The original "This is Anfield" sign installed during Bill Shankly's legendary reign at Liverpool has fetched a staggering six-figure sum after going under the hammer at auction
The current 'This is Anfield' sign
The current 'This is Anfield' sign(Image: Getty Images)
The iconic original "This is Anfield" sign has sold at auction for a staggering £149,500 ($202,530), it has been revealed.
Since it was first hung by Bill Shankly back in 1972, three different signs have adorned the walls at Anfield. The idea was first brought to the legendary Liverpool boss by a groundsman working for the club at the time, although Shankly is said to have disapproved of the original "Welcome to Anfield" suggestion, citing it was too friendly, and instead changed it to "This is Anfield."
The news comes ahead of Liverpool's Champions League game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, with Alexis Mac Allister setting Bradley Barcola, his new Reds teammate, a target.
In his own words, Shankly once said of the iconic sign: "It’s there to remind our lads who they’re playing for and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against!"
The sign sits above the tunnel at Anfield and greets both Liverpool and opposition players as they make their way out onto the pitch. The original was taken down sometime in the late 1970s and was given to a former member of Liverpool's boys' team, with whom it has remained for decades.
The second version was put up by Bob Paisley in the 1980s and remained until 1998 before it was put in storage and replaced by a modern take on the design. That was until Brendan Rodgers restored the Paisley-era sign in 2012, which has remained at Anfield ever since.
The Paisley-era 'This is Anfield' sign was restored by Brendan Rodgers back in 2012, where it has remained ever since
The Paisley-era 'This is Anfield' sign was restored by Brendan Rodgers back in 2012, where it has remained ever since(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
As for the original, it has now been bought by a private buyer in the United Kingdom for over eight times the estimated guide price after it went under the hammer at Europe’s leading sports memorabilia auction house, Budds.
David Convery of BUDDS Auctions said: "We pride ourselves in bringing to auction historical and emotive football items.
"The sign with its exceptional photo-matched provenance and detailed family history had Liverpool fans worldwide bidding for what is a talismanic sign."
The current sign, which has been in situ since 2012, has witnessed a plethora of success at Anfield, not just from the Paisley era but in more recent history under Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
The iconic "This is Anfield" sign was previously touched by Liverpool and opposition players alike, but that changed following Klopp's appointment in 2015. At least for Liverpool players, that is.
It was the German who said his players were not allowed to touch the sign until they had won a trophy.
Klopp's Liverpool won the Champions League for the first time since 2005, beating Tottenham in the 2019 final in Madrid, before winning the club's first league title since 1990 a year later.
Klopp's side also secured various domestic cups along the way, including two League Cups and an FA Cup. Recent head coach Slot then secured the Reds' second Premier League title in five years in his first season with the club in 2024/25.