Alex Song: I used to train in Stevie's shirt
New West Ham signing Alex Song admits he can't wait to come face-to-face with his idol Steven Gerrard today – but knows he's in for a tough Saturday evening trying to keep him quiet.
The midfielder, who moved to the Hammers on loan from Barcelona, is set to be handed his full debut in the centre of the park, where he's likely to come up against a man he's tried to learn from over the years.
Song said: "It's not just focused on one player but I think Gerrard is the best player I've seen in a Liverpool shirt for me. It's my own opinion.
"I have played against him a lot and every time I play against him, I have thought, 'Today will be very hard'.
"He has achieved a lot of things at Liverpool and is still only 34 years old. But he is still good enough to play - he can play maybe till he's 40. When I see him run, he is a very good example to the young players coming through.
"I think it is very important to have those kind of loyal players who play for Liverpool for a long time. It is a very different team when Gerrard is not in it.
"I like Stevie's style and the way he plays. When you are a midfielder, you try to watch other midfielders and how they play. For me, he is a great player - one of the best.
"I always try to watch the best players in my position and try to learn. Gerrard is one of the players I was watching when I was young."
Song's respect from Gerrard is long-standing and stems from a meeting with the Liverpool captain back in 1999 when he visited his cousin and former Reds defender, Rigobert.
"I remember the first time I played against Liverpool was unbelievable," he recalled. "The first time I went to England was 1999 when I was watching Rigobert play. It was crazy because I took some pictures with the players - I was 12 years old.
"Then Rigobert gave me Gerrard's shirt from that day and I have kept it. I was training every single day in it and then when I played at Anfield it was against Gerrard, Owen and Fowler - I'll never forgot this in my life.
"That day, I still have the picture I took with Fowler, and I was looking before the game to say their life was crazy and now I'm playing against them. That is a very good thing.
"I have still got the shirt. When you are young and someone gives you a shirt, you have to keep it."