Goalscoring Legend - The career of Ian Rush

Ian Rush was born 20th October 1961 and grew up in the small town of Flint in North East Wales. He attended Richard Gwyn High School where he broke goal scoring and athletic records and so a footballing career began at Chester City who were then in the Football League Third Division. Making his debut in 1979 against Sheffield Wednesday, Rush went on to score 14 goals in 34 League games earmarking himself as a pacey striker with an eye for goal. It was that form that led then Liverpool manager Bob Paisley to sign 18 year old Rush for Liverpool, the sum standing at a massive £300,000 which is still Chester City's record sale.

Rush had to be patient at Liverpool as he fitted into the irstyle of blooding in youngsters slowly. It is believed that Rush became disenchanted and was considering a move elsewhere to gain first team football. However, his patient was rewarded with a run in the first team partnering Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish. Rush opened his Liverpool scoring account with a stirke in the European cup which came at Anfield against Oulun Palloseura from Finland. This particular match ended 7-0 to Liverpool and once Rush was off the mark the goals flowed as he finished the season as the clubs top goalscorer with 30 strikes from his 49 appearances. These goals played a masive part in Liverpool winning the old First Division Title.

The goals flowed for Rush and by the end of the 1986-87 season he had scored a massive 207 goals, including 47 in one season in 1983-84 making him that years highest goalscorer for any professional club. Aside from the Leagus titles, FA Cups and League cups were the PFA Young player of the year award (1983), PFA Player of the year (1984), BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year (1984) and the Football Writers Footballer of the year (1984). As you can see 1984 was a vintage year as Rush also picked up a League title, League cup winners medal and the crown jewel in his troph collection, the Eurpoean Cup. The following season however was signiificantly less happy for Rush and Liverpool, they were beaten to the title by rival neighbours Everton and suffered European Cup final defeat against Juventus, a match later to become infamous for the Heysel stadium disaster.

Continued seasons of trophies and goals included a League and Cup double in 1986 and this form led to a transfer for Rush to Italy, the club was Juventus which made roads to peace between the two clubs following the earlier tragedy at Heysel. Rush found life harder in Italy, the change in the style of football led to him netting only twelve times in his one season. It is belived that Rush also struggled to settle in Turin, missing his native North Wales. After the season in Turin Rush returned to liverpool for a then British transfer fee of £2.7million where he would compete for a starting berth with John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley, two players who had been bought to replace him.

The goals flowed for Rush at Liverpool but again he was to be invovled in a footballing tragedy. 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives watching an FA Cup Semi Final at Hillsborough, Sheffield due to crowd congestion on the kop end of the stadium. Rush was exemplary in his behaviour afterwards attending many fans funerals and memorial services on behalf of the football club.

As Rush neared the end of his Anfield career in 1995 Liverpool paid a record £8.4million for Stan Collymore and thus Rush would appear less frequently until March 1996 when it was announced he would be leaving at the end of the season on a free transfer.

Rush had spells with Leeds United and Newcastle United before shocking the footballing world by signing for Wrexham, claiming that he wanted to play for the benefit of North Wales football. After a solitary season in North Wales Rush retired at the grand old age of 39.

Internationally, Rush represented his native Wales and netted a Welsh record 28 goals in 73 games, the highlight being the only goal in a win against footballing powerhouses and reigning World Champions Germany in a Euro 92 qualifier. Wales did not qualify for a major tournament while Rush was a player and so he is often regarded as one of the greatest players to have never appeared at a World Cup.