There should be two lists. One for Dalglish, the other for the rest. He is that rare entity, a man with no peers among Liverpool players. So where does he rank on a wider scale? In football history? Well, there's Maradona, who is another in a category of one. After Maradona comes a group - Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer. In global terms, Dalglish is in the rank below. Briefly - between the decline of Cruyff and the emergence of Maradona - the Scot was the best player in the world. It wasn't just his own individual ability, but he had that knack of improving the performance of all his team-mates. There was no selfish streak in the man, unlike some lesser, self-centred, so-called greats.

As a man, too, he has drawn affection and admiration. His behaviour after Hillsborough, when he visited every bereaved family and attended every funeral he could get to despite the personal emotional toll, will never be forgotten. He and Shankly are the towering figures in Liverpool’s history.

You know all about him. Every time I tried to put him lower in the list, I relented. For all the twists and turns in his career, the team are always better with him in it. He has never had the complete love of the Kop but, in the second half of his career, even that may grow.

The boy from Bootle has matured into a man in the true traditions of the club, someone who can hold his own in the company of the greats. Limited as a player but with an emotional fire that transcends ability, he has become the modern embodiment of the Liverpool Way. No higher praise.

What distinguished Rush from most other strikers is that he was constantly on the prowl. He always had an air of danger about him and never let defenders settle. He was quick, of foot and mind, and was supplied by Dalglish, who has an even sharper football brain. His most cherished performance was his four goals at Goodison Park in the 5-0 victory over Everton in 1982. The game was spoiled, however, by the sending off of Glenn Keeley, the centre half on loan from Blackburn Rovers to Everton, in the first 20 minutes. Yes, had Keeley stayed on the pitch, Rush would have got at least six.

You could have entire list about why we love Robbie. His magic touch in front of goal, his white-line sniffing goal celebration in answer to Evertonian taunts claiming he had a drug habit, the T-shirt supporting the sacked dockers, the five-fingered salute to Manchester United supporters to remind them exactly who's the boss in Europe - they're just the highlights. But add to this a demeanour that says 'Asbo'd up South Ender' while he's racking up a fortune in property deals and you'll understand a particularly Scouse genius. Truly a working-class hero

All great strikers have to be selfish but you can take it too far. The only way to make full use of Owen was to get the rest of the side to subvert their games for him. Because he liked to sit on the shoulder of the last defender and feed off the long ball over the top, the midfield had to lie too deep. And when the midfield contains Steven Gerrard, that's just a waste. He could never work with a partner up front and the only effective on-pitch relationship he made was with Emile Heskey, who did his donkey-work and even ended up as an auxiliary midfield player. So there's the negatives. But the boy could score. Because of that, Liverpool won games they should have lost, like the 2001 FA Cup Final against Arsenal. So although it breaks my heart to put the selfish little chit so high, here he is.

If Kaka's worth £100 million, how much would the man who shut him down be worth at his peak? The Brazilian had the run of the Ataturk in the first half of the 2005 Champions League final, with Hamann sitting on the bench. By half-time it was 3-0 and all over. Then came Didi and the miracle of Istanbul. Yes, there were plenty of heroes that night but it all started with Hamann.

It must have been easy to underestimate Lee. Short, chunky with a boyish face, it was hard to see how he could find a place in one of Europe's best sides. As it happened, he turned into one of the most vital cogs in the red machine. Always available to receive the ball, always scurrying and closing down the opposition, Lee did the donkey work in midfield and allowed the more obtrusively talented players to strut their stuff. If any testimony is needed to Sammy's greatness, ask Paul Breitner. The German didn't think much of Liverpool after Bayern Munich secured a 0-0 draw at Anfield in the first leg of the European Cup semi-final in 1981. He was expecting to rule the roost in midfield back in Bavaria but Lee, charged with a man-marking job, made Breitner's life a misery and Bayern were never in it

"I'd kick my own brother if necessary... it's what being a professional footballer is all about." And that determination was reflected in his play. One goal, scored by John Aldridge against Arsenal in 1988, sums up McMahon. The ball was cleared and ran towards the Main Stand touchline, seemingly destined to roll out of play for a Liverpool throw which would allow the Arsenal defence to regroup. But McMahon refused to let that happen, chasing down the ball, backheeling it right on the line to keep it in play and making a scrambling turn pitchside to get back on the ball. Then he drove past two defenders to play the ball into Aldridge's path for a magnificent goal. Why Everton, who McMahon supported and where he came through the youth system, ever let him go - to Aston Villa - defies logic. As for kicking your brother, you would if he was an Evertonian, wouldn't you?

Being left out of the 1950 FA Cup Final side could have destroyed a lesser man than Paisley. He considered leaving the club in the summer that followed but, luckily,decided to stay. The experience of the dark days of the 1950s in the second division must have made his success as a manager two decades later all the sweeter.

In here for one moment - the wobble legged half-Grobbelaar in Istanbul. And Jamie Carragher deserves a share of this ranking, because he told the Pole to do it.

A splendid captain who took Bob Paisley under his wing when the youngster came down from Bishop Auckland in 1939. It is to Busby's credit that the man who would go on to win six titles, three European Cups and three League Cups in nine years talked about the Scot as his mentor. Sadly for Busby, war ended his career and he disappeared without trace. Often wonder what happened to him.

One of the heroes of Istanbul. Solid, dependable. Rugged. Like a centre half should be. That's about it. That's enough.