Liverpool Football Club has had its fair share of local heroes. Over the years, many have made the transition from terraces to turf and gone on to live out their childhood fantasies in the famous red shirt.
But none have done so quite like Steven Gerrard.
When an 18-year old Gerrard made his home debut in November 1998, I was just two months past my first birthday. On Saturday, the captain will step out of the Anfield tunnel as a red for the final time. I’m now seventeen.
For those fortunate enough to have lived through the golden period of the 70’s and 80’s, when the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush were setting Europe alight, Saturday’s occasion won’t be quite as significant.
Of course, it will be still be upsetting for the older generation to see Stevie move on, but more perspective will be applied.
Liverpool Football Club has been around since 1892. In that time, a LOT of great players have moved on to new things and left our great club behind – Dalglish and Rush among them. Steven Gerrard is the latest in a long line.
Now, I’m very aware of the philosophy that ‘no player is bigger than the club’. I fully support it. Liverpool is undoubtedly greater than one 34-year old midfielder from Whiston. But that won’t make saying farewell to him any easier.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment in my childhood when I became a Liverpool fan, but I know one thing for a fact; Gerrard will have been part of the side when the penny dropped.
For my generation, he has been the one constant during the rollercoaster ride of the last decade and a half. A true modern icon that we have all been able to associate with.
The majority of players, even those at the very highest level, are often remembered for one specific moment of their career, when all is said and done. With Steven, that just isn’t the case, which is testament to the player he is. It’s simply impossible to pick out just one moment; his entire career has been a highlight reel of epic proportions.
His first goal at Goodison, with THAT celebration.
The Olympiacos winner.
The equaliser in Cardiff that broke West Ham hearts (and almost the net).
The hat-trick against Everton…
The list just goes on and on, and I haven’t even mentioned Istanbul yet!
For me, like so many others, that was the watershed moment. Up until the 25th of May 2005, Gerrard was renowned as a top player who was well sought after at the time, but that was about it. He was Liverpool captain, yes, but he wasn’t immortal. Besides, he was rumoured to be off to Chelsea…
But, on that fateful night, my 7-year old self witnessed Steven Gerrard enter a football pitch a man and leave it a legend. The exploits of the other players in red that night will (quite rightly) never be overlooked, but it’s the skipper that will forever be remembered for bringing the European Cup back to its rightful place in the Anfield trophy room.
In the history books, it reads that Gerrard’s header began the charge in the second half. A charge that would evolve into the greatest comeback in football history, in just eight short minutes.
The triumphs of Gerrard’s Liverpool career have clearly been important but I believe that the reason he resonates so well with the fans, and myself in particular, is the fact he’s had to deal with failure in the same way we have.
He’s a fan too, no question. Thinking back to the Chelsea and Crystal Palace matches from last season is tough for us, so imagine what it must feel like for Gerrard!
He was there, in the thick of it, giving everything he had to attain the only honour that has eluded him in the English game. Sadly, he fell just short of the mark, but I don’t believe the lack of a Premier League title affects his legacy negatively.
Sure, it would have been a very big cherry on the top of the cake in terms of his career honours, but – at the end of the day – his cake is still pretty damn good, cherry or not!
Nonetheless, despite the heartbreak of last term, he entered this campaign with the same enthusiasm he did his first. Why? Because he loves the club, and feels privileged every time his name is read out over the Anfield tannoy.
The reason we associate with him so much is the simple fact that he has done what we have always dreamed of doing, and unlike so many in the modern game, he hasn’t taken it for granted.
When Steven Gerrard walks out of the tunnel on Saturday, for his final home appearance, emotions will be high. It will feel like the end of an era, but that is the point. Gerrard has made it clear that he feels his time is up and, being the man he is, he is stepping aside to allow the next generation to press on in their quest to achieve what he couldn’t.
I feel like my life, in football terms, has run parallel to Gerrard’s career.
A once-in-a-generation player, perhaps even the best ever.
Stevie, it’s been a privilege.
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