Kevin Keegan began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968 and signed for Liverpool in 1971 for an amazing £35,000, under the management of Bill Shankly, Keegan went on to become one of Liverpool's greatest ever players.
On August 14th 1971, Kevin Keegan made his Liverpool debut at Anfield against Nottingham Forest and after only twelve minutes he scored his first Liverpool goal. Keegan was originally signed for his midfield qualities, but his abilities as a forward were soon recognised and he went onto forge a great partnership with striker John Toshack.
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Keegan won his first honours with Liverpool in 1973, when they won the First Division title, as well as wining the UEFA Cup, scoring two goals in the first leg of the final against German side Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The following season Liverpool lost the league title to Leeds United, but Keegan had a successful season, playing in all 42 League games and another 19 in cup competitions. He was the Liverpools' top scorer in the League with 13 goals and, Keegan scored two goals as Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-0 to win the FA Cup final, and another four goals in the qualifying games leading up to the final.
Keegan had by now completely endeared himself to the Liverpool fans, with his commitment and work rate, Bill Shankly once describing him as a 'born winner' The adoration between the fans and Keegan was mutual, he was quoted as saying "The only thing I fear is missing an open goal in front of the Kop, when they start singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' my eyes start to water. There have been times when I've actually been crying while I've been playing''
The 1975-76 season was to be his finest as a Liverpool player, with his all round play and crucial goals, proving pivotal in another league and UEFA Cup double, and Keegan was awarded the Footballer of the Year title.
At the beginning of the 1976-77 season, Kevin Keegan confirmed his intention to leave the club and join German side Hamburg in twelve months time, his huge popularity was dented significantly amongst the Liverpool fans, with many questioning his loyalty to the club.
Keegan's work ethic and commitment however were never in doubt, as he help Liverpool as they looked certain to achieve to an unprecedented 'Treble' which was to be denied by Manchester United winning the FA Cup final, a few days later however, Keegan won back the everlasting affection of the supporters with an amazing performance against Borussia Moenchengladbach to win the European Cup.
Keegan fulfilled his promise and joined Hamburg at the end of the season, after a total of 323 appearances and exactly 100 goals for Liverpool. Keegan went on to be crowned European footballer of the year on two occasions while at Hamburg, but he will always remain one of Liverpool's heroes, and there'll always be a special place for him in the heart of the Liverpool fans.
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