6 Of The Most Spinetingling Renditions Of You'll Never Walk Alone

There are few sporting anthems in the world more instantly recognisable than 'You'll Never Walk Alone.'

The 1945 musical Carousel is perhaps not where one might expect to find an anthem to get teams and players into battle mode on the pitch, but 'You'll Never Walk Alone' has taken on an enormous identity as a pre-match banger.

The cover version produced by Gerry and the Pacemakers in the 1960s has become synonymous with Liverpool, Celtic, and Borussia Dortmund, with the Liverpool band's iconic warblings dominating Anfield, Celtic Park, and the Westfalenstadion every weekend.

There have been some truly memorable renditions down through the years, most notably when two of the teams in question have come up against each other in European competition.

When Celtic and Borussia Dortmund squared off in the Champions League on Tuesday night, the Westfalenstadion version was pretty special

We've picked out our five favourite renditions of the iconic anthem from down through the years.

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You'll Never Walk Alone: The six best renditions

Ireland v Netherlands (Euro 96 qualifier) - Anfield

This one is utterly unique amongst the others. After Jack Charlton's final game managing Ireland at Anfield, Ireland fans serenaded him with the Liverpool anthem. Incredible.

On this day in 1995, Jack Charlton managed his final game for Ireland, a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands at Anfield.

Here's Jack discussing the emotions of that night.

The sight of Jack being sent off to a chorus of 'You'll Never Walk Alone: goosebumpspic.twitter.com/wAOjyl8lSp

— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) December 13, 2022

Celtic v Liverpool (2003 UEFA Cup quarter-final)

We start with the undisputed number one, for several reasons.

This was a high-octane occasion, as Celtic and Liverpool faced off in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. It was only the second time the clubs had met in European competition since the 1966 Cup Winners' Cup semi-final - a match which is credited with creating Celtic's connection with 'You'll Never Walk Alone.'

The first leg took place in Glasgow, and it was a memorable occasion for both sets of fans. The entire stadium came together to belt out their shared anthem and there was something to make the rendition even more special.

Gerry Marsden - the titular Gerry of the Pacemakers - came out on the Celtic Park pitch pre-match to lead the crowd with a live performance of his band's most famous hit.

It was among the best-ever renditions of the song and set the tone for what was to be a memorable tie. Ultimately, Celtic won out 3-1 on aggregate (after a similarly spine-tingling YNWA at Anfield), and would reach the final, where they lost to Porto. Celtic and Liverpool have not met in Europe since.

Liverpool v Manchester City (2013-14 Premier League)

With the two sides locked in an intense battle for the Premier League title (along with Chelsea), Liverpool's clash with Manchester City in April 2014 was a finely poised occasion to begin with.

It was an emotionally charged affair for the home fans too. The game fell on the weekend of the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster, with the Anfield crowd paying tribute to the 97 fans killed in the tragedy.

A first league title in 24 years was in sight for the home side, only adding to the emotion on a heavy day in Anfield. The rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' in memory of the fallen of Hillsborough that blared around the ground before the teams took to the pitch was among the most poignant moments in recent Premier League history.

Liverpool would go on to take a dramatic 3-2 victory and, though their league challenge would falter on the home straight, it's hard to think of a more emotional moment for the club in recent years.

Celtic v Barcelona (2012-13 Champions League group stage)

This was a historic night for Celtic, with the Bhoys celebrating a major milestone as the might of Barcelona came to town in the Champions League.

Under the European night lights at Celtic Park, La Blaugrana were the visitors on the 7th of November 2012 - 125 years and one day since the club was founded in 1887. With the club celebrating its 125th anniversary, the atmosphere in Paradise was always going to be special.

The Celtic fans set the scene, with the pre-match 'You'll Never Walk Alone' giving their visitors a taste of the cauldron they were about to walk into.

European champions twice in the previous four seasons with the might of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and co., Barcelona were dominant as expected on the night. However, despite having a remarkable 73% of possession and racking up 24 shots to Celtic's five, Barca were on the losing side. A dramatic late winner from Tony Watt secured a 2-1 win on a famous night for the Hoops.

Liverpool v Borussia Dortmund (2016 Europa League quarter-final)

Just as Celtic and Liverpool had combined in 2003 for an outstanding version of their shared club anthem, so Liverpool would do with Borussia Dortmund in 2016.

This was Jurgen Klopp's first season in charge at Liverpool and, as fate would have it, his former club Dortmund would be coming to town in the Europa League quarter-finals.

With the tie poised at 1-1, nerves were high on both sides as Anfield prepared for the second leg. The two sets of fans would combine as Gerry and the Pacemakers blared out on the stadium's PA, with every voice in the stadium belting out their beloved hymn.

The game that followed was a European classic, with Liverpool coming from 2-0 down on the night to win out 4-3 and progress to the semi-finals. Having already been acquainted with 'You'll Never Walk Alone' during his time in charge of Dortmund, this may have been the night that made Klopp fall in love with it as a Liverpool anthem.

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur (2019 Champions League final)

Three years later, Klopp had transformed Liverpool into a major force both in England and in Europe.

The 2019 Champions League final saw them face off with Premier League rivals Tottenham in an all-English affair at the Metropolitano in Madrid.

As the Liverpool fans got themselves ramped up for the biggest game yet of the Klopp reign, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho watched on from the beIN Sports punditry box. The two were flabbergasted by the volume of the travelling fans, with Mourinho saying, "This is more beautiful than what we can say. It's beautiful."

Hard to argue with the Special One there.

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