Emlyn Walter Hughes (28 August 1947 – 9 November 2004) was an English footballer. He started his career at Blackpool in 1964 before moving to Liverpool in 1967. He made 665 appearances for Liverpool and captained the side to three league titles, an FA Cup in 1974, two European Cups (the only captain to have lifted the trophy for the club twice), including Liverpool's first in 1977; and two UEFA Cups. Hughes was named the Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1977.
After twelve years at Liverpool, where he earned the nickname "Crazy Horse" for his energy and enthusiasm for the game, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1979 where he completed a full set of English football domestic honours by winning the League Cup in 1980. In addition to Wolves, he later played for Rotherham United, Hull City, Mansfield Town and Swansea City. Hughes earned 62 caps for the England national team, which he also captained 23 times.
After retiring from football, he worked as a media personality, mainly with the BBC. He was made an OBE in 1980 for his services to sport. Hughes died of a brain tumour, aged 57, in 2004. In 2026 Hughes was listed at number 17 in an official club poll of Liverpool's greatest players.
Emlyn Hughes was born in Barrow-in-Furness. He was the son of Fred Hughes, a Great Britain, Wales, Barrow and Workington Town rugby league footballer.
After being refused a trial by local side Barrow, Hughes joined First Division side Blackpool. He made his debut for Blackpool in 1964 playing alongside Jimmy Armfield and Alan Ball, initially as an inside forward, but later at left-half.
In February 1967, after 28 appearances for Blackpool, Hughes joined Liverpool, managed by Bill Shankly, for £65,000 (equivalent to £1,035,719 in 2025). Hughes made his Liverpool debut in a 2–1 league win over Stoke City at Anfield on 4 March 1967. He scored his first goal in a 6–0 defeat of Newcastle United at Anfield on 26 August the same year.
If he'd have cost five times that he would have been worth it. It's debatable if there's a better player in the game. He's got everything; ability, guts, he's quick, good in the air – you name it, he has it.
Hughes settled into the midfield during a transitional period for the club, with the club's site stating he earned the nickname "Crazy Horse" for "his energy, rampaging runs and all-round enthusiasm for the game." With Shankly reluctant to replace a number of his ageing stars, Liverpool did not win any honours in Hughes's first four seasons, but he would become a cornerstone of the team Shankly would rebuild. His versatility was noticed too – he filled in at left back and central defence, a trait which was spotted by England coach Alf Ramsey in 1969.
Ramsey gave Hughes his debut on 5 November of that year, playing him at left back in a friendly against the Netherlands at the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. England won 1–0. He played in the next game in the same position. Hughes scored his only international goal against Wales, the opening goal of a 3–0 British Home Championship victory at Ninian Park in 1972.
For Hughes, 1970 was an important year in his career. After Liverpool were beaten by Second Division side Watford in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, Shankly made a decision to clear out many of the senior players who had in the previous eight years won two League titles, an FA Cup, and reached a European Cup Winners Cup final, and recruit younger players to replace them. Hughes, not yet 23, survived the cull, together with Ian Callaghan and Tommy Smith, and the new recruits, such as Steve Heighway, John Toshack and Kevin Keegan, who would help establish Liverpool's dominance in the 1970s began to arrive.
Meanwhile, England were about to fly to Mexico and defend the World Cup won four years earlier. Hughes had six caps by the time Ramsey included him in his provisional squad of 27 which flew to South America for altitude-acclimatising friendly games against Colombia and Ecuador. Hughes featured in neither game but was selected in the final squad of 22. He was the youngest player selected by Ramsey, and the only Liverpool player in the squad.
Along with Nobby Stiles, Hughes was one of only two outfield players who did not feature in any game. England progressed to the quarter finals, where they were defeated by West Germany. Questions were raised about Ramsey's decisions during the game. He controversially withdrew Bobby Charlton and Martin Peters in the second half but retained a clearly exhausted Terry Cooper, who played at left back the entire 120 minutes although Hughes was available to replace him. Hughes would never play in a World Cup.
In the 1970–71 season, Liverpool reached the FA Cup final, losing 2–1 after extra-time to Arsenal, who completed the then-rare double of League title and FA Cup. Hughes had established a reputation for charging upfield from his defensive midfield position on long runs, and for constantly berating referees.
Hughes appeared again for England in the quarter-final of the 1972 European Championships, again under Ramsey, again facing West Germany, again with the same result; victory for West Germany.
In 1973, Hughes won his first League title with Liverpool and his first European honour with the UEFA Cup, against Borussia Mönchengladbach. After scoring goals in a memorable win over Merseyside rivals Everton at Goodison Park, Hughes was made Liverpool captain after Tommy Smith had a publicised falling-out with Shankly. According to the Irish Independent, the "change led to a long-running feud between Smith and Hughes", although it never visibly affected their football.
In October 1973, Ramsey selected Hughes to be left back as England hosted Poland at Wembley. Only an England victory would secure a place at the 1974 World Cup, with any other result seeing Poland qualify. England dominated the match but were denied constantly by Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski. Then Poland had a breakaway after a misplaced tackle by Norman Hunter in the second half, and only Hughes and goalkeeper Peter Shilton were back to defend. The ball was passed to Jan Domarski who shot from the edge of the area. Hughes lunged into a last-ditch tackle but Domarski's shot evaded his block and slipped under Shilton's body and into the net. England equalised through an Allan Clarke penalty but the match ended 1–1 and England failed to qualify.
At the end of the 1973–74 season, Liverpool reached the FA Cup final and beat Newcastle United 3–0, with Hughes receiving the trophy from The Princess Anne. Later that month Hughes was also appointed England captain, replacing Bobby Moore, by caretaker boss Joe Mercer. Hughes led out England for the first time on 11 May 1974 against Wales in Cardiff, which England won 2–0.
Hughes captained England for all of Mercer's seven games in charge, and initially maintained the role when Don Revie was appointed as Ramsey's permanent successor. However, after the first two qualifiers for the 1976 European Championships, Revie dropped Hughes from the team, giving the captaincy to Hughes' former Blackpool teammate Alan Ball.