Kit designs have come and gone; coaches have come and gone; sponsors – including the much-famed Carlsberg and Adidas, have come and gone, but Steven Gerrard has remained one of the “immovable objects” in the Merseyside club.
A Merseysider by birth, Gerrard, his father a staunch Reds, made his Liverpool first-team debut as a last-minute substitute for Vegard Heggem in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998.
He made 13 appearances in that season, filling in for injured captain Jamie Redknapp in central midfield, but even when the then skipper returned; it was difficult to push out Gerrard, who partnered Redknapp for the 1999-2000 season.
In 2003, Gerrard rose from being Sami Hypia’s vice to landing the Liverpool under then Manager, Gérard Houllier, who said the player had demonstrated leadership qualities early on. He thanked the manager by signing a new four-year deal.
Committed to the club, the England midfielder turned down a number of what would have been rewarding high-profile moves to, among other clubs – Real Madrid and Chelsea. From that, Liverpool fans became emotionally attached to him. He became, not only the heartbeat of the club, but also its voice of reason and mood reflector. Whenever Gerrard played, Liverpool played and when he was down, the club would not be that impressive.
That is why, when he made that infamous fall that turned Liverpool’s otherwise impressive season last year, and gifted Chelsea their first goal in that 0-2 home loss, fans would still not fault him for the club’s failure to win their first league in two decades.
They knew the pain they felt was doubled in Gerrard’s heart. Liverpool was his first love. He was committed to the club and committed to the cause.
All in all, Gerrard has been there when the side took a PSL tumble with trophyless seasons. He was also there – as captain, when they soared to the UEFA Champions League win over AC Milan in 2005.
As he prepares to leave Liverpool for America’s LA Galaxy at the end of this season, that will signal the end of an era for both club and player. He has played more than 500 games for them, more than half of those as their captain and scored a career total of more than 180 goals from the midfield.
But before he leaves, he will have to help revive Liverpool’s unimpressive league run this season, as they take on Sunderland in an away match this Saturday.
Other fixtures:
Saturday: Chelsea vs Newastle United; West Bromwich Albion vs Hull City; Burnely vs Queens Park Rangers; Leicester City vs Aston Villa; Swansea vs West Ham United; Everton vs Manchester City; Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday: Arsenal vs Stoke City; Manchester United vs Southampton
Post published in: Football