Reds icon to play key role in Anfield presentation after major health scare last year

Liverpool icon Alan Hansen will have a key role in the club’s Premier League title celebrations this weekend, as announced by the club.

On Sunday, the Reds will officially lift the trophy they secured with four games left at Anfield last month, following their final match of the season against the unexpected FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace.
After the unforgettable scenes that followed their championship-clinching victory over Tottenham in April, this will be another significant moment for Liverpool and their fans, who were unable to celebrate their first title win in 30 years under Jurgen Klopp in the 2019/20 season due to Covid-19 restrictions. The occasion will be even more special with Hansen’s presence, as it has been confirmed that he will present the trophy for current captain Virgil van Dijk to raise high on Sunday after it is placed on a pedestal on the pitch by community representatives Mark and Jo McVeigh from the Owen McVeigh Foundation.

Hansen is expected to receive a warm welcome during what promises to be an emotional return to Anfield, particularly after he was hospitalized last summer due to a severe illness, from which he later recovered and was discharged.

The 69-year-old played a vital role in the iconic Liverpool teams that celebrated extraordinary success in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s under the guidance of managers Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, and Kenny Dalglish, making 620 appearances for the club across all competitions and securing eight First Division titles, along with three European Cups, two FA Cups, and four League Cups. Hansen began his career at Partick Thistle and also earned 26 senior international caps for Scotland, participating in the 1982 World Cup during a distinguished career as a defender that lasted from 1973 until his retirement in 1991.