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
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.
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