Gerrard reveals how he nearly became an Everton fan
He is a Liverpool legend – but Steven Gerrard very nearly became an Everton fan.
The former Reds captain, now manager of Rangers, revealed that he chose which club to support while watching the 1986 FA Cup final between the two Merseyside rivals as a five-year-old.
‘The cup final between Everton and Liverpool in 1986 swayed me to be a red,’ Gerrard, told BT Sport’s What I Wore, while wearing the kit the Reds wore on that day. ‘Everton scored first and I was thinking I might be an Everton fan, but we managed to turn it around 3-1, so from that moment I became a red forever.’
Gerrard would make his Liverpool debut 12 years later in 1998 – when he admits David Ginola ‘absolutely tore me apart’ – and would quickly establish himself as a regular before being made club captain at the age of just 23 in 2003.
He is in no doubt as to what the greatest moment of his footballing life was – when Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties in the 2005 Champions League final.
‘The best night of my footballing life,’ Gerrard says wistfully while holding the shirt he wore as he inspired the comeback. ‘If I’d have played for another 50 years I’d have never beat that game.’
But Gerrard never won the Premier League, coming closest in 2014 when his slip against Chelsea became the defining moment as Manchester City pipped the Reds to the title.
‘We missed a fantastic opportunity,’ Gerrard recalls. ‘I obviously take full responsibility for the part I played in it for sure. But unfortunately, over the course of the whole 38 games, we fell short at the end. And that’s a regret I’ve got to live with for the rest of my life.’
Gerrard also opens up on the anguish which accompanied his Liverpool farewell in 2015 – a 3-1 defeat at Anfield by Crystal Palace – after 710 appearances for the club.
‘I never ever looked forward to that day,’ he admits. ‘I loved the reception I got, but it was the worst day ever because I knew it was coming to an end and I wouldn’t represent Liverpool again, which even now thinking about it is very emotional.’
Asked who the greatest players he ever played with were he lists, in order, ex-Liverpool strikers Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres and Liverpool-born former England team-mate Wayne Rooney.
‘The arrival of him took us to the next level,’ Gerrard says of Suarez. ‘The best player pound-for-pound I’ve played with.’
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On Torres, the 39-year-old adds: ‘He could turn average passes into good passes by his pace and his power. We got the best Fernando Torres, if you look at his whole career, we got the best two years.’