Ryan Gravenberch: DEEP DIVE - A history of Liverpool’s star midfielder

by Jimmy Johnson

The secret has been out for a long time now - when Liverpool signed Ryan Gravenberch in 2023, they got their hands on one of the best defensive midfield prospects in the world. 

Fast forward two years - Gravenberch is now arguably the best holding midfielder in the Premier League, amidst sturdy competition against the likes of Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo and Rodri. 

The centrepiece of Liverpool’s outstanding present team, let’s take a look back at Gravenberch’s journey to see how he became the player he is today.

Coming through the ranks at Ajax

While Gravenberch was molded at Ajax, his first club at youth level was AVV Zeeburgia, a local team in Amsterdam. Other past and present Premier League players, such as Kenny Tete, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Oussama Assaidi, have all passed through their doors at some point. 

Gravenberch joined Ajax in 2010, when he was just eight years of age. He progressed through their academy until his graduation in 2018 - he was then granted the inaugural Abdelhak Nouri Trofee, which is awarded to the best player in Ajax’s academy. 

Later that year, he became Ajax’s youngest ever senior player, making his debut for the club aged just 16 years and 130 days old. Three days later, he broke another record by becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer, finding the net in a cup game against Te Werve. 

He was part of Erik ten Hag’s side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, though he was not an integral cog in the Ajax machine at this point. 

However, it was not long until the Dutchman became a regular starter for the team, winning three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups during his time at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 

Brief Bayern Munich spell

Gravenberch spent just one season at Bayern Munich - but he nonetheless made a huge impact during his brief stint with the Bavarians. 

In his sole campaign at Bayern, he lifted the Bundesliga title and the DFL Supercup, making 24 league appearances and registering two assists along the way. 

He looked set to become a mainstay at Munich until Liverpool swooped in on the final day of the 2023 summer transfer window. 

Becoming a superstar at Anfield

Gravenberch was snapped up by Liverpool for a reported fee of around £35 million - with the benefit of hindsight, this is now starting to look like an almighty bargain. 

In his first season at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp was canny enough to not throw him straight into the deep end. Instead, he was often benched in favour of veteran midfielder Wataru Endo.

When Klopp left Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, Gravenberch assumed the role of Liverpool’s number one defensive midfielder. Under the tutelage of Arne Slot, he has become one of the greatest midfielders in world football. 

Last sason, he was arguably the true lynchpin behind Liverpool’s success - he was arguably even more important than Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. 

A calm, composed figure on the ball and a ferocious defender off it, Gravenberch has become everything that Reds fans could have hoped for.