What is Liverpool Legends? Charity fixtures history as Sven Goran-Eriksson confirmed for Ajax match

The Liverpool FC Legends are back in action this March when Ajax visit Anfield.

This will be the latest LFC Foundation charity match at the famous old ground, with the club recently announcing that the last two matches - against Celtic and Manchester United - raised over £1.45m for the LFC Foundation and its charity partners. 

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been confirmed as part of the Liverpool legends’ managerial team, alongside John Barnes, John Aldridge and Ian Rush. Eriksson, the former England manager, recently announced a terminal cancer diagnosis and has held a lifelong dream to manage the Reds at Anfield. 

Players confirmed to take part are Jerzy Dudek, Sander Westerveld, Gregory Vignal, Martin Skrtel and Djibril Cisse. Ryan Babel, who has played for Liverpool and Ajax will feature for both sides. 

What is LFC Legends?

In total, the Legends matches have helped raise over £5m to date for the Reds’ charity and its partners to fund important work in Liverpool and overseas.

Last year the LFC Foundation announced it had supported over 83,000 people from some of the UK’s most deprived areas. It has also delivered over £8m into the local economy and is responsible for a further £25m of health benefits in the community. 

The charity matches have also contributed funds towards Forever Reds, the official former Liverpool players’ association - to provide support to players of the past who need assistance.

The LFC Foundation has concentrated on school and social programmes, inclusive sports programmes, health and wellbeing programmes and food poverty. Cash for Kids and IntoUniversity have also benefitted from funds raised by these games. 

A history of LFC Legends matches

Scores of Liverpool favourites have played in these matches down throughout the years. 

The likes of Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman and Jerzy Dudek played at the Santiago Bernabeu in June 2015 in a match in aid of the Real Madrid Foundation. That game finished 4-2 to Real Madrid with Harry Kewell and Owen on the scoresheet. 

There was then a trip to Sydney in January 2016 to take on the Australia Legendroos side, a game won 4-0 by Liverpool. That game featured Reds’ all stars such as Steven Gerrard - in a Red shirt for the first time since quitting as a player in 2015 - John Arne Risse, Stephane Henchoz, Luis Garcia, Bruce Grobbelaar and Gary McAllister. 

The reverse fixture against Madrid took place at Anfield in 2017 in the first official legends match at the ground. It was won, 4-3, by the Reds. 

Next up was an enthralling encounter against Bayern Munich in March 2018. The sides played out a thrilling 5-5 draw with former Bayern and Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso playing for both sides. 

The Legends side then went to Dortmund to play in Germany against their Borussia Dortmund counterparts. 

They were back in action at Anfield on March 23, 2019, against Milan Glorie in a reprise of the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals. This was the third official game for the side at Anfield and was won by Liverpool, 3-2. 

A Sean Cox tribute game took place in Dublin in April 2019 between the LFC Legends and a Republic of Ireland XI, which was won by the Reds, and raised €748,000 for the Sean Cox Rehabilitation Trust. 

There was another game against Dortmund in June of 2019, this time in Hong Kong. 

The legends were back in action in October 2019, playing Rangers at Ibrox, with ex-Gers manager and Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard playing for both sides. Liverpool won 3-2. 

The first post-COVID game took place in March 2022, against Barcelona. There would be focus on employability and training, health and wellbeing, mental health initiatives and the LFC Foundation’s COVID Recovery support. There was also support pledged for the Owen McVeigh Foundation, creating life-changing memories for children and families in Merseyside fighting cancer. 

There was also an international dimension, with the LFC Foundation partnering with Side By Side and Right To Play. Programmes were delivered in Liverpool as well as internationally “using the power of sport and play to teach life skills to underserved communities”. 

Sir Kenny Dalglish was back in the dugout for the Barca game, in which Gerrard also played, but was ultimately won by the Catalans, 2-1. 

Then came the double-header versus Manchester United, with the Reds emerging as Legends of the North. On May 21, Mark Gonzalez scored two in a 3-1 win at Old Trafford and was on the scoresheet again at Anfield that September in a 2-1 success. 

In March 2023, Celtic came to play with Jamie Webster delivering a stirring rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone that had both sets of fans singing along. Gerrard scored and, as a former Rangers manager, gave plenty to the Celtic support who had been giving him stick in the early stages. The Reds won 2-0.