Liverpool icon Bill Shankly labelled Man Utd legend as ‘the greatest to ever live’

Liverpool icon Bill Shankly labelled Man Utd legend as ‘the greatest to ever live’. When it comes to the Liverpool and Manchester United rivalry, praised is very rarely shed by either party from either end, in a derby that has been steeped in feuds, trophies and incredible matches – but Reds legend Bill Shankly once praised a United hero for being ‘the greatest to ever live’.

The long-standing battle to be England’s most successful league team means that both are tied on 20 top-flight titles each, thanks to Liverpool’s Premier League trophy hoist in May, and although they are the most likely to edge ahead in the current climate, history has proven that the cat-and-mouse race is very much ‘swings and roundabouts’ – only adding to the long-term rivalry over which team is better.

Bill Shankly Named Man Utd Legend as ‘Greatest of All Time’ The Scottish boss had great admiration for a Red Devils hero

Both had decent spells of success prior to World War Two’s break in play, with the Merseyside outfit claiming four titles in that time, whilst United’s two kept them within touching distance. Liverpool then extended that after the wartime period, but a United resurgence kept the rivalry burning until the mid-1960s.

Sir Matt Busby’s managerial statistics – Manchester United trophies

Competition

Times won

Years Won

First Division

5

1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967

FA Cup

2

1948, 1963

Community Shield

5

1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967

European Cup

1

1968

And it was over that decade that Shankly became manager. Coming to the fore in 1959, he took Liverpool on a journey from becoming a second-tier outfit to perennial winners once again, giving them the foundations for future success at Anfield. However, his opposite number at Old Trafford at the time, Sir Matt Busby, had other ideas.

The duo faced off against one another for a grand total of 12 years, before Busby left his United post in 1971 after a quarter-of-a-century at the helm. Yet, despite the rivalry and hatred between the clubs, Shankly had great respect for his compatriot.

And, in an interview from the 1970s that was unearthed by the Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool legend named his opposite number along the ship canal as the ‘greatest manager that ever lived’. Shankly said:

“Matt Busby is without the doubt the greatest manager that ever lived. I am not saying I THINK he is the greatest manager, I am saying he IS the greatest manager. Facts can prove that.”

From 1960 onwards, Busby won two First Division titles, an FA Cup and the 1967 European Cup, an incredible achievement, especially after the Munich Air Disaster, which forced him to rebuild his squad.

Shankly, meanwhile, fared slightly better. His two top-flight titles within just seven years of taking the job whilst Liverpool were in the second-tier, as well as three consecutive Community Shields, a UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and a further top-flight gong saw him become one of the best managers of all-time, setting the club up for real glory with the foundations for successor Bob Paisley to become the most successful English manager in history.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Sir Matt Busby won 576 of his 1,141 games in charge of United.

It’s quite unusual for anyone from either side to acclaim their opposite number, especially in such a dominant era of both clubs – but Shankly’s class and Busby’s talent as a boss was evident throughout the 1960s and the early part of the 1970s, in a decade that neither side will forget.

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 31-07-25.