Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish football coach and former player who is the current manager of Premier League club Liverpool. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed until he was signed by Reading at the age of 18, although a genetic knee condition forced him to retire at the age of 20. He remained at Reading as a coach and then Academy Director, and continued to play non-league football at Newport, Witney Town and Newbury Town for several years. After a period travelling around Spain to study coaching methods, he was invited by Jos� Mourinho to leave Reading and join Chelsea as youth manager in 2004, later being promoted to reserve manager in 2006. In 2008 he was appointed manager of Watford, where he remained until accepting an offer to become manager of his former club Reading in 2009. He left the club by mutual consent after disappointing results six months later, returning to full-time management with Swansea City in 2010. He led the club to win promotion to the Premier League, the first Welsh team ever to do so, before guiding them to finish 11th the following season. 

January 26th, 1973 in Carnlough (Age 51)