims from Spain

An article by Paul Walker on 19.01.1998.

Four LFC Macs

Liverpool's first ever team was known as The team of the Macs back in 1892-93. John Martin picks out four other Macs from later in Liverpool's history.

Press Association report

Press Association report on Liverpool - Wimbledon on 10.01.1998.

Macca can celebrate New Year's pay

An article from The Daily Mirror in January 1999.

McManaman leaves his mark

Match report from The Guardian on Liverpool - Wimbledon on 16.05.1999.

Sunday Telegraph match report

Match report from Sunday Telegraph on Coventry - Liverpool on 30.01.1999.

Press Association match report

Match report from Press Association on Valencia - Liverpool on 03.11.1998.

McManaman conjures up Cup win

Match report from The Press Association on Liverpool - Bolton on 02.04.1995.

Mac's the man

Match report from British Soccer Week on Liverpool - Sheffield Wednesday on 01.10.1994.

Press Association match report

Press Association match report on Leeds United - Liverpool on 26.08.1997.

County hopes are smashed

Match report from British Soccer Week on Liverpool - Notts County on 31.03.1992.

McManaman cuts up sad Blades

Match report from British Soccer Week on Liverpool - Sheffield United on 11.11.1992.

McManaman signs off 1995 in style

Match report from 30.12.1995 by Peter Went of "Press Association"

Reds crush Roker dream

Match report from on 09.05.1992.

Mac knifes Arse

Match report from 19.08.1996 by Martin Lipton of "Press Association".

1991-2001: The Resurgence Years

In 1990, 5 years after Heysel, English clubs were re-admitted to the European fold. Liverpool, however, had to wait another year before their own exile was ended. LFC fan Chris Wood leads us through Liverpool's European story.

Our man in Madrid

An article on the Scouser in Real Madrid's star-studded team published 04.03.2001 in The Observer.

McManaman agrees £14m deal with Real Madrid

Steve McManaman confirmed the worst fears of his Liverpool employers last night by admitting that he has signed a transfer agreement with Real Madrid which will earn him around £14 million over the next five years. January 1999.

Related Quotes

"We've another boy who's ten and if he sees a tin can on his way to school, he steps over it. Steven was the opposite."

Steve McManaman's father

"There was a buzz about McManaman from early on. He comes from Kirkdale and everyone on Scotland Road was talking about Steve McManaman and from the moment he came into the side you could see why. He had that ability to beat defenders with ease and with just a drop of the shoulder or a jink he would be away. He was so naturally talented but it was easy to forget how much work he got through in a Liverpool shirt. There was no-one who ran more and he was a natural athlete and he ran and ran and ran."

Tony Barrett on Steve McManaman

This was a big major important contract and if I were to sign for Liverpool, a 3, 4, 5 year deal, it would’ve taken me into my early thirties and I don’t think I’d have played abroad then. And it was something that if I didn’t do now, at 35, 36 I’d look back and would’ve regretted it I think and I don’t want that to happen.

Liverpool lost Steve McManaman to Los Galacticos on a Bosman free in 1999.

Scrapbook
Call for the kids - August 1991
Call for the kids - August 1991
England's Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 8 February 1997
England's Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 8 February 1997
Game of my life
Game of my life
Jim Aspinall in person - Anfield Review
Jim Aspinall in person - Anfield Review
LFC Magazine interview from 1995/96
LFC Magazine interview from 1995/96
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
Match poster 1992/93
Match poster 1992/93
McManaman about town! - The Official Liverpool Magazine 1994/95
McManaman about town! - The Official Liverpool Magazine 1994/95
Shoot! poster 1992/93
Shoot! poster 1992/93
Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 21 March 1998
Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 21 March 1998
Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 21 September 1996
Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 21 September 1996
Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 5 December 1998
Steve McManaman on the cover of Shoot! 5 December 1998
The Secret side of Liverpool's Steve McManaman - 1991/92
The Secret side of Liverpool's Steve McManaman - 1991/92
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Real Madrid 1999-2000 Spain 1 28 3 50 4
Real Madrid 2000-2001 Spain 1 28 2 40 2
Real Madrid 2001-2002 Spain 1 23 2 41 4
Real Madrid 2002-2003 Spain 1 15 1 27 4
Manchester City 2003-2004 England Premier League 22 0 30 0
Manchester City 2004-2005 England Premier League 13 0 14 0
Total 129 8 202 14