Liverpool were formed in a dispute between Everton FC and the owner of their ground, Anfield, in 1892. The row caused most Evertonians to leave Anfield and form their own ground at nearby Goodison Park, while landlord John Houlding was left to build his own football team, originally called Liverpool Association FC, and founded in March 1892.

They have gone on to be England's most successful club with 18 championship wins. The platform for this success was undoubtedly Bill Shankly who became manager of then second division Liverpool in 1959. Having gained promotion in 1962, Shankly led the team to three championship wins, two FA Cup wins and their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup before handing the reins over to Bob Paisley in 1974.

Paisley was even more successful as Liverpool dominated the late 1970s and early 1980s. His best achievement though was in European competition as Liverpool took the UEFA Cup again in 1976 before becoming only the second English team to win the European Cup, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 in 1977.

This began a remarkable period of English domination in this competition with Liverpool themselves victorious on a further three occasions. Kenny Dalglish took the club to the double in 1986 and remained until suddenly resigning in 1991. The following years were Liverpool's worst of this period but they still managed to win both domestic cup competitions in that time.

Roy Evans continued the "Bootroom" tradition when he took over from Graeme Souness in 1994, and he helped build a talented young side, but they continued to underachieve, earning themselves the tag of "Spice Boys" for their flash suits and dire performance in the 1995 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United. In 1998, Evans was joined by French coach Gerard Houllier in a short-lived joint-managership, but he then quit, leaving Houllier in sole charge.

Houllier went on to inspire the Reds to a cup treble, winning the FA, League and UEFA Cup in the 2000/01 season. Another League Cup success followed in 2003, but failure to build on those trophies with a serious title challenge cost him his job. Spanish coach Rafael Benitez replaced him and in his first season guided the Reds back to glory with a dramatic Champions League final victory over AC Milan.