Ex-Liverpool defender Nick Tanner explains incredible rise to top of worldwide Fantasy Premier League table

Nick Tanner

A former Liverpool defender is currently in first place in the worldwide ranking of seven million Fantasy Premier League players.

Nick Tanner made 59 appearances for the Reds between 1988 and 1994 – most of those as a regular in 1991/92 under Graeme Souness – but his career was cut short due to a back injury.

The centre-back also represented Bristol Rovers, Norwich and Swindon during his playing days, and later went on to manage six different non-league sides.

He has not been in charge of a club since 2011 and now works in the insurance industry, as well as running a Liverpool Legends events company and doing occasional punditry work with BBC Merseyside.

But Tanner has made headlines following the latest round of Premier League action, when he rose to the top of the global Fantasy Premier League standings.

He has already amassed 568 points so far this season, with left-field selections such as John Lundstram and Todd Cantwell paying dividends alongside more established names such as Raheem Sterling and Liverpool duo Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah.

SEE ALSO 27 essential Fantasy Premier League tips from old winners and experts

Even more remarkably, Tanner only began playing last season and wasn't even aware of the rules before he joined.

“It’s crazy,” the 54-year-old told The Athletic. “I was keeping an eye on all the games as I knew there was a chance I could go top. Until recently I thought that table was just for teams in England until someone pointed out to me that it was across the world.

“To be in front of nearly seven million people is a great feeling. I was speaking to my old mate from Liverpool, Mike Marsh, and he said: ‘How on earth are you No.1 in the world?’ We were laughing about it.

“I hadn’t even done fantasy football before last season. My lad William set up a league with his mates and I joined that but I didn’t really know the rules. I was so far behind that I lost interest and gave up.

“But this time around 25 of us stuck a tenner in each so I decided to take it more seriously. I studied the rules and made sure I knew exactly what the deal was in terms of earning points.

“They were all taking the piss at the start saying ‘old man, you haven’t got a chance’. They aren’t taking the piss anymore!”

Last season, England cricketer Stuart Broad achieved the highest worldwide Gameweek 37 score in FPL.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).