Steven Gerrard brings the curtain down on his illustrious career

He had been back on Merseyside for the winter break, enjoying time with his family and friends. A return to Los Angeles was imminent but, before he went, he had breakfast at The Vincent, the city centre restaurant he co-owns, with the local media to discuss his American adventure. There was also talk about what the future might hold.

"I think this will probably be my last year," Gerrard said, matter-of-factly. "Does it scare me? Yeah, it does. I love playing."

This news, then, doesn’t come from left-field. The last few months in Los Angeles were difficult, he had a serious hamstring injury that stopped him reaching the levels he craved and the ending he longed for - helping Galaxy become MLS champions for a sixth time - disappeared during a penalty shootout in Denver.

But that doesn’t stop the news from having a profound impact. Steven Gerrard, who made 710 appearances for Liverpool, won nine major honours and was capped 114 times by England, has reached the agonising decision that he will no longer pull on a pair of boots. The curtain has officially fallen on this particular chapter.

And what a chapter it was. The wiry teenager who stood on the touchline waiting to make his debut at Anfield in November 1998, with his heart jumping out of his chest in excitement, scaled heights that nobody could have foreseen as he became the leader of a generation of Liverpool fans.

They adored him. They sang about him being able to 'pass the ball 40 yards' and how he was 'big and **** hard' and those who had a front row seat for his journey will be telling their grandchildren in 50 years how good Gerrard was, in the same way they listened to their grandfathers regale them with tales about Billy Liddell and Roger Hunt.

There was more to it than that, though. He was a wondrous footballer but he and Jamie Carragher played with the heart and desire of those who watched from The Kop; that was the connection. They were in charge of making dreams come true and, for most of the time, they did.

Gerrard - and Carragher - also had that ability to say the right thing at the right moment. Before a big game, particularly during the Rafa Benitez era, their words would be plastered on the back of the Liverpool Echo, like a rallying cry, always hitting the right tone. They were ambassadors in a pair of boots.

Of course, it will always get thrown at Gerrard that his career was unfulfilled as he never won the Premier League and, for all the great goals you will see over the coming days, the tributes will also show the moment he slipped in that fatefully game against Chelsea on April 28, 2014.

It is risible, though, to suggest that Gerrard has fallen short in some way because the one medal he craved more than any other remained out of his clutches. During his Liverpool career, he was involved in three real challenges (2002, 2009, 2014) and nobody did more get them over the line.

Gerrard will always feel a sense of regret that he couldn’t complete the collection and do not underestimate the frustration he has harboured in the last few weeks, as the finishing line loomed into view, that he couldn’t grab a medal in the United States. He went there to be a winner, not just to bide his time.

When he looks back, however, the achievements don’t make for bad reading, do they? The only man to score in the finals of the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, the League Cup and the FA Cup, PFA Footballer of the Year (2006), FWA Player of the Year (2009); England captain at three major tournaments.

Here was a football life less ordinary, his place in the top three Liverpool performers of all time long since secured. Coaching now beckons, most probably starting off at the place where it all began - at Liverpool’s Academy. If he has half the success as he managed over the last 18 years, part two of this story will make for incredible viewing too.

Source: MailOnline

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