Millions wept when the curtains were brought down to the career of one of the most scintillating players in the football fraternity as Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from the game after contributing for 18 years. The 36-year-old hanged up his boots after bagging more than 850 games and being one of the finest servants of the game after a year in the United States of America in Los Angeles Galaxy.
The humble midfielder shall be remembered as a Liverpool legend for ages hence and there is no denying the fact that he was a true Red and deserves to be hailed as one of the best captains in the Premier League era, hands down. Here, we look back at the five best moments that the ‘Captain Fantastic’ had offered to the Merseyside club where he is being held as a captain, leader and legend.
- When A Captain Was Born
Gérard Houllier vouched for Steven Gerrard’s undeniably imposing presence at Liverpool which, along with Sami Hyypiä’s considerable fall in performances after possessing the captain’s armband, led to the selection of the young 23-year-old as the new club captain from 15th October 2003.
To enter a game with the privilege of leading the pack of a side with a history that encompasses richness, silverwares, glories and class is a sheer ecstasy for a player who has been brought up by the club. Further, kick-starting Gerrard’s captaincy in the form of Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Ljubljana in the UEFA Cup was the point from where the club, as well as the newly appointed commander-in-chief, never looked back.
- Everton Fan?
Ouch! Liverpool’s iconic no. 8 had appeared 33 times against Everton, but nothing comes close to his inhuman performance at the Anfield on 13th March 2012. Being a 32-year-old then, many believed that Gerrard was past his prime but he proved his doubters wrong by scoring a hat-trick against their arch-rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby. Moreover, his feat ensured that the ten-match unbeaten run of the Toffees was brought to an end. Could it get any sweeter for the Kop?
