Liverpool break historic club tradition in Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid

In the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League debut against Atletico Madrid, Liverpool have broken a historic club tradition.

Liverpool are one of the most prestigious clubs in world soccer, renowned in England, Europe, and beyond for their success, iconic players, and trophy haul. But in their 2025–26 UEFA Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, the Reds broke a historic club tradition that had stood since the team’s foundation.

One of Liverpool’s trademarks has been its academy and its ability to develop homegrown English talent, producing legends such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, and Ian Callaghan, among many others. Those players helped deliver success on both the domestic and international stage. That tradition, however, has now been broken.

Against Atletico Madrid, Liverpool fielded a starting XI in a major European competition without a single English player for the first time in their history. The only player from the United Kingdom to start was Scotland captain Andrew Robertson, who opened the scoring.

Four English players were named to the squad but remained on the bench: Joe Gomez, Freddie Woodman, Jayden Danns, and Rio Nguhoma. While Gomez and Woodman bring experience, Danns and Nguhoma are still developing talents, and none were viewed as first-choice options for such a critical match.

Liverpool first entered European competition in the 1964–65 European Cup (now the Champions League) and have since made 42 appearances across the UCL and Europa League. For more than half a century, every European lineup featured at least one English starter—until now.

Liverpool and the exodus of English players

The summer of 2025 saw Liverpool embark on one of the boldest squad overhauls in club history, twice breaking the Premier League transfer record with the signings of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. As head coach Arne Slot reshaped the team, several English players departed Anfield.

The most significant exit was Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined Real Madrid before his contract expired. Others soon followed: Harvey Elliott left for Aston Villa, Jarell Quansah signed with Bayer Leverkusen, Tyler Morton moved to Olympique Lyon, and Nat Phillips joined West Bromwich Albion. Those departures left just six English players in Liverpool’s first-team squad.