Mark Madden: Liverpool's worldwide fanbase can savor long-awaited championship

It took 30 difficult years. But at day’s end, it was relatively easy.

Liverpool FC have been a juggernaut of epic proportion on the way to the pinnacle of English football for the first time since 1990. Their seven remaining games will determine their exact place in history, but that’s a good place to start: Liverpool’s coronation Thursday marked the earliest clinching in English top-flight history.

The primary target now: Manchester City’s record of 100 points, set two seasons ago. Secondary is City’s 32 wins, recorded last season and the year before. Liverpool could also become the first Premier League team to win every home game in a season.

Liverpool have 28 wins, two draws and one loss for 86 points. Twenty-one points are still to be played for.

But as a longtime Liverpool fan, I’m not overly bothered by the results of a victory lap that runs through July’s end. (I could feel differently by the time hostilities resume Thursday at City. Get that guard of honor ready, Pep.)

I’m disappointed, because the pandemic kept the stands empty. When Liverpool crushed Crystal Palace, 4-0, on Wednesday at Anfield, nobody was there. No open-top bus parade for now. The trophy gets lifted July 18 after the final home game. The streets near Anfield hosted a raucous celebration Thursday night, social distancing be damned.

I’m relieved to shed the albatross Liverpool fans have worn around our necks, especially after finishing second by one point last season despite losing just once.

But mostly I’m deliriously happy. European champions last season, English and world champions this season. Liverpool are the best football team on the planet.

I’m especially overjoyed for the city itself, the fans, the players and manager Jurgen Klopp, who has given and delivered everything.

Liverpool is a special place. Anfield is the Vatican of the sports world, maybe holier.

Being a Liverpool devotee is a bonding experience like none I’ve experienced. We’re all over the world. Every moment is shared. I support the Penguins with equal fervor, and have done so longer. But honestly, the vibe isn’t comparable.

With Liverpool, the connection burns. You’re part of something much bigger. You rise and fall together.

When you’re in, you’re in for life. Twitter overflows with congratulations from ex-players like Michael Owen, Dietmar Hamann and Jamie Carragher, and celebrity fans like Caroline Wozniacki and LeBron James. It won’t leave your blood. It is your blood.

I write a version of this column yearly. But, since last time, Liverpool have won four major championships including the Premier League. Not bad.

Before Thursday, I had two things left to see: Liverpool win the Premier League, and Led Zeppelin live. I don’t suspect Page, Plant and Jones will accommodate me.

So, I’d like to see Liverpool win the league again. It was routine in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

You never know who stays and who goes. But if Liverpool’s lineup remains roughly the same, who would bet against them?

Liverpool have the league’s top goalkeeper (Alisson Becker), top defender (Virgil Van Dijk) and the best forward line (Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah). Midfielder Jordan Henderson, the club’s captain, is a legit candidate for English football’s Player of the Year.

Liverpool’s skill, efficiency and mentality are overwhelming, especially their mentality. Liverpool just won’t break.

It’s a difficult championship to win. Thirty years confirms that.

In 1994, the New York Rangers captured the Stanley Cup for the first time since “NINETEEN-FORTY!” The Rangers haven’t won since. But for Rangers fans who witnessed, 1994 meant everything and still does.

If 2020’s league title is the first in a long time and the last in a long time, that’s OK. To paraphrase the inscription on the base of Bill Shankly’s statue, it made the people happy. That includes supporters worldwide; the players, staff, management and ownership who earned it; and the 96. I know they know.