Steven Gerrard has picked his Liverpool Mount Rushmore.
And I absolutely love his choices.
There were only four places available.
He could have picked himself.
He could have picked Bob Paisley.
He could have picked John Barnes, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush or Mohamed Salah.
Instead, Gerrard went for:
Bill Shankly.
Kenny Dalglish.
Ian Rush.
Mohamed Salah.
And do you know what?
I think he got it spot on.
The fact Gerrard left himself out makes it even better
Let’s start with the obvious one.
Steven Gerrard is arguably Liverpool’s greatest-ever player.
Liverpool’s own 2026 countdown actually had Gerrard at No.1, ahead of Dalglish, Rush, Salah and Barnes.
So Gerrard could quite easily have put himself on that Mount Rushmore.
He didn’t.
That tells you something about the man.
Instead, he looked at Liverpool’s history as a whole and picked four people who represent completely different eras of the club.
And I think that’s what makes the list so good.
Bill Shankly had to be there
You can’t really have a Liverpool Mount Rushmore without Bill Shankly.
He wasn’t just a successful manager.
He helped create the Liverpool we know today.
Shankly transformed Liverpool from a club that had spent years outside the very top level of English football into one capable of dominating England and competing for European honours.
Gerrard described Shankly as being “the one who represents us all” when explaining his choice.
That’s probably the perfect way of putting it.
Shankly is part of the foundation.
Without him, the rest of the story might look very different.
And for Gerrard, who grew up in Liverpool surrounded by the club’s history, Shankly clearly represents something bigger than trophies.
He represents the beginning of the modern Liverpool identity.
Then there’s King Kenny
This one was never going to surprise me.
Kenny Dalglish is Liverpool royalty.
And Gerrard explained that Dalglish was actually his father’s hero, meaning he grew up watching him and learning about him.
Gerrard said:
“We watched every game, every clip, every goal.”
He also described Dalglish as “our king” and praised him as a top person and top coach.
That’s the thing about Dalglish.
You don’t just judge him as a player.
You judge him as a player, manager and figurehead who became deeply connected with Liverpool Football Club.
Six league titles as a player and three European Cups are just part of the story.
He also returned as manager and won three more league titles.
There’s a reason he’s called King Kenny.
Ian Rush is an easy choice
Then comes the goals.
Lots and lots of goals.
346 of them.
Ian Rush remains Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer, and that record tells you almost everything you need to know.
Gerrard’s reasoning was simple.
“He’s our top scorer. I think he deserves to be in there.”
You can’t really argue with that.
Rush wasn’t just prolific.
He was one of the defining players of Liverpool’s greatest era.
He won five league titles, five League Cups, three FA Cups and two European Cups with Liverpool.
And when you talk about Liverpool’s greatest-ever players, his name has to be somewhere near the very top.
And then Gerrard chose Salah
This is probably the most interesting selection.
Mohamed Salah is the only player from the modern era on Gerrard’s Mount Rushmore.
And considering Salah has only recently left Liverpool, that says an awful lot about how highly Gerrard rates him.
Salah spent nine years at Liverpool, scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, two League Cups and the FA Cup. Liverpool’s own greatest-players countdown placed him fourth, behind Gerrard, Dalglish and Rush.
That’s some company.
And Gerrard has previously been absolutely clear about Salah’s ability.
When Liverpool paid tribute to Salah before his departure, Gerrard said that even when he was at his own peak, he felt certain players operated on another level — and included Salah in that group alongside players such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Messi and Zidane.
So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that Salah made the Mount Rushmore.
But I still love the fact he did.
What about Klopp?
This is where things get really interesting.
Jürgen Klopp doesn’t make it.
And I don’t think Gerrard is making some massive statement by leaving him out.
There are only four places.
That’s the problem with a Mount Rushmore.
Someone brilliant is always going to miss out.
Klopp transformed Liverpool.
He won the Champions League.
He won the Premier League.
He brought the belief back.
He gave supporters some of the greatest nights they’ve ever experienced.
But if you’re trying to represent the entire history of Liverpool Football Club, I can understand why Gerrard went for Shankly, Dalglish, Rush and Salah.
And Bob Paisley missing out is probably even more painful.
Six league titles.
Three European Cups.
Yet somehow there are only four spaces.
That’s Liverpool’s history for you.
And Gerrard’s own omission says everything
For me, this is the bit I like most.
Gerrard didn’t need to put himself there.
He could have said:
“I’m picking myself.”
Nobody would have been able to tell him he was wrong.
Instead, he picked four other Liverpool legends.
And there is a nice symmetry to the list.
Shankly built the foundations.
Dalglish became the King.
Rush scored the goals.
Salah carried the modern era.
Four completely different figures.
Four different generations.
But all absolutely enormous parts of Liverpool’s story.
And maybe that’s why Gerrard’s list works so well.
I’m not saying it’s the only correct Mount Rushmore.
There isn’t one.
Ask ten Liverpool supporters and you’ll probably get ten different answers.
But if somebody asked me to pick four and told me I wasn’t allowed to complain about the players I left out?
I’d be very tempted to copy Gerrard.
Bill Shankly.
Kenny Dalglish.
Ian Rush.
Mohamed Salah.
And Steven Gerrard standing beside them, refusing to put himself on the mountain.
That’s a pretty bloody good Liverpool Mount Rushmore.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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