So, the manager of Liverpool at the time, Gérard Houllier, went to his bench and selected a young boy named Steven Gerrard. He was only seventeen, with a clean shaven face and a long sleeve shirt, to keep him warm from the harsh English winter. Gerrard was a local boy from Liverpool and joined the club's academy system at the age of eight. His connection to club woven into his family as well, as his cousin lost his life in the Hillsborough Disaster. He was now about to live the dream, play at home under the lights for his boyhood club. He made his way onto the pitch and played for only a couple of minutes before the game ended. He obviously could not make any impact on the game since there was basically no time left but little did the everyone know that in the following years he would make some of the biggest impacts on the club that they had ever witnessed.
Flash forward to 2003 and Gerrard was now the captain of the club and a starter. He was regularly contributing to the attack, scoring, assisting, creating chances and also playing his part on defense by blocking shots and breaking up plays before they became dangerous. These were key traits of an all around midfielder, a rare type of player seen in the game due to the nonstop work that is required. He was a rising star and was soon named PFA Young Player of the Year. Now, at the age of 23, Gerrard was attracting attention from other clubs around the world. He was still young enough to have time to hit his peak performance levels but was mature enough to take on the duty of a leader and he was a key asset to any team in need of a midfielder. He also earned the nickname "Captain Fantastic" since he could it all on the pitch.
The following year, Liverpool underperformed and the same manager that gave Gerrard his start, was fired from his role. Rumors started to swirl as if the young captain would stay at the club or go on to make more money for basically any team of his choice (many teams proposed offers to him to come and play for them). One of the front runners in the race to get his Gerrard's signature on a contract was Chelsea F.C., a club from London that had the hottest manager in the world, Jose Mourinho, and a billionaire owner that was dumping huge amounts of money into the club, letting them purchase the best players and they were the favorites to win trophies. When the 2004/05 season started Gerrard was still at Liverpool but many believed that he wouldn't be by the time to season was over and if not, then he would certainly be gone when the season ended. Liverpool also had a new manager, Rafa Benítez, who had already stated that he was going to be getting rid of a lot of players and bring in new ones. Gerrard was obviously the first name that everyone figured would leave.
From a fan perspective it was an absolute nightmare. Here, you had a boy that loved the club and cherished everything about it work his way up and become one of the best home grown talents ever. Then, the team starts to fall in the league, causing frustration and fear for what the future would hold and to make things worse, that boy is all but set to leave. Fans flipped out, burned their jersey's with Gerrard's name on it in the streets of Liverpool. They felt betrayed and dishonored.
However, not all hope was lost for Liverpool's season since they had a very good run in the Champions League. The tournament was still in the group stage phase but Liverpool needed a win in order to progress to the knockout rounds. It was early December 2004 at Anfield and it was 2-1 in favor of Liverpool against Greek side Olympiakos. Due to the goal differential rule for the group stage phase, Liverpool needed one more goal to advance. Sometimes, pictures do a better job of telling the story... Gerrard scored the game winner with a long ranged shot from outside the box. It was this goal that sent Liverpool through to the knockout stage and they would eventually progress all the way to the final.
The final that year took place in Istanbul, Turkey and Liverpool had to take on quite possibly the greatest team to date, A.C. Milan. The Italian team was remarkable. They had the best defenders, midfielders, and attackers on the planet. Their substitute bench was filled with stars too. They were the definition of the soccer term "world class." Liverpool had a couple of above average players and a couple of world class players, one of them being Gerrard. So, going into the game Liverpool were the underdogs. The game would require Liverpool to be absolutely perfect from the first whistle to the last. No mistakes could happen and they would have to take their chances as they came. Yet, in the first minute, Liverpool were already losing 1-0. The first half was an absolute disaster and Liverpool could not cope with what Milan was producing on the field. It was men against boys. By halftime, Milan had scored two more times to make it 3-0. Honestly, the game was over. No one comes back down from three goals to even tie a game, let alone win it, especially when the teams are so far apart quality wise. The Liverpool players even said that coming out for the second half the objective was to just keep the game from getting worse. Stop the public embarrassment that was being broadcast live to the whole world.
Suddenly, in the 54th minute, a cross came into the Milan box and a red shirt rose up to head the ball. It was Gerrard and now the ball was in the back of the net. It was 3-1 and a goal like that is usually not celebrated because two goals are still needed. Liverpool picked the ball up out of the net and ran back to their half to wait for Milan to reset the game. On the way back, Gerrard was pumping his arms in the air at the Liverpool fans, rallying them. Something was happening. Two minutes later, Liverpool scored again, 3-2. Game on. It was happening and no one could believe it. Four minutes later Gerrard bursted through the Milan defense and was clear on goal but a Milan defender pulled him down and Gerrard rightly went to ground. A penalty was called for Liverpool and they now had a chance to tie it. Xabi Alonso, one of Liverpool's midfielders, stepped up to take the penalty. Before he took it, the camera cut to his face and he looked nervous, swallowing hard and peering around his shoulders as cameras flashed and fans booed to get in his head. The whistle blew and he stepped forward and took a great shot, hard, low and to left corner but it was saved. He did what they teach you when you're young and followed up his shot. He got to it before the keeper could and smashed it to the roof of the net, 3-3. Clive Tyldesley, one of many commentators calling the game that historic night, shouted, "Mission impossible, is accomplished!" as the ball went in. The game stayed tied for the rest of the match and even after extra time. Therefore, the game went to a penalty shootout where Liverpool won. The game is considered by many to be the greatest that was ever played and is constantly ranked as one of the best comebacks of all time. All of it was started by Gerrard. From the goal scored in December, to the first goal in the final and winning the penalty for his team to tie it, he was the reason. In the images below you can see him with the fans, lifting the trophy, and celebrating the win. If you are wondering what the red wristband is on his right wrist, it reads "HILLSBOROUGH."
That night in Istanbul was by far Gerrard's highest point of his career. He would reach the Champions League Final again two years later against the same Milan team but would fall short. Despite transfer requests from the most successful clubs in the world like Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan, Gerrard remained at Liverpool. He never won the Premier League, which still haunts him to this day. He slipped just inside his own half with the ball and gave it to the opposing team resulting in them scoring. If Liverpool won that game, the trophy would have basically been in the bag but they went on to tie it and then drop more points along the way and eventually lost the title and came in second place. It would be harsh to say that Liverpool lost the league because of that moment but that was the beginning of their title collapse. He won a few more domestic trophies under Liverpool but never anything as noteworthy as the Premier League or Champions League. He could have won those if he left for other teams but he did not. Every time his contract expired, he signed a new one. He did so all the way up until 2015. At this point he was in his mid-thirties and on the verge of retiring from the game. He finally stepped away from Liverpool after playing for them for seventeen years and moved to Los Angeles to play in the MLS for one season and then officially retired in 2016. Today, he is the manager of Rangers F.C. in Glasgow, Scotland. When he has time off from coaching he can be spotted at the Liverpool home games supporting his boyhood club. Fans still sing his name even when he's not there.
Growing up, I watched Gerrard almost religiously. He remains my favorite player of all time. For me, his versatility made him amazing to watch as a player but he also had that fire in his belly that made you want to root for him. When the odds were against him in Istanbul, he didn't care. He went ahead and scored and started a revolution on the pitch and took the game back into his hands. When every team that was more expensive than Liverpool wanted him to play for them, he always said, "no." He stuck with the club that raised him. He had loyalty, commitment, and talent. I would have a very tough time finding a player like that in today's game. That is why he is beloved by many and also has respect from non-Liverpool fans. He put everything he had on the line for Liverpool and as a fan, that is all you can ask for. Mistakes can be forgiven or even forgotten about but dedication and commitment live on and will always be remembered. One of these days, a statue of Gerrard will be built at Anfield, right next to the other legends of the club.
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