any people think that it was John Barnes but it actually wasn’t. Liverpool’s first Black Player was Howard Gayle.
Gayle was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1958. He made four appearances for the club (debut 1980) before he was loaned to Fulham then Newcastle United. In 1983 he left Liverpool and signed with Birmingham City.
The highlight of his career was his performance in the 1980–81 second leg of the European Semi-Final match against Bayern Munich where he dazzled the Germans as Liverpool went on to win the tie (and eventually capture the silverware - Gayle won a European Cup medal that year).
Gayle had this to say about his appearance:
"It was constantly in the press that I was the first black player to play for Liverpool. It was a landmark as far as black people were concerned, and I was proud to represent the black community of Liverpool" Source: This is Anfield.
Unfortunately for Gayle he was subject to abuse by opposing fans.
"I was spat at, there were monkey noises, and all sorts of racist abuse. It wasn’t pleasant, but sadly it was something I had become used to. From banana skins being thrown at me, to spit in the face at English grounds, to 70,000 Germans at Bayern Munich chanting and making the Nazi salute, it was sometimes horrific." Source: David Hill “Out of his Skin’
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