By swapping Merseyside for Hollywood, iconic Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard will metaphorically be joining the ranks of Hazel Sampson, Bobby Hogg, and Boa Senior. If these names aren’t ringing a bell it’s because the three weren’t footballers at all. They were the last remaining speakers of dying languages respectively belonging to the Klallam of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Cromarty Fisherfolk of Scotland, and the Bo of India’s Andaman Islands. And though Liverpool Football Club don’t lay claim to their very own language, by losing Gerrard the bridge linking the club’s culture and ethos to the current squad could be at risk of being washed away by the inevitability of time.
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When Luis Suarez succumbed to another episode of late-onset teething at the World Cup, Liverpool had no choice but to sell on their most potent weapon. Ruefully, the Uruguayan’s departure ruined the continuity to which the club was hoping to build up from after the second place Premier League finish in 2014. And with Daniel Sturridge smited by the deities of untimely injuries, the Reds’ attacking bravado paled significantly, especially as Mario Balotelli turned out to be a wet gamble. But where talented mercenary strikers are popping up through the soil everywhere, there is simply no replacing the presence of Stevie G.
Since Steven Gerrard baited the spotlight in the early 2000s there have always been those who regard him as the most well rounded player in the world. “He has fantastic shots, passes, and skills. He is the complete midfielder,” testified Carlo Ancelotti in his time as Chelsea manager. Former teammate Craig Bellamy echoed these praises in his autobiography: “I have never seen anyone put it all together like him, never seen someone with so many qualities.” Whether he’s smashing a thunderbolt into the roof of the net, or zipping a pass along the floor an honest fifty yards, audiences get that assured feeling that there’s nothing out of his abilities’ reach.
So much was his unique technical diversity depended on at times in his Liverpool career that some wonder what kind of emotional strain the captain was under. The thought of stepping into the dressing room, having a look around, and full-well knowing that if Liverpool were to win on the day, Steven Gerrard had to be the best player on the pitch would have been a crippling psyche every weekend for a mere mortal. Nevertheless ‘Captain Fantastic’ never feigned away from the responsibility.
“Ohhhhh, ya beauty!”
The call of Andy Gray will forever stay synonymous with a trademark Steven Gerrard goal scored at Anfield against Olympiacos in the December of 2004. It was one of those cliché ‘magical European nights’ where the stage was tailored for folklore. There were only moments remaining until the shrill blast of the final whistle, yet Rafa Benitez’s outfit were still a goal short of qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League. Then, as if rehearsed, a cushioned header fell to the skipper 25 yards out at the Kop end. The crowd braced in a unified gasp just before Gerrard tattooed his half volley emphatically into far post. The exhale rattled the ground. Gerrard had saved the day again, always Gerrard.
Who ignited the fairytale European Cup final comeback in Istanbul against A.C. Milan? Gerrard. Who unmistakably equalized West Ham twice in the 2006 FA Cup final? Gerrard. Who is the only player in history to score in the Champions League final, FA Cup final, League Cup final, and UEFA Cup final? Gerrard, Gerrard, Gerrard, and Gerrard.
So what happens when the crucial moment arrives and the savior is sat on the beach somewhere in Southern California?
Gerrard, now 34, made the decision to leave the club on the grounds that his body can no longer sustain the hardships of Liverpool’s taxing fixture list. No longer could he play every match. He knew it; Brendan Rodger’s knew it. The two met and decided together that Steven’s future as a player beyond this season resided elsewhere. It gave Gerrard the chance to walk away on his own terms, a legend, and opened the door for one last adventure. More importantly it gave Rodger’s enough time to wean the supporting cast off their talismanic keystone.
The truth is Liverpool’s stature in the caste system of European club football will always seduce capably special players even if they aren’t of Gerrard’s demeanor. The on-field plan for the future may appear unclear but where players come and go, leadership and that image of authenticity that Steven Gerrard embodied and instilled in his teammates is what has Reds fans worried. Who now will carry the torch of Liverpool’s values and tradition? Next season he will be an LA Galaxy player in Major League Soccer.
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There’s an art to lifting a trophy. Some players are experts. Look at Iker Casillas for example, majestic. Then again, he’s got quite a bit of practice. Yet if you rewind to watch Steven Gerrard lift a trophy, you sense that, though clutched by euphoria, he’s seems overcome with relief - relief for his teammates, relief for Liverpool fans, but most importantly relief that he hasn’t let them down. Because despite a photo of Steven the toddler in an Everton uniform floating around the internet, Steven Gerrard is, and always has been, primarily a Liverpool supporter.
It’s that association to the Liverpool community that’s sweating through his red shirt, a bond thicker than blood. That particular emotion of homegrown pride has summoned a rich sense of endearment to his club, his family. There has never been another that Liverpool fans have been so proud to call one of their own. And it’s ultimately this relationship that kept their number 8 rooted to the club when potential moves to Chelsea and abroad were all paved out for him.
Carlo Ancelotti admits to trying to lure Gerrard to AC Milan last decade to play alongside Andrea Pirlo but recalls it was “impossible” to sign him. “Gerrard’s bond with Liverpool was unbreakable,” he goes on to say.
Furthermore the current Real Madrid boss wasn’t the only one courting Gerrard’s services. It’s widely known that the Liverpool captain was close to a move to Stamford Bridge in 2005 but reflected to realize that Anfield would be his only ever true home. All that aside if Zinedine Zidane would have had his way, the two might have been compañeros at the Bernabéu.
“I think it was the summer of 2004 I was having a meeting with Florentino Pérez (Real Madrid president). I told him that I wanted him (Gerrard) to partner me in midfield… I know the club tried twice but he wouldn’t leave Liverpool. Not many players turn down Real Madrid but I think that tells you a lot about the loyalty of the man.”
Gerrard was nurtured and looked after by his own at Liverpool FC. In correlation he not only represents the best of the club’s academy but also that fierce identity of being Scouse, a trait that galvanizes his connection to the supporters. He’s a vessel in which the local passion is personified; they kick every ball through him. Apart from Steven, the only Scousers left in the true first team are Jon Flanagan and the prodigal son, Rickie Lambert, neither of which the people sincerely believe will push the club’s self-defining attitude onto their teammates and steer the team through the stormy waters of vital matches. When the stalwart Jamie Carragher retired in 2013 the entirety of that responsibility was shifted to Gerrard’s achy shoulders.
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When Steven Gerrard walks beyond the black iron gates of Anfield for the last time, he’ll be without required confidence he’s grown accustom to. So now as the last remaining squad member from the 2005 Champions League-winning team he must wonder who is worthy of picking up the baton when he puts it down. How does the continuity of the Liverpool tradition live on through the current team?
Excluding the captain, nearly 60% of the current senior squad have only been Liverpool players for less than two whole seasons and the remaining 40% include names like Joe Allen, Fabio Borini, José Enrique and Brad Jones. Hardly the sort you see driving the culture and performances forward. As for the veterans, Lucas has been dependable, but how much longer do Martin Škrtel and Glen Johnson really have left in a Liverpool strip? It’s little wonder that young Jordan Henderson has climbed the ranks so quickly to attain the vice-captaincy. Many believe he’s a got the tools to be a suitable replacement, including Gerrard himself.
“I certainly believe Jordan has everything you need to be a great captain,” Gerrard told the Liverpool ECHO in January. “He’s a fantastic player for me to hand the armband over to.” From a mentor’s standpoint, Gerrard recalls that arriving from Sunderland at a young age was a difficult hurdle for Henderson to leap but his prudence has paid dividends. “Jordan stayed and toughed it out. It’s in difficult situations like that you learn a lot about the type of player and the type of character someone is.” There’s nothing like a vote of confidence straight from the shoes you’re to be stepping into. Fans and teammates alike will hope the skipper is right.
Finding a hopeful successor to command the manager’s troops may not be the only avenue to link Liverpool’s identity to the future, however. The influence of the first team will always be boosted by its solid academy but more immediately the ghosts of Liverpool’s past are never far away. Keeping the legends involved in happenings around the club will continue to propagandize the Liverpool temperament from past eras of achievement. Both Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish are still prominent presences whether Rush is turning out for the odd Masters’ five-asides or Dalglish is helping to direct the club internally. Also, the more recent Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, and Rob Jones have all dedicated their time in some capacity to the youth set-up at Kirkby Academy. They’ll only pray they can mold the next Stevie G.
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In closing, Steven Gerrard, in his Liverpool career, was able to do what few dream to achieve. He was local boy, who came up through the local club to become one of the world’s best players. He’s Liverpool’s longest ever-serving captain, over 11 years. Sadly, critics will patronize him for never winning a Premier League medal. But if that meant more to him than his loyalty to Liverpool Football Club, he would have left obtain it. Tellingly, it’s that example and sense of commitment to the Liverpool way of life that will leave the greatest dent when he’s gone.
