Former Liverpool man Jari Litmanen has explained how his unusual No. 37 shirt at Anfield was chosen in tribute to two legends of the club.

Litmanen wasn’t at the peak of his powers while at Liverpool, but he still won the hearts of supporters with his incredible technical excellence.

The Fin became a legend at Ajax, winning Eredivisie titles, three Dutch Cups and the Champions League in his first stint at the club, before moving to Barcelona and subsequently Liverpool.

Despite rising to the rank of third-best player in the world, according to 1995’s Ballon d’Or voting, Litmanen never forgot his Liverpool childhood heroes.

So, upon signing for the Reds in January 2001 and being denied the No. 7 shirt worn by Vladimir Smicer, the attacker asked for No. 77 in honour of Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish.

“They told me that was too high and would be the biggest number in the league,” Litmanen explained to FourFourTwo.

“When he moved to Hamburg, I couldn’t watch him as often, but I started to admire his replacement, Kenny Dalglish. He was clinical in front of goal, technically gifted and moved so intelligently.

“I grew up watching Liverpool more than any other team, so when I joined the club in 2001, it was special.

“When they asked what number I wanted, they assumed I’d say No. 10, but I said, ‘What about No. 7?’

“It was already taken by Vladimir Smicer.

“‘What about 17?’

“Steven Gerrard had it.

“‘How about 27?’

“Gregory Vignal.”

With each of his four requests unavailable, Liverpool and Litmanen eventually agreed on No. 37 which was “perfect,” as he described.

“Three times seven – Keegan, Dalglish and me!”

Injury caused Jari Litmanen to miss three cup finals

Having signed on a free transfer midway through the 2000/01 treble-winning campaign, Litmanen played 11 times in the second half of the season.

“I started well, especially as Michael Owen was struggling with hamstring problems and Robbie Fowler was also injured quite often,” Litmanen recalled.

His form wasn’t too last, though, as an unusual injury struck the 30-year-old.

The ex-attacker continued: “In the first months, I was playing well, but then I got injured in a game between England and Finland at Anfield. I broke my wrist.

“That meant I had to miss the last two months of the season and couldn’t play in the three cup finals we reached.

“I also had to compete for a place with Owen, Fowler and Emile Heskey. All three were regular starters for England and two of them came through the Liverpool academy.

“They were all playing well – especially Michael who went on to win the Ballon d’Or. Robbie was considered a god by Liverpool fans and Emile was the most expensive signing in the club’s history at that time.

“I was ready and suited the system we used, but didn’t play as much as I expected to. It was a bit frustrating because I was never injured, but it was difficult to earn a place.”

While Litmanen couldn’t excel on Merseyside in the same way he did for Ajax, he still remembers his time at Anfield fondly and enjoyed a warm reception when returning to play for the Liverpool Legends team.