Gerard Houllier on Steven Gerrard leaving Liverpool - “The news did not come as a total surprise, because I knew he was wavering between whether to extend his contract at Liverpool or seek a fresh start somewhere else. “Honestly, I think he has made the right decision to look for a new challenge. Whether that is in America or somewhere else, whoever gets him will be a very lucky club indeed. “But I would stress this; he should have no regrets. What he has done for Liverpool is incredible, and I don’t think anybody could have done any more. “His name is synonymous with the club, and you can’t really say much more than that. “I am sure he will be back with the club again in the future, in some capacity, and he will always have that incredible pride at having given so much to his hometown club. “If I had to sum Steven up in one word, the word would be ‘class’. He is class as a person, class as a player, and class as a leader. “He has a great personality and character. He is kind-hearted and generous, as you see with the charity work he does in Liverpool. And as a player, he is outstanding, phenomenal, world class. There is no praise too high for Steven.” Houllier added - “I remember when we first spotted him. He was very young, but you could see that he would be a top player very, very soon. “He was not yet fully grown, but he was competing with the very best players at a very young age, because he had this incredibly strong will and character. “He dedicated himself to his football. He looked after himself, he worked hard every day he came in to training, and he had a huge desire to be as good as he possibly could. He lived for football. “I remember he confided in me once, and he told me that the day I made him the captain was his proudest day in football. He always had huge pride in being able to represent Liverpool, and I don’t think any player could have done more for the club than he did.” Asked for his favourite Gerrard moment, Houllier concluded - “I remember the League Cup final of 2003 against Manchester United in Cardiff. “Steven had been suspended for three games I think, building up to the game, and he came back in for that game and played fantastic. “He scored the first goal, and for a Scouser to score against United in a final, what a special moment that was! I think that sums him up as a player.”
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:23:14 +0000