Steven Gerrard, 34, the Liverpool captain, has announced on Twitter that he'll move to the United States at the end of the season. He made the decision yesterday to end his 26 year association with the club and admitted that it was the "toughest decision of his life".
LA Galaxy, where David Beckham played from 2007-2012, has been suggested as a possible destination for the Anfield captain. However, the decision is yet to be made and it is thought that it is going to be in between the Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs: LA Galaxy and one of the New York teams.
There has been speculation that he could join his former England international team-mate Frank Lampard, 36, at New York City F.C. The former Chelsea man left the Blues last summer, after 13 years, but was loaned back to New York City F.C sister club Manchester City in a controversial loan move till February 2015, that was recently extended till the end of the season.
Another Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher, who together with Gerrard has been the heart of the club for over a decade, has proclaimed that the Mersey-siders should have made more of an effort to keep their captain. He also stated that the club should have explored the possibility of giving Gerrard a coaching role on the staff, to combine with playing duties over the next 12 months.
The club manager Brendan Rodgers stated that he wanted Gerrard to stay on at the club playing but could not guarantee that he would play him in every match; Gerrard also wanted to carry on playing, and was not yet ready to move into a coaching role at Liverpool.
Gerrard joined Liverpool when he was eight; he has spent his entire career at Anfield, making his debut in 1998, securing his place in the first team in 2000, and becoming the team captain in 2003.
He had 494 appearances for the club and is regarded to be one of the best English footballers of his generation, with the Liverpool's Championship League success in Istanbul in May 2005 being the highlight of his brilliant career.
He also had an illustrious career with the England national team; he made the international debut for the England U21 in 1999 and joined the England national team in 2000, where he made 114 appearances.
The decision has been made now and from the 23rd May the Reds will no longer have their mascot in No 8 jersey. They will never be the same again. It will be impossible to imagine someone else wearing that No 8 jersey. Equally, can Gerrard imagine his life beyond Liverpool?
