Why Liverpool’s New Boss Has Chosen Formby to live and the Incredible Story Behind Our Village’s Anfield Connection

Photo by Liverpool FC

Formby’s remarkable relationship with Liverpool Football Club has entered another exciting chapter, with new Reds head coach Andoni Iraola and his family reportedly choosing to make Formby their home.

The Spanish coach arrived at Anfield this summer to take charge of one of the biggest clubs in world football and, like so many Liverpool managers and players before him, has now settled in our corner of the Sefton coast.

It continues an extraordinary footballing tradition stretching back more than half a century.

From European Cup winning legends of the 1970s to Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rodgers and Jürgen Klopp, generations of Liverpool stars have called Formby home.

So strong is the connection that one of Formby’s most famous roads even has red street signs.

Born in Usurbil, a small town near San Sebastian in the Basque Country, Iraola enjoyed an outstanding playing career before becoming one of the most highly regarded coaches of his generation.

He progressed through the famous Athletic Club academy and went on to spend 12 seasons with the Bilbao club, making 510 appearances.

Remarkably, while establishing himself as a La Liga footballer, Iraola was also studying for a law degree. He eventually left university to concentrate fully on his professional football career.

He captained Athletic Club for four seasons, helped take them to the Europa League final and two Copa del Rey finals and represented Spain seven times.

After leaving Bilbao, he finished his playing career with New York City FC before moving into management.

His coaching journey took him first to AEK Larnaca in Cyprus, then Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano in Spain, before AFC Bournemouth brought him to the Premier League in 2023.

At Bournemouth he established a reputation for fearless, intense and exciting football.

The club finished 12th in his first Premier League season, ninth in his second and sixth in his third, securing European qualification for the first time in Bournemouth’s history.

Liverpool came calling and Iraola was officially appointed as the club’s new head coach in June 2026, succeeding Arne Slot.

His remarkable footballing journey has taken him from Usurbil to Bilbao, New York, Cyprus, Madrid and Bournemouth and now to Liverpool.

And Formby is where he and his family have chosen to settle.

Iraola had already been making arrangements for the move before officially starting work at Liverpool, including sorting out housing and schools for his children.

Reports have since confirmed that Iraola and his family have relocated to Formby, while his coaching staff are also now based on Merseyside.

Why do so many Liverpool stars choose Formby?

For those of us who live here, it can sometimes be easy to forget just how extraordinary Formby’s footballing history really is.

For decades, its combination of privacy, beautiful coastline, pinewoods, prestigious golf courses, large private properties and proximity to Liverpool has attracted some of the biggest names in English football.

Liverpool players were making their homes in Formby long before Premier League wages and multimillion pound mansions became part of the modern game.

During Liverpool’s extraordinary period of success in the 1970s, some of the club’s greatest players were associated with Formby.

They included legendary goalkeeper Ray Clemence, captain Emlyn Hughes, defender Phil Neal and striker John Toshack.

These were not simply Liverpool players. They were members of teams that conquered England and Europe.

Hughes made 665 appearances for Liverpool and became the first Liverpool captain to lift the European Cup, raising the trophy in Rome in 1977 before doing it again at Wembley the following year.

Phil Neal became one of the most decorated players in Liverpool history, winning eight league championships and four European Cups.

Ray Clemence established himself as one of the greatest goalkeepers ever to represent the club, while Toshack became famous for his formidable partnership with Kevin Keegan.

Liverpool favourite David Fairclough also became a longstanding Formby resident.

Generations of Liverpool stars followed…

The attraction did not disappear when Liverpool’s great teams of the 1970s moved on.

Over subsequent decades, a remarkable collection of Liverpool players have made their homes in Formby.

Among the names associated with the village over the years are Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypiä, Stig Inge Bjørnebye, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Joe Allen, Joe Cole, Andy Carroll, Fabio Borini, Stewart Downing, Rickie Lambert, Fabinho and Joe Gomez.

Other Liverpool stars have also been associated with Formby and the surrounding area over the years.

It is an extraordinary concentration of footballing talent for a community the size of Formby and has helped establish the village as one of the best known footballing addresses in the North West.

Victoria Road became one of football’s most famous addresses

At the centre of much of this history is Victoria Road in Freshfield. Today it is one of the most prestigious addresses in Merseyside, lined with impressive detached homes hidden behind mature trees, walls and private gates.

But for football supporters, Victoria Road has another identity.

It has become synonymous with some of the biggest names ever associated with Liverpool FC.

The road became so well known for its footballing residents that supporters have travelled to Formby simply hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

And one house in particular has perhaps the most extraordinary Liverpool pedigree of them all.

Gerrard, Rodgers and Klopp under one Formby roof

The luxury property was originally built for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard acquired the newly developed home during the height of his Liverpool career and the spectacular property included an indoor swimming pool, cinema room and extensive landscaped gardens hidden behind high walls and gates.

But its Liverpool story was only beginning.

Gerrard later sold the property to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

Then, when Jürgen Klopp replaced Rodgers as Liverpool manager in 2015, Klopp and his wife Ulla moved into the same Formby home.

Liverpool FC eventually acquired the property and Klopp remained there throughout his hugely successful reign at Anfield.

That means one remarkable Formby house has been home to one of Liverpool’s greatest ever captains and two Liverpool managers.

When Klopp left Liverpool in 2024, his successor Arne Slot chose not to live at the property. It was eventually placed on the market, attracting enormous attention and becoming one of the most viewed homes on Rightmove.

Steven Gerrard’s Formby story did not end there.

Gerrard’s association with Formby continued long after leaving his famous former home.

The Liverpool legend has maintained strong links with the village and has continued to have a home in Formby, meaning his connection with the area now stretches back decades.

His substantial private family home is in another exclusive part of Formby, close to the village’s beautiful coastline and one of its renowned golf courses.

Out of respect for Gerrard and his family’s privacy, we will not identify the road or exact location of his current home.

His continuing presence makes Formby’s Liverpool connection even more remarkable.

This is not simply a village where famous footballers once bought houses before moving elsewhere. Some have established lasting connections with the community and continued to regard Formby as home long after their playing days at Anfield.

For Gerrard, Formby has been part of his life through his years as Liverpool captain and beyond.

And now, as Iraola becomes one of Formby’s newest footballing residents, one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players remains part of the village too.

Jürgen Klopp became part of Formby life.

Klopp’s relationship with Formby also went far beyond simply having an impressive address.

During his nine years as Liverpool manager, he became a familiar face around the village.

Residents became accustomed to seeing one of the world’s most recognisable football managers walking his dog, enjoying the local area and visiting pubs and businesses.

He was spotted at The Freshfield and became known locally as an approachable resident who appeared to enjoy the relative normality Formby offered away from the extraordinary pressures of managing Liverpool Football Club.

He even spent time playing crown green bowls locally and became such a familiar part of village life that his departure from Liverpool felt, for many Formby residents, like saying goodbye to a neighbour as well as a football manager.

For one of the most famous managers in world football, Formby offered something increasingly difficult for someone of his profile to find.

A place where he could simply live.

Even the Victoria Road signs turned Liverpool red.

Perhaps the most unusual symbol of the relationship between Formby and Liverpool FC appeared in 2025.

The street signs at both ends of Victoria Road suddenly turned striking red and white.

Nobody appeared to know for certain who was responsible for changing them, and there was no confirmation that the colours had officially been chosen because of the road’s Liverpool connection.

But given the extraordinary number of Liverpool players and managers associated with Victoria Road and the surrounding area, the symbolism was impossible to miss.

Formby Bubble reported on the mysterious transformation at the time.

Against the backdrop of Gerrard, Rodgers, Klopp and the many other footballing names associated with this part of Freshfield, the red signs somehow seemed completely at home.

They have become a fitting and rather unique symbol of Victoria Road’s extraordinary footballing history.

More than half a century of Liverpool history in one village.

What makes Iraola’s arrival particularly fascinating is that this is not simply a modern phenomenon.

Liverpool footballers have been choosing Formby for generations.

The names have changed. The managers have changed. Football itself has changed almost beyond recognition.

But Formby’s attraction has remained.

From the Liverpool sides of the 1970s that dominated English and European football, through the Gerrard era and generations of Premier League stars, to Klopp’s unforgettable period at Anfield, some of the most recognisable people in Liverpool FC history have lived surprisingly ordinary lives behind the gates and trees of Formby.

Now another Liverpool era is beginning.

Andoni Iraola has travelled from a small Basque town to one of the most famous dugouts in world football.

His journey has also brought him to a village with a Liverpool FC history unlike almost anywhere else.

From Ray Clemence, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Neal and John Toshack to Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rodgers and Jürgen Klopp, Formby has quietly provided a home for generations of Anfield legends.

More than 50 years after Liverpool stars first began choosing Formby, the club’s newest head coach has followed in their footsteps.

And with Steven Gerrard still maintaining his connection with the village and the red signs of Victoria Road providing a colourful reminder of Formby’s remarkable footballing past, the extraordinary relationship between Formby and Liverpool FC continues into another generation.