Graeme Souness is remembered fondly by Middlesbrough fans for his time at the club.
Boro have had a plethora of top talent don their shirt throughout the club’s history.
One such player is Middlesbrough legend Graeme Souness, who signed for the Teessiders in 1972 after struggling to break into the team at Tottenham Hotspur.
Souness was just 19 years of age when he made the move to Ayresome Park but became a key figure for the Reds almost instantly.
Boro finished fourth in the second division during his first season at the club but the ex-midfielder helped the Teessiders secure promotion to the first division in the 1973/74 campaign.
All told, Souness made 176 appearances for Middlesbrough in all competitions and scored 22 goals.
He went on to have a legendary career elsewhere and is now working as a pundit post-retirement.
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Graeme Souness on leaving Middlesbrough for Liverpool
Souness left Middlesbrough for Liverpool during the summer of 1978.
The now 71-year-old went on to enjoy a historic career at Anfield, winning five league titles, four FA Cups and three European Cups.
Now, speaking to BBC Tees Sport this week, the Scotsman has opened on his decision to leave Middlesbrough for Liverpool, revealing that he would have stayed in the North East had any other team come calling.
He said: “I really enjoyed being there [Middlesbrough] to the point, I knew Liverpool wanted me, and Liverpool had just won the European Cup in 1977.
“I knew Leeds wanted me, Manchester City wanted me. Liverpool made an offer and Boro turned it down and then a month later, I was told to go to the Queens Hotel in Leeds because a team had met their asking price.
“And I’d decided because I was that happy in Middlesbrough if it was Leeds or it was Man City, I was going to stay at Middlesbrough, I was going to wait for Liverpool, that’s how happy I was at Middlesbrough.
“Middlesbrough was very good for me.”
What does Graeme Souness do now
After spending six years at Liverpool, Souness moved to Italy with Serie A outfit Sampdoria where he enjoyed a two-year stint.
Rangers then snapped the Edinburgh-born star up in 1986 but he only managed to play 50 games in five years before retiring.
Souness’ managerial career began with the Gers and he went on to have spells with the likes of Liverpool, Southampton, Benfica and Newcastle United.
However, he opted to step away from management in 2006 after two years at St James’ Park and is currently a pundit for Sky Sports, often covering the Premier League on Super Sunday.