‘He hated Liverpool so much’
Former Liverpool academy graduate Jordan Rossiter was banned from wearing an Everton kit while training at the club.
The rivalry between the Reds and the Toffees is well documented however many have gone on to play for the club they didn’t support growing up – the best example being Jamie Carragher.
Rossiter, now of Bristol Rovers in League One, played for the Reds between 2003 and 2016, making five first-team appearances and made his debut at the age of 17 and became Liverpool’s second youngest goalscorer.
Despite kick-starting his professional career at Anfield, former Liverpool academy boss Karl Robinson recalled how the midfielder “hated” the club and that they had to ban him from wearing Everton shirts in the gym.
Speaking on the ‘I Had Trials Once’ podcast, he said: “We had Jordan Rossiter, who was a massive blue nose.
“He was a massive Everton fan so we had to ban him from wearing an Everton kit in the gym, but he hated Liverpool so much that he would just wear Celtic kit instead because he couldn’t bear to put a Liverpool kit on.
“He refused to wear the Liverpool kit because he was such a big Everton fan and that isn’t uncommon because so many players in the Liverpool academy who were local would’ve been Everton fans and I’m sure it would have been the same at Everton’s academy, where they would have had lads who were massive Liverpool fans.”
Although he appeared to have a soft spot for Celtic, Rossiter would go on to join Rangers but failed to make an impact north of the border and after spells on loan at Bury and Fleetwood Town, before joining the latter permanently, he would go on to sign for Bristol Rover in 2022, featuring 17 times.
Check out House of Football, with Stephen Hunt and Alan Cawley
Related articles:
- Andre Onana explains his Harry Maguire outburst during Man United friendly
- Tension between Katie McCabe and Vera Pauw spills over into World Cup press conference
- Irish underage star praised by Eddie Howe after “excellent” Newcastle performance
- England’s Jude Bellingham applies for Irish passport at request of Real Madrid