John Aldridge played non-league football on Merseyside for South Liverpool before signing in May 1979 for Welsh side Newport County
John Aldridge played non-league football on Merseyside for South Liverpool before signing in May 1979 for Welsh side Newport County for whom he played 198 times, scoring 78 goals. He then joined Oxford United for £78,000 and broke the club's record number of goals in a season in 1984-85 as the U's got promoted to the pre-1992 First Division. He also won the League Cup in 1986 with Oxford, scoring 90 goals in 141 games.
In January 1987 Liverpool signed him as replacement for Ian Rush for £750,000. Linking up with Peter Beardsley and John Barnes, he helped form one of the most exciting attacks in the club's history as Liverpool lost just twice in taking the 1988 League championship, going unbeaten for the first 29 matches. Ian Rush returned a season later and, in 1989, Liverpool accepted an offer of £1,000,000 from Basque side Real Sociedad for John. By then he’d played 104 times for his boyhood favourites scoring 63 goals.
Aldridge was a hit at the Anoeta, San Sebastián and scored 33 league goals in just 63 appearances. He then returned to Merseyside in 1991 with Tranmere Rovers for £250,000 and scored a club record 40 goals in his first season at Prenton Park. In 889 career appearances, John scored a record 476 goals, a tally not matched by any goalscorer in post-war English football to this day. He made 69 appearances for Republic of Ireland scoring 19 goals.
