Murphy's career spanned over two decades, 15 of which were spent in the Premier League with Liverpool, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. However, he spent four seasons with Crewe Alexandra, helping them reach the second tier of English football for the first time in the club's history before making the switch to the English top flight.
Nowadays, having overcome his struggles with substances, Murphy is more widely recognised for his work in sports broadcasting, making regular punditry appearances on Match of the Day, being part of the BBC's World Cup coverage, and also holding a position at talkSPORT.
A Two-Decade Long Career
Murphy was part of a trophy-laden Liverpool side in the early 2000s
Danny Murphy-Liverpool
Whilst Murphy played for five different clubs in his 20-year senior career, it was his seven seasons at Anfield where he enjoyed the most success, as it pertains to both his goal contributions, and when it came down to winning trophies.
Signing with the Merseyside outfit in 1997 for a £1.5 million transfer fee, the midfielder went on to make 249 appearances for the Reds, in which he scored 44 goals and provided 39 assists. Perhaps no goal was more important than his strike to open the scoring in the second-leg of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup quarter-final, though, which resulted in a 2-0 win which would catapult them into the semi-finals, and see them finish the season lifting the trophy.
But he would leave his boyhood club to join Charlton in arguably his prime, at the age of 26, something former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher felt was too early, with the defender hailing Murphy as the most 'underrated' player he ever played with in his equally long career:
"Someone who was really underrated was Danny Murphy. Danny could play anywhere across midfield, created goals and scored goals – often in the biggest games. Danny always turned up when it mattered...We sold Danny too early. He was a lot better than many we brought in afterwards, that’s for sure."
Of course, Liverpool would go on to win the Champions League the season after Murphy left, defying all odds and pulling off an improbable second-half comeback against a star-powered AC Milan side. In stark contrast, Murphy could only help his new club finish 11th in the Premier League table.
Murphy's Struggles Came After Football
'Problems become huge' without football
Danny Murphy questions Ruben Amorim's Manchester United formation
After playing a further 10 seasons following his exit from Anfield, the final of which came with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, Murphy hung up his boots for good, having finished his career making 620 total appearances, netting 89 times and assisting 78 more. He would leave football having won six trophies, including two League Cups, all of which came with Liverpool.
But while some ex-players thrive after their professional careers come to an end, the midfielder - who achieved nine caps and a goal for England - struggled to adjust to his new life.
Struggling to deal with the then-new normality of not playing football every day, Murphy admitted on the Ben Heath Podcast that he had turned to drugs to cope, using cocaine, while also smoking marijuana:
"When you don't have football, problems become huge. When you play football, the adrenaline and dopamine, all these things keep you forward-thinking and energetic. I had a spell on cocaine and smoking some weed. The drink, I could live without it. I wasn't an alcoholic. I could sit in a house with alcohol and not drink it."
When posed the question of whether his usage turned into an addiction, Murphy admitted it had, saying:
"For a while I was [addicted]. I got to the point where I thought I couldn't do things without it. Which was nonsense, of course I could. You manage it initially, you might do it once a week, twice a week, give yourself an extra third day. Eventually, it builds up and grabs hold of you."
While he further went on to state that he "had a year of being in a world of pain", he sought professional help in the form of therapy, which helped him navigate through, and deal with, the issues that troubled him.
Murphy went on to share that he was "amazed" by how many people had reached out to him in light of him sharing his personal battles publicly, some of whom were dealing with similar problems.
Having received the help he needed, he is now a mainstay of football broadcasting and punditry, offering some great insights and analysis on the modern game, where he can be seen on both Match of the Day and on talkSPORT.
Danny Murphy - Premier League Career
Appearances
417
Goals
50
Assists
54
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and FBRef - accurate as of 02/01/2025.
Jurgen Klopp looking angry at Liverpool with Anfield background
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