Steven Gerrard
Personal information
Full name	Steven George Gerrard
Date of birth	30 May 1980 (1980-05-30) (age 28)
Place of birth	Whiston, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Whiston is an area within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England, situated approximately east of Liverpool city centre England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland 83 m)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Liverpool
Number	8
Youth clubs
1989–1997	Liverpool
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1997–	Liverpool	302 (55)
National team2
1999 2000–	England U21 England	004 0(1) 067 (13)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC). For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. Reserve team Liverpool Reserves play in the Barclays Premiership Reserve League North. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21(s is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 07:51, 2 June 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Steven George Gerrard MBE (pronounced /ˈstiːvɨn ˈdʒɛrɑrd/) (born 30 May 1980, Whiston, Merseyside) is an English football player. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Whiston is an area within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England, situated approximately east of Liverpool city centre The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered He is the captain of Liverpool, where he wears the number 8 shirt. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. In mathematics 8 is a Composite number, its Proper divisors being 1, 2, and 4. He has been called an influential^[2] and versatile midfielder, and is known for his long-range shots and defence-splitting passes, he is usually employed in the "box-to-box" midfield role, although he has often been deployed as a right-sided midfielder, and occasionally as a second striker. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing During his career he has won the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, European Midfielder of the year, Premier League Most Valuable Player (twice), and UEFA Most Valuable Player. The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply The UEFA Club Football Awards are awards given by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season He has also been awarded the MBE for his outstanding contributions in both the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final in which he greatly inspired his team's comeback. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Route to the final UEFA Champions League 2004-05 AC Milan AC Milan were drawn straight into the group stage of the competition The 2006 FA Cup Final was the final and deciding match of the FA Cup 2005-06. ^[2][3][4] He has been nominated three times for the FIFA Player of the Year, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The FIFA World Player of the Year is an Association football award given annually to the male and female player who are thought to be the best in the world based On 5 February 2008, it was announced he had been voted by fans as the Nationwide England Player of the Year for 2007. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Nationwide Building Society is the largest Building society in the world The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football ^[5]

Early career

Gerrard started out playing for local team Whiston Juniors. He was noticed by Liverpool's scouts aged just 8,^[6] and joined the Reds as a schoolboy in 1987. He played relatively few games, with late growth spurts restricting him to only 20 games between the ages of 14 and 16.

Aged 14, Gerrard had trials with various clubs, including Manchester United. In his autobiography he claimed that this was "to pressure Liverpool into giving me a YTS contract. The Youth Training Scheme (YTS was the former name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job Training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17 managed by the Manpower " During this time he had an accident involving a rusty garden fork and could have lost his toe. ^[7]

Gerrard signed his first professional contract with Liverpool on 5 November 1997. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar ^[7] He was paid £700 a week

Liverpool first team

1998–99: Debut season

Gerrard made his debut for the Liverpool first team on 29 November 1998 as a second-half substitute for Vegard Heggem against Blackburn. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Vegard Heggem (born July 13, 1975 in Trondheim) is a former Norway international footballer. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. ^[7] His first start came in the UEFA Cup against Celta Vigo. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Real Club Celta de Vigo Sociedad Anonima Deportiva is a Spanish football team from Vigo in Galicia. ^[7] Due to an injury to Jamie Redknapp, Gerrard went on to play 13 games for Liverpool that season. Jamie Frank Redknapp (born 25 June 1973 in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire) is a former English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005

1999–00: First team regular

The 1999–00 season saw manager Gérard Houllier start with Gerrard partnering Jamie Redknapp in central midfield. Gérard Houllier OBE, (ʒeʁaʁ ulje born 3 September, 1947, in Thérouanne, Pas-de-Calais, France) is a Jamie Frank Redknapp (born 25 June 1973 in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire) is a former English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005 After being in the starting line-up for the first six games, Gerrard was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the local derby against Everton. Everton Football Club is an English football club located in the city of Liverpool. ^[7] Gerrard replaced Robbie Fowler after 66 minutes but went on to receive the first red card of his career for a foul on Everton's Kevin Campbell in the 90th minute. Robert Bernard 'Robbie' Fowler, (born 9 April 1975 in Toxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside, England) is an English footballer Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player which is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction (caution or dismissal in accordance Kevin Joseph Campbell (born February 4 1970 in Lambeth, London) is an English former football player who played as ^[7] Later that season, Gerrard scored his first senior goal in a 4–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. ^[7]

His back was causing him regular problems. At the time, many journalists surmised that fans would never see Gerrard complete anything close to a full season. However, manager Gerard Houllier took the practical approach and sought specialist help. After visits to the renowned sports consultant Müller-Wohlfarth,^[7] it was diagnosed that Gerrard's pains were a result of accelerated growth in a short period of time. Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfarth is the club doctor at Bayern Munich and is a world leader in the treatment of sports injuries ^[7] After treatment he and Liverpool F. C. were assured that these problems would not recur. Gerrard then suffered from groin problems. He was said to need four operations for this correction. ^[7] He then saw Liverpool F. C. doctors and kept his faith with Liverpool. He was sent to a Frenchman for his treatment by Gérard Houllier. ^[7] He worked hard to recover and soon his groin injuries were no longer a problem. It had also been claimed that because of a 3 inch growth in his height during one year that the growth in his body caused many of the problems. In his early career it was said by some that it was impossible for him to play two games a week.

2000–01: The "treble" season

2000–01 brought Gerrard his first trophy successes: he put his injury problems behind him and made 50 first team appearances, scoring 10 goals, as Liverpool won the League Cup and FA Cup. The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after On 31 March, 2000, Gerrard scored a cracking 25-yard goal, the first in a 2-0 Anfield victory over Manchester United. Anfield is an all-seater Association football Stadium in the district of Anfield, in Liverpool, England This was voted by fans as Liverpool's best ever Premiership goal. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs In the UEFA Cup final against Alavés, Gerrard scored his first major final goal as Liverpool won 5–4. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Deportivo Alavés, usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish Segunda División football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz Path to Final The Merseysiders resurgent under French coach Gérard Houllier, had come through a tough draw with only one blemish to their name a 1-0 home defeat by At the end of the season Gerrard was named PFA Young Player of the Year. The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual

2001–02: Growing influence

Following the 2001 "treble" season, Gerrard became increasingly influential in the Liverpool side as he became more experienced and his injury problems waned. He played an important part in Liverpool's 2001–02 season which resulted in the club finishing second in the Premier League with their best points tally in over a decade. During the course of this season, Houllier suffered serious health problems which resulted in him having to undergo major heart surgery. At this point Liverpool looked like becoming a force in English Football once again, but after Houllier's illness the team began to go backwards. The team's performance became increasingly erratic and reliant on Gerrard and Michael Owen to win matches with flashes of inspiration. Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979 in Chester, Cheshire) is an English football player who currently plays for and captains Newcastle United

2002–03: League cup winner

Gerrard suffered a period of poor form during this time, culminating in his substitution during a Champions League match with Basle at half time with Liverpool 3–0 down. After the game Gerrard was the subject of public criticism by Houllier, who suggested that he was not fully focussed on his football. Gerrard claimed in his autobiography that the end of his parents marriage had deflected his attention from the team. Gerrard quickly recovered from this poor spell and once again began to assert sizeable influence on the team. The season culminated in a series of outstanding performances from Gerrard, which included him scoring the first goal in Liverpool's 2–0 Worthington Cup final victory over fierce rivals Manchester United. The 2003 Worthington Cup Final was played between Liverpool and Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Sunday 2 March

2003–04: Captain of Liverpool

By the start of the 2003 season, Gerrard had established himself as Liverpool's on-field leader and he was officially recognised as club captain, replacing Sami Hyypia. Sami Tuomas Hyypiä (born 7 October 1973 in Porvoo) is a Finnish footballer who currently plays for Liverpool F Houllier handed the responsibility to Gerrard in October 2003,^[7] perhaps hoping that he could inspire his teammates to improve their performance, but also to compel him to take responsibility for his own indifferent disciplinary record – a tactic which apparently worked as throughout the season he was booked only twice. His then Liverpool team mate, Michael Owen, in his autobiography expressed relief at Gerrard being named captain as it took the pressure off him. Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979 in Chester, Cheshire) is an English football player who currently plays for and captains Newcastle United An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" Gerrard also penned a four-year contract worth £60,000 a week.

However, while Gerrard excelled as Liverpool's captain, the team continued to stall and the 2003–04 season ended with no trophies and a lack of optimism about Liverpool's future prospects for success under Houllier. For the first time it was suggested that Gerrard may have to move away from Anfield to fulfill his potential. The previous season had seen Liverpool fall well short of competing for top prizes and they only just scraped into a Champions League place on the last day of the league season. The Liverpool board decided that change was essential and Gerard Houllier departed as manager. This led to frenzied media speculation that Gerrard would also leave Anfield, but the appointment of Rafael Benitez convinced him to stay to see what the new manager could deliver. Rafael " Rafa " Benítez (born April 16 1960) is a Spanish former footballer and has been the manager

2004–05: Champions League Winner

Gerrard taking a freekick for Liverpool. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England.

Liverpool struggled early in the season under the new management. The club were not helped by the sale of Michael Owen to Real Madrid and a serious injury to striker Djibril Cisse. Injuries severely affected the rest of the team, including Gerrard himself. A foot injury sustained against rivals Manchester United on 20 September 2004 ruled Gerrard out of first team football until late November 2004. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " By that stage the club were already out of realistic contention in the Premier League and they were also under pressure to stay in the Champions League.

Liverpool went into the final group game requiring a two-goal win to progress into the last 16 of the competition. Gerrard scored a 25-yard strike in the last five minutes against the Greek team Olympiakos to secure the team's progress. A yard (abbreviation yd) is a unit of Length in several different systems including English units Imperial units and United ^[7] , after being 1–0 down at half-time to a Rivaldo free kick and required three second half goals to go through. Liverpool had been struggling for goals after Owen's sale and Cisse's injury. However, they launched a comeback scoring 2 goals before Gerrard secured their place in the knockout stage with the crucial third goal with a late strike from outside the box. He has since claimed that this was his most important, if not his best, goal for Liverpool to date. ^[8]

Liverpool won their two-legged ties against Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea in the knock out stages and they went on to reach the Champions League final. However, in the meantime, the club only finished 5th in the league - more than thirty points behind the champions Chelsea. Liverpool did reach the Carling Cup final, but were beaten 3–2 by Chelsea after extra time. Gerrard headed an own goal with Liverpool winning with ten minutes left of normal time. This proved to be one of the lowest points of his Anfield career and once again, media speculation arose that he would be moving on from Liverpool at the end of the season.

Final in Istanbul

Liverpool played AC Milan in the 2005 Champions' League final in Istanbul. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Route to the final UEFA Champions League 2004-05 AC Milan AC Milan were drawn straight into the group stage of the competition Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey The game started badly. At half-time Liverpool were 3–0 down. It appeared that AC Milan had the trophy won already. Rafa Benitez made a number of tactical changes at half time, including the substitution of Dietmar Hamann for Steve Finnan which allowed Gerrard to push further forward, and Liverpool launched one of the most famous comebacks in sporting history. Dietmar "Didi" Hamann (born August 27, 1973 in Waldsassen, Bavaria) is a German Midfielder who currently plays Stephen John Finnan (born 24 April 1976 is an Irish international football player who currently plays for Espanyol at right back.

During a six minute stretch in the second half, Liverpool scored three times to level the game at 3–3. Gerrard headed in the first goal in from a John Arne Riise cross in the 54th minute. John Arne Semundseth Riise (born 24 September 1980 in Ålesund) is a Norwegian football player for Roma. Two minutes later Vladimír Šmicer scored the Reds' second goal. Vladimír Šmicer (born May 24 1973 in Děčín) is a Czech Football (soccer Midfielder and forward, who Moments later, Gerrard was brought down in the box by Gennaro Gattuso and won a penalty. Gennaro Ivan "Rino" Gattuso, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born January 9 1978 in Corigliano Calabro) is an Italian World Xabi Alonso's spot kick was saved by Dida, the goalkeeper, but he failed to hold the ball and Alonso scored from the rebound to make it 3–3. Xabier Alonso Olano, commonly known as Nélson de Jesus Silva (born October 7 1973 in Irará Bahia) best known as Dida, is a Brazilian goalkeeper.

There were no further goals in the game. Liverpool went on to win the match via a penalty shootout. Penalty shootouts, properly named kicks from the penalty mark, are a method sometimes used to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament (or wins the tournament Gerrard became the second youngest captain ever to lift the European Cup (Didier Deschamps is the youngest). Didier Deschamps (French didje deˈʃɑ̃ (born 15 October 1968 in Bayonne) is a former French football player who captained Gerrard did not take a penalty, he would have taken Liverpool's fifth spot kick if Jerzy Dudek had not already saved from Andriy Shevchenko to win the match for Liverpool. Jerzy Dudek (ˈjɛʒɨ ˈdudɛk born March 23, 1973 in Rybnik, Poland) is a Polish football player who plays for Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko (Андрій Миколайович Шевченко Andrij Mykolajovyč Ševčenko; born September 29 1976 in Dvirkivschyna, ^[7] Gerrard's goal made him one of only two people this century to score in both the UEFA Cup and Champions League finals (Dmitri Alenichev for FC Porto is the other). Dmitri Anatolievich Alenitchev (Дмитрий Аленичев (born 20 October 1972 in Velikie Luki, Russia) is a former professional

Gerrard was named as UEFA's Most Valuable Player for the 2004–05 Champions' League season. The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. The UEFA Club Football Awards are awards given by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season He was also in the running for French sport newspaper L'Equipe's prestigious Ballon D'Or award. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. L'Équipe ( French for "the team" is a French nationwide daily Newspaper devoted to Sports The paper is noted for coverage The "fr '''Ballon d'Or'''" ( French for " Golden Ball " often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award is an association football Gerrard came third in the 2005 BBC Sports Personality of the Year behind Ellen MacArthur (second) and Andrew Flintoff. Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born 8 July 1976) is an English Sailor from Whatstandwell near Matlock Andrew Flintoff, MBE, (born 6 December 1977 in Preston, Lancashire) is a Cricketer who plays for Lancashire and England. He later finished third in the 2005 European footballer of the year award.

2005–06: FA Cup winner

In the 2005–06 season, Gerrard scored 23 goals in 53 games from midfield. In April, Gerrard received his greatest personal accolade to date, when he was voted PFA Player of the Year by his fellow players, becoming the first Liverpool player to win the award since John Barnes in 1988. The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963 in Kingston Jamaica) is a Jamaican born former professional English ^[9]

Gerrard capped the season by captaining Liverpool to victory in the FA Cup. The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after He scored twice in the Final against West Ham, including an equalizer in stoppage time to send the game into extra-time. } West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London, who have played The 35-yard strike (past Shaka Hislop) has been called the greatest goal in FA Cup final history, and was named Match of the Day's Goal of the Season. Neil Shaka Hislop CM (born 22 February 1969) is a former professional football goalkeeper. Match of the Day (sometimes abbreviated as MOTD) is the BBC 's main football Television programme The Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season Gerrard also scored in the penalty shoot out.

His goals in the 2006 FA Cup final makes Gerrard the only player to have scored in all four major cup finals that it is possible for an England-based player to take part in. ^[10] Gerrard's goals were: FA Cup (2006 vs West Ham United), League Cup (2003 vs Manchester United), UEFA Cup (2001 vs Deportivo Alaves), and European Cup (2005 vs AC Milan).

2006–07: Champions League Runners-Up

Gerrard playing for Liverpool during the 2006–07 season

Liverpool claimed the first domestic silverware of the 2006–07 season by beating Chelsea 2–1 to win the FA Community Shield. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. As Gerrard was rested from the starting line-up, Jamie Carragher was made captain for the match and thus lifted the cup; Gerrard replaced Boudewijn Zenden on the hour mark, and so added another medal to his collection. Boudewijn "Bolo" Zenden ( (born August 15, 1976 in Maastricht) is a Dutch footballer who plays most often as a Midfielder

Liverpool were unsuccessful domestically. They finished 3rd in the Premiership, 21 points adrift of the champions Manchester United and on equal points with 4th placed Arsenal. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs In the FA Cup, they were defeated by Arsenal at the third-round stage. The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after ^[11]

In the Carling Cup they were again knocked out by Arsenal at the quarter-final stage. The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition Gerrard scored in the match but could not prevent his side suffering a 6–3 defeat at home. ^[12]

However, Liverpool fared better in the Champions League. Defending Champions and favourites FC Barcelona were beaten in the last 16, and joint favourites Chelsea in the semi-final. Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan In the semi, Gerrard provided the assist for Daniel Agger to score Liverpool's equalizer and later scored the third penalty for Liverpool in the shoot-out. Daniel Munthe Agger.(born 12 December 1984 in Hvidovre) is a Danish professional footballer who currently plays as a central Liverpool faced AC Milan for the title on 23 May, in a repeat of the 2005 final, but lost 2–1. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne

2007–08

In Liverpool's first game of the new campaign against Aston Villa at Villa Park, Gerrard secured Liverpool three valuable points after scoring a curling free kick into the top-right corner from 25 yards out at the 87th minute, just two minutes after Gareth Barry had equalized for Villa through a penalty. Villa Park is a football Stadium in the district of Aston, in Birmingham, England Gareth Barry (born 23 February 1981 in Hastings Gerrard was awarded the Man of the Match award. In Sport, a man of the match or player of the game or man of the series award is given to the outstanding player almost always the one who makes the most The win marks Liverpool's first opening day victory in the Premiership since 2002. In the Champions League qualifier versus Toulouse F.C., Gerrard was substituted in the 65th minute with a suspected injury. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Toulouse Football Club is a French football team playing in the city of Toulouse, Haute-Garonne. While this was later confirmed as a hairline fracture in his toe he would return to play only four days later versus Chelsea. Gerrard played the entirety of the match as it finished in a 1–1 draw.

On October 28, 2007, Gerrard played his 400th game for Liverpool against Arsenal, scoring a goal. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Gerrard was elected fans player of the match.

Gerrard scored in nearly every gameduring November and by scoring in the away Champions League tie against Olympic Marseille he became the first Liverpool player since John Aldridge in 1989 to score in 7 games in a row. Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football John William Aldridge (born Liverpool, 18 September 1958) Aldridge is a British-born former Republic of Ireland international

On April 13th 2008 he made his 300th Premier League appearance against Blackburn Rovers F.C., and marked the occasion by scoring the opening goal. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. Liverpool finished fourth in the League and reached the semi-finals of the European Champions League eventually going out to Chelsea. Gerrard ended the season with 22 goals surpassing his goals total of the 06-07 season and was one of the nominees for the PFA player of the year alongside teammate Fernando Torres. Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984 in Madrid, Spain nicknamed El Niño ("The Kid" is a Spanish footballer, who plays for Liverpool He was also selected for the PFA Team of the year for the fifth year in a row and sixth overall. ^[13]

Transfer speculation

Media speculation of Gerrard's future was rife during two consecutive summer transfer windows, with him being most strongly linked with a move to Chelsea both times. During the summer of 2004,^[7] he was approached by Chelsea, but eventually chose to stay at Liverpool. It is known that he was on the brink of signing for the London club but was persuaded to stay by his family and friends and his feeling that, as a local born player, he would regret playing for any other club team but Liverpool FC. The arrival of a new Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez also played a part in his decision. ^[7]

The cover of Steven Gerrard's autobiography, published in September 2006. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write"

Immediately after the 2005 Champions League final, Gerrard gave a hint regarding his future, when he said to the press: "How can I leave after a night like this?"^[14] However, by July contract negotiations broke down between Gerrard and the club. Reports stated that Gerrard was about to leave Liverpool, and Chelsea were again reported to have tabled a British record bid of thirty-two million pounds for the player. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency Throughout the episode, Liverpool remained insistent that they wanted Gerrard to stay, but on 5 July, Gerrard stated publicly that he wished to leave. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. ^[15]

To the delight of Liverpool fans, Gerrard changed his mind the next day and pledged his future to the club. ^[7][16] He also apologized to the club's supporters and insisted that there were no get-out clauses in the new contract that he would be signing. He also offered to give up his captaincy, but was told by Rafael Benítez that it was not necessary. On the morning of 8 July, Gerrard signed a new four-year deal with Liverpool alongside teammate, Jamie Carragher. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher (born 28 January 1978 in Bootle, Merseyside) is a central defender/right-back playing his club football at Liverpool

In summer 2006, Gerrard quashed transfer rumours, publicly stating, "I'm not going to get involved in all that kind of speculation again; I'm settled and happy at Liverpool, and I'm not going to go through another summer like the last two. I'll be staying here until the day someone tells me they don't want me. "^[17]

Prior to the Champions League final in May 2007, Gerrard stated that he was in talks to sign a new contract with Liverpool, saying: "I've never been happier with my football. I'd love nothing better than to get this contract sorted and signed . . . We need to keep all of our big players here so it's very important we get the contracts sorted out so they can be here for a long time. "^[18][19] It was announced on 4 May 2007, Gerrard would tie up a £120,000 pounds a week contract to keep him at Liverpool until the end of his career, despite already being contracted until 2009 . Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency This contract would make him the highest paid British player. This was confirmed on 4 June 2007, when Gerrard and team-mate Jamie Carragher signed deals that would tie them to Liverpool until July 2011. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher (born 28 January 1978 in Bootle, Merseyside) is a central defender/right-back playing his club football at Liverpool ^[20] On the 20th of April 2008, it was reported by The Daily Mirror that Chelsea FC had lined up a £33 million pound bid for the midfielder, this after 2 previous failed attempts. The Daily Mirror, often referred to simply as The Mirror, is a British Tabloid daily Newspaper founded in 1903

International career

Gerrard was given his international debut by Kevin Keegan against Ukraine on 31 May 2000. Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE (born 14 February 1951 is a former footballer, and former England national team coach who has been manager of various The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[21] It was 18 months and only 44 games since his debut for the Liverpool first team. That summer, he was picked for the England squad for Euro 2000. The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by ^[22] In an unsuccessful campaign for England, Gerrard only made one substitute appearance, coming on for Michael Owen after 61 minutes, in the team's sole victory — a 1-0 defeat of Germany. The German national football team (Die deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft From 1950 to 1990 the team was also informally called West Germany in English as since ^[23]

Gerrard was one of three Liverpool players including Michael Owen (3 goals) and Emile Heskey (1 goal) who scored in the World Cup qualifying game in September 2001 against Germany (1– 5 away victory), this being his first international goal. Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979 in Chester, Cheshire) is an English football player who currently plays for and captains Newcastle United Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978 in Leicester, England he is a Striker currently playing for Premier League side Wigan Athletic The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football ^[24] England successfully qualified for the 2002 World Cup, but Gerrard was forced to pull out of the squad to undergo surgery on a problematic groin injury. The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. ^[25] This operation finally put an end to injury problems that had plagued Gerrard since his early teens.

The 2004 European Football Championship saw Gerrard finally get a starting role in a major international tournament. The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship (or just Euro 2004) was the twelfth edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football Late in England's first game against France, Gerrard's back-pass was intercepted by Thierry Henry, who was then brought down by David James, winning France a penalty. The French national football team represents the nation of France in international football. Thierry Daniel Henry ( born 17 August 1977 David Benjamin James (born 1 August 1970 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire) is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Portsmouth Zinedine Zidane duly scored to give France victory 2-1. ^[26] England went on to win their next two group games to progress in second place, with Gerrard scoring his first goal at a finals competition with the third goal against Switzerland. The Swiss national football team (also known as the Schweizer Nati in German La Nati in French is the national football team of Switzerland ^[27] England lost in the next round to Portugal, with Gerrard being substituted in the 81st minute. The Portugal national football team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF finishing 4th at the last World Cup. ^[28]

Gerrard suffered an injury scare days before the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when it was suggested that he might be ruled out of England's first game of the tournament; however, he was deemed fit to make his first ever World Cup appearance,^[29] and started in the side that beat Paraguay 1-0. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Paraguay national football team is the national team of Paraguay and is controlled by the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol. ^[30] He then went on to score twice in the group stages of the tournament – first netting England's second goal in a 2-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago with a long-range, curled strike (coincidentally, again past Hislop) in injury time. The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is controlled by the Trinidad This victory, in which Gerrard's Liverpool team-mate Peter Crouch also scored, ensured England's progress to the second round of the tournament with a game to spare. Peter James Crouch (born 30 January 1981 is an English international football player ^[31] Gerrard was then initially rested for the final group game against Sweden, as a precaution against picking up a second booking that would have ruled him out of the second round match (having already received one against Paraguay). The Swedish national football team is the national football team of Sweden and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association. He came off the bench to score a powerfully headed goal in the 85th minute, giving England the lead in a game that finished 2-2. ^[32] Gerrard was one of three England players to see their penalty saved by Ricardo Pereira in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out which was won by Portugal. Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira', simply Ricardo ( pron Gerrard finished the tournament as England's top goalscorer with two goals. ^[33]

Gerrard was regarded by both the footballing media and bookmakers to be one of the prime candidates for the England captaincy after David Beckham resigned the post. David Robert Joseph Beckham, and is also a member of the England national team. ^[34] William Hill gave odds of 2/1 for Gerrard (with John Terry as favourite on 1/2 odds). William Hill plc ( is one of the largest Bookmakers in the United Kingdom. John George Terry (born 7 December 1980 in Barking, London is an English Professional footballer. With 47 caps at that time, Gerrard was a more experienced international player (as opposed to Terry's 29), but Steve McClaren chose to give the post to the Chelsea skipper, with Gerrard as vice-captain. Stephen "Steve" McClaren (born 3 May 1961 is an English football manager and former player ^[35] On October 13, 2007, Gerrard captained the England squad for the first time in a competitive match. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Due to England failing to qualify for The European Championships in 2008, Steve McClaren was fired by the F. The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Stephen "Steve" McClaren (born 3 May 1961 is an English football manager and former player A. Fabio Capello was hired and is responsible for deciding who the captains arm band will be given to. Fabio Capello (born 18 June 1946 in Pieris, San Canzian d'Isonzo, Gorizia) is an Italian football manager and former professional

Personal life

Gerrard is married to Alex Curran, and the couple have two daughters: Lilly-Ella Gerrard (born 23 February 2004) and Lexie Gerrard (born 9 May 2006). Alex Curran (Gerrard (born September 23 1982 in Aintree, Liverpool) an English model and fashion columnist for the Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. They married at Cliveden on June 16, 2007, the same day as the weddings of England team-mates Gary Neville, Michael Carrick and rock star Rod Stewart, a day after England captain John Terry's. Location Cliveden (pronounced CLIV-d'n is a Mansion in Buckinghamshire, England overlooking the River Thames owned by the Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Gary Alexander Neville (born February 18, 1975 in Bury, Greater Manchester) is an English football player Michael Adrian Carrick (born 28 July 1981 in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear) is an English footballer who currently plays for Manchester United as a Roderick "Rod" David Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945 is a Singer and Songwriter born and raised in London England and currently John George Terry (born 7 December 1980 in Barking, London is an English Professional footballer. ^[36][37][38] He has an older brother named Paul (not to be confused with former Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard) and his parents are divorced. Everton Football Club is an English football club located in the city of Liverpool. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Paul William Gerrard (born 22 January, 1973 in Heywood, near Rochdale, Lancashire) is an English football

On 1 September 2006, Gerrard published his first autobiography, entitled Gerrard: My Autobiography, in which he talks extensively about his personal life, Liverpool and England careers. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" Gerrard states in his autobiography that his ambition before he retires is to get a "well done" from manager Rafael Benitez. Rafael " Rafa " Benítez (born April 16 1960) is a Spanish former footballer and has been the manager ^[7] Gerrard's Autobiography was awarded the sports book of the year in the Galaxy British Book Awards by beating other sport books like Pelé: The Autobiography.

On 13 December 2006, councillors of Knowsley voted to make him a Freeman of the Borough. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The first person to receive the honour since 1988, other people previously honoured include Lord Wilson the former Labour Prime Minister. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians ^[39] The formal ceremony was expected to take place in 2007. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

On 29 December 2006, Gerrard was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen in her New Year Honours List, for services to sport. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery achievement or service to the United Kingdom. ^[40]

On October 1, 2007 he had a low-speed car accident in his BMW X5, knocking down a 10 year old boy who ran into the road outside Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Southport. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The BMW X5 is a Mid-size Crossover SUV sold by BMW since 1999 Southport is a seaside town on the Irish Sea coast situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in England, UK. ^[41] Gerrard later visited the boy and handed him football boots signed by the boy's favourite player, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, who is a teammate of Gerrard for England's international team. Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside) is an English footballer who currently plays for English Premier England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The boy has since recovered fully from his accident.

On December 11, 2007 whilst he was scoring for Liverpool against Marseille, his house was being burgled. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football

Club statistics

International goals

Scores and results list England's goal tally first. The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs The 2001-02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition The FA Premier League 2002-03 season (often referred to as the 2002-03 Barclaycard Premiership, due to sponsorship rights was the eleventh season of the

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2001-09-01	Munich, Germany	Germany	2-1	5-1	2002 FIFA World Cup Qual.
2	2002-10-16	Southampton, England	FYR Macedonia	2-2	2-2	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
3	2003-06-03	Leicester, England	Serbia and Montenegro	1-0	2-1	Friendly match
4	2004-06-17	Coimbra, Portugal	Switzerland	3-0	3-0	UEFA Euro 2004
5	2004-09-04	Vienna, Austria	Austria	2-0	2-2	2006 FIFA World Cup Qual.
6	2005-03-30	Newcastle, England	Azerbaijan	1-0	2-0	2006 FIFA World Cup Qual.
7	2006-05-30	Manchester, England	Hungary	1-0	3-1	Friendly match
8	2006-06-15	Nuremberg, Germany	Trinidad and Tobago	2-0	2-0	2006 FIFA World Cup
9	2006-06-20	Cologne, Germany	Sweden	2-1	2-2	2006 FIFA World Cup
10	2006-09-02	Manchester, England	Andorra	2-0	5-0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
11	2007-03-28	Barcelona, Spain	Andorra	1-0	3-0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
12	2007-03-28	Barcelona, Spain	Andorra	2-0	3-0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
13	2008-05-28	London, England	USA	2-0	2-0	Friendly match.

Career honours/achievements

Liverpool

• Winner
  • FA Cup: 2000-01, 2005-06
  • League Cup: 2000-01, 2002-03
  • UEFA Champions League: 2004-05
  • UEFA Cup: 2000-01
  • Community Shield: 2001, 2006
  • European Super Cup: 2001, 2005

• Runner Up
  • FIFA Club World Championship: 2005
  • League Cup: 2004-05
  • Charity Shield: 2002
  • FA Premier League: 2001-02
  • UEFA Champions League: 2006-07

Personal

• Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): 2007
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007
• FIFPro World XI: 2006-2007
• PFA Player of the Year: 2006
• Match of the Day's Goal of the Season: 2005-06
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year: 2005
• UEFA Champions' League Most Valuable Player: 2004–05
• Member of PFA Team of the Year: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Barclays Player of the Month: March 2001, March 2003, December 2004, April 2006
• PFA Young Player of the Year: 2001
• PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2001

References and notes

External links

• Steven Gerrard FIFA competition record
• Official LFC profile
• BBC Sport profile
• Tactical Profile at Football-Lineups. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) com
• Steven Gerrard career stats at Soccerbase
• Steven Gerrard Profile at Carling.com
• Steven Gerrard Profile at FootballDatabase.com
• Profile and stats at LFChistory.net