Phil Neal Match Number 417

"Bob Paisley’s reputation for signing great players is legendary. His very first, a young right-back by the name of Phil Neal, would go on to play 650 times for the club and become Liverpool’s most decorated player.

"He would win 16 major honours for the club, including eight league titles and three European Cups.

"Neal arrived from Northampton Town in 1974 for the sum of £66,000. When weighed against his achievements, that has to be one of the greatest bargains in the history of the game.

"He contributed his fair share of goals too, scoring 69 times and proving himself deadly from 12 yards. He once scored 11 times in a single season, earning himself the nickname Zico, after the great Brazilian star.



"The secret to Phil’s success was his undeniable consistency and relentless desire. These qualities would see him play through a fractured cheekbone and a broken toe.

"However, for all his silverware, goals and appearances, there is one statistic that marks Phil Neal out as a very special Liverpool player, and that’s his record for consecutive starts for the club.

"Between October 23, 1976 and September 24, 1983, Neal played a record 417 games without interruption. That’s six seasons without missing a single game.

"However, even that doesn’t tell the whole story. His run was ended after an injury sustained in a game against MU. It would put him out for just three matches, after which he played a further 127 consecutive games."

Phil Neal is a real testimony to consistency and devotion - the qualities some players may be needing.

The run started on the 23rd of October 1976 when Liverpool drew 1-1 away against Leeds. Ray Kennedy scored the Liverpool goal. Neal’s run of games ended in September 1983 when he was substituted due to injury in the 78th minute of a 1-0 away defeat against rivals Manchester United.

417 Games were made up from.
First Division - 292
League Cup - 44
European - 44
FA Cup - 32
Charity Shield - 5

Some more facts about this game.

Match number 9 of the season
Domestic Match number 8 of the season
League Match number 7 of the season
League Match number 3167 of all time (excludes war time and Lancashire League)
Top Flight League Match number 2739 of all time (includes original Division 1 and Premiership)
Match number 3709 of all time (excludes war time matches and Friendly/Testimonials)
Match number 116 against Manchester United
Away Match number 62 against Manchester United
League Match number 101 against Manchester United
League Away Match number 51 against Manchester United

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