an interest, McAteer decided to sign for the team he had supported as a boy and turned down the then Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish. He made his Liverpool debut on 16 September 1995 in a 3–0 win against Blackburn at Anfield, coming on as a late substitute for John Barnes. During his time at Anfield, McAteer also filled in at right back for certain spells despite being primarily a central midfielder. He broke his leg whilst playing against Blackburn at Anfield on 31 January 1998. He made a full recovery and on his return to the first team scored two goals against West Ham United on 2 May 1998. He played in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester United in which Liverpool lost to a single goal scored by Eric Cantona. In total he made 139 appearances for Liverpool, scoring six goals over four seasons. McAteer was part of the group of 1990s Liverpool players known as the "Spice Boys" for the tabloid attention towards their private lives. Other players named in this group included Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp. Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers manager Brian Kidd signed McAteer for £4 million on 27 January 1999. He signed a four-year contract with wages of £20,000 a week. Rovers were relegated that season, but McAteer would help the club to promotion back to the Premiership in 2001 during his second full season with the club. During his time with Rovers, McAteer had a vicious argument one day with manager Graeme Souness, and said of him in 2002: "He almost ruined my career and I cannot help but despise him for it." Sunderland Souness sold McAteer to Sunderland for £1 million in October 2001, on a three-year deal. He made 27 appearances that season, but was unable to prevent the Black Cats' relegation to the First Division the following season. After a double abdominal hernia operation, he played only five times between September 2002 and December 2003. In his first game back on 13 December, he took just four minutes to score away to West Ham United, albeit in a 3–2 loss. He played both legs of the play-off semi-final against Crystal Palace in May 2004 before being released at the end of the year. Tranmere Rovers In July 2004, McAteer was close to a one-year deal at newly relegated Leicester City, which was called off due to unforeseen