Before the Premier League era and Liverpool were blessed with players like Steven Gerrard, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, the Reds were still one of the best football teams in English football and dominated the country during the 20th century. They had some very impressive stars throughout the 1970s and 1980s that helped them establish themselves as the best team in England for a while.
Two players that they had during that period were Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish. The two are considered two of Liverpool's greatest ever players, but they just missed each other at Anfield. Keegan spent six years at the Reds, joining in 1971 and leaving in 1977. When he left, Dalglish was brought in to replace him and he also thrived on Merseyside.
They never played together at Liverpool, but the two have been compared numerous times over the years and now, Tommy Smith, who happened to play with both during his stint with the club, has revealed who he thinks was the superior player.
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Tommy Smith Named Dalglish the Superior Player
He played with both men
After coming through the youth ranks at Liverpool, Tommy Smith became a first-team player for the club in 1962 and spent 16 years with the club. The legendary defender played 637 times for the Reds, winning four league titles along the way. During that time, he had the chance to play with both Keegan and Dalglish too.
He spent the former's entire Liverpool career with him, while he only played one year with the latter, before Smith left Liverpool in 1978 and joined the Los Angeles Aztecs in the United States. Still, that one year with Dalglish had a major impact on Smith and he revealed that he thought he was superior to Keegan.
As quoted by LFC History, the late, great defender said:
"Dalglish was the better player. His talent was heaven-sent."
Keegan played 322 times for Liverpool, scoring 100 goals and assisting a further 88, and when he left the club in 1977, it was considered a major loss. It was hard to imagine anyone coming in and replicating what he did for the side, but Dalglish came in and he actually exceeded the Englishman.
While Keegan spent six years at the Reds, Dalglish played for the club for 13 years. He made 511 appearances for the side, with 170 goals and 186 assists under his belt. Nicknamed 'King Kenny', he's still considered the greatest player in Liverpool history.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 08/07/2025