Philip Bernard Thompson was born on 21 January 1954 and is an English retired footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s.
22 Facts About Phil Thompson
2.
Phil Thompson was a pundit on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports for 22 years until August 2020, does on and off work as a pundit for TV 2, and is a regular Visiting Fellow at the University of Liverpool where he teaches on the Football Industries MBA.
3.
Phil Thompson's dreams came true when he signed as a professional for the club on 22 January 1971, the day after his 17th birthday.
4.
Phil Thompson made his first team debut the following year against rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
5.
Phil Thompson remained a major part of the team which, again, won the League and UEFA Cup double in 1976.
6.
Liverpool's most productive season followed in 1977, but Phil Thompson was to unluckily miss out.
7.
Phil Thompson recovered from his injury and returned to the defence the following season, scoring a goal in Liverpool's victory over Kevin Keegan's Hamburg in the 1977 UEFA Super Cup final.
8.
Phil Thompson was accompanied by a new central defensive partner in Alan Hansen as Liverpool regained the title in 1979.
9.
When Hughes left the club for Wolves late in 1979, Phil Thompson was appointed as captain and managed to lift the League trophy in 1980.
10.
Phil Thompson continued to play frequently for England and was in the squad which qualified for a major tournament's finals for the first time in a decade, though England's performances at the 1980 European Championships in Italy were disappointing.
11.
Phil Thompson stepped up to receive the League Cup after a replay win against West Ham United, the club's first of four consecutive successes in the competition.
12.
Bob Paisley upset Phil Thompson the following season when he decided to hand the captaincy to Graeme Souness, though Phil Thompson continued to play regularly in defence, winning further title medals in 1982 and 1983.
13.
Phil Thompson was in the team which retained the League Cup in 1982, but missed the victory in the 1983 final due to injury.
14.
Liverpool won the title, League Cup and European Cup in this year, but Phil Thompson did not qualify for a medal in any of these successes.
15.
Phil Thompson was sold to Sheffield United but could not settle, so he quit playing at the comparatively early age of 31 and was recruited by new Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish as a coach.
16.
Phil Thompson was with the club in this role for four years, progressing to being Dalglish's right-hand man as the team won the League in 1988 and 1990 and the FA Cup in 1989.
17.
Phil Thompson was working at the club at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, on 15 April 1989 at the beginning of the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
18.
Phil Thompson was sacked by Souness in 1992 for allegedly talking to Manchester United's Alex Ferguson and his assistant about issues at the club involving Souness.
19.
In late 1993, Phil Thompson was widely linked with the manager vacancy at Nagoya Grampus Eight where he would get the opportunity to work with former England player Gary Lineker who was then playing for that club.
20.
Phil Thompson earned a living through speaking and punditry until Gerard Houllier became Liverpool manager in 1998 and, needing a bona fide Liverpool man by his side following the departure of Roy Evans, asked Thompson to return to his old role, which Thompson accepted.
21.
When Houllier was relieved of his duties in 2004, Phil Thompson left the club.
22.
Phil Thompson then gave the job to Gary McAllister who played under Houllier and Thompson at Liverpool.