Rafa: Gerrard will always be a legend
Steven Gerrard's loyalty to Liverpool has guaranteed the midfielder a permanent place in the memories of the club's supporters, former manager Rafael Benitez believes.
The No.8 resisted offers from the world's elite teams during the Spaniard's six-year tenure at Anfield, opting instead to help take the Reds to the heights of European football.
In Benitez's first campaign on Merseyside, Gerrard was the unyielding force that drove an unfancied team to sensational European Cup glory in Istanbul - a decade ago this Monday.
The captain's heroic performance in the FA Cup final 12 months later ensured the match was named after him, and another Champions League trophy was narrowly missed the following season.
Now, Gerrard is preparing to make his 710th and last appearance for Liverpool, at Stoke City on Sunday afternoon, ahead of a summer transfer to LA Galaxy in the United States.
Before the Britannia Stadium clash, LFCTV will premiere a special new documentary - 'Gerrard: My Liverpool' - on Saturday evening at 7.30pm BST, to celebrate the career of a true talisman.
Current teammates, former colleagues, managers, staff and opponents have lined up to pay their own tribute to the Scouser - and Benitez chose words that many would echo.
"He will always be a legend for Liverpool," said the former Reds boss.
"He has won the Champions League and he has won the FA Cup. He is an icon for the club, a legend and someone that everybody will remember.
"For him to be what he is now, thanks to Liverpool, is massive. It's better to be remembered as an icon for your fans, your city and your club than to go to another club.
"He was the key player for us. [Dietmar] Hamann was very good tactically, Xabi Alonso had the quality, Luis Garcia, [Jamie] Carragher had character.
"But he could do all of these things more or less like the others. He could pass the ball like Alonso, head the ball like [Fernando] Torres, defend like Carragher and tackle like anyone else. He had all of these things together.
"When I talk about quality it's not just the technical ability to do things, it's to do it even under pressure. He could do it because he had so much confidence in his ability."