Kenny Dalglish Biography
– Introduction Dalglish is one of Scotland's greatest
products when it comes to soccer and his name rings a bell to any
Scotsman, young and old. A prolific striker for his
national team and the only two clubs he played for, Celtic Glasgow and
Liverpool, Kenny is one of the most beloved players on both Celtic Park
and Anfield. Here's Dalglish's story:
Kenny Dalglish Biography
– Celtic Glasgow Young Kenny grew up in Dublin, near Ibrox,
home of the Glasgow Rangers, Celtic's arch rivals. He always wanted to
play for the Rangers, but since he never could get in the youth teams
of the club, he decided to try other options.
He trailed at West Ham and
Liverpool at an early age, but failed and almost gave up
hope of playing soccer professionally. He was already 18 years of age
when Celtic Glasgow, his childhood arch-rivals, made Dalglish an offer
that he was quick to take.
One funny incident occurred
when Jock Stein, Celtic's manager, sent his assistant to Dalglish's
home, to talk to his parents about taking their son in the team. Kenny
didn't find out Stein's assistant was coming until a few minutes before
he was at the door and had to put some serious effort in tearing
down all the Rangers posters he had in his house!
Despite his affection for
Celtic's rivals, Dalglish gave his best for the only club that offered
him a chance to play soccer. In 6 full seasons played on Celtic Park,
he managed no less than 167 goals in 204 matches and won several
trophies with the club, including Scottish league titles in 1971-72,
1972-73, 1973-74 and 1976-77 and Scottish Cups in 1971-72, 1973-74,
1974-75 and 1976-77.
However, the 1976-77 season
would be his last for Celtic, since Liverpool came in with an offer
Dalglish simply couldn't resist.
Kenny Dalglish Biography
– Liverpool Dalglish was brought on to Liverpool to
replace Kevin Keegan, the crowd idol who had recently left the club to
play in Germany. Obviously, these were no easy boots to fill,
especially since the fans looked at Dalglish with a raised
eyebrow, not imagining the fact that a Scotsman could ever
replace their decade long idol.
This attitude was proved
unfounded, as Dalglish quickly began digging in the hearts of the
Liverpool fans, scoring his first goal in his debut match, earning
Liverpool a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough. 3 days later, he scored on
Anfield as well, making the fans think twice.
Eventually, Kenny became one
of Liverpool's symbols and his 13 seasons at the club stand testimony
that he was a loyal player. The fans began to love him and shortly, he
achieved legendary status.
Actually, in a recent poll
amongst Liverpool fans called "the Player Who Shook the Kop" Kenny
Dalglish came in first, followed by today's
Liverpool star Steven Gerrard.
