Recent Posts

Contributors

Steven Gerrard confirms Liverpool departure at the end of the season

2 January 2015

Steven Gerrard has officially confirmed that he will leave Liverpool at the end of this season.

The former England captain is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and he has taken the difficult and emotional decision not to renew terms.

Liverpool had made an offer to Gerrard in November but the 34-year-old has reached the conclusion that he wants to pursue a new challenge.


Gerrard has only ever played for Liverpool, winning the Champions League in Istanbul in 2005

 

GERRARD’S LIVERPOOL CAREER

695 games, 177 goals
1 Champions League 
2 FA Cups
3 League Cups 
1 UEFA Cup
2 UEFA Super Cups
1 Charity Shield 
In a statement on Liverpool’s official website, Gerrard said: ‘This has been the toughest decision of my life and one which both me and my family have agonised over for a good deal of time.

‘I am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not distracted by stories or speculation about my future.

‘Liverpool Football Club has been such a huge part of all our lives for so long and saying goodbye is going to be difficult, but I feel it’s something that’s in the best interests of all involved, including my family and the club itself.

‘I’m going to carry on playing and although I can’t confirm at this stage where that will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won’t be playing for a competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool – that is something I could never contemplate.

‘My decision is completely based on my wish to experience something different in my career and life and I also want to make sure that I have no regrets when my playing career is eventually over.

‘I can’t thank Brendan, the owners and everyone at the club enough for how they’ve handled this and I am leaving on great terms. Also, I would like to thank my teammates and all the staff for their help and continued support.

‘It is a very special place to be part of. It is my sincere hope and wish that one day I can return to serve Liverpool again, in whatever capacity best helps the club.

‘One point that is important to make is that from now until the last kick of the last game of the season, I will be as fully committed to the team as I ever have been and giving everything I have to help Liverpool win games.

‘My final message is for the people who make Liverpool Football Club the greatest in the world – the supporters.

‘It has been a privilege to represent you, as a player and as captain. I have cherished every second of it and it is my sincere wish to finish this season and my Liverpool career on a high.’

Gerrard was instrumental in his sides run to the Champions League final to win their fifth European title
Following the announcement, Rodgers paid a personal and heartfelt tribute to Gerrard.

The manager said: ‘It is almost an impossible task to find the words to appropriately sum up Steven Gerrard and his importance to Liverpool.

‘This is an era where the word ‘legend’ is vastly overused, but in his case it actually doesn’t do him justice.

‘From a personal point of view I will always have gratitude for the support he gave me, when I arrived here as manager.

‘Steven came to see me and promised he would be 100 per cent behind me and do everything he could to help as we looked to introduce new ideas and a new way of working.

‘He wasn’t just true to his word, he vastly exceeded it.










No comments:

Post a Comment