Steven Gerrard was the epitome of a local lad living out the dreams of the supporters watching on.
Across an incredible career atLiverpool, Gerrard became the beating heartbeat of the Reds' side. A box-to-box force of nature, Gerrard led Liverpool to a wealth of major honours, often appearing to singlehandedly drag his boyhood side over the line.
Gerrard was the driving force in Liverpool's 2005Champions League success in Istanbul, when Rafael Benitez's side somehow recovered from three goals down against AC Milan to win. A year later, another defining performance led to FA Cup success and the 'Gerrard Final' was born.
In 2026, he wasvoted as number one in a list of Liverpool's 100 Greatest Players.
For England, Gerrard won 114 caps and scored 21 goals, further cementing himself as one of the finest footballers the country has ever produced.
Here are some of the best quotes and tributes to the former Liverpool captain.
Steven Gerrard: The best quotes and tributes to the Liverpool legend
“He’s one of those rare players who can turn a good team into European champions.”
- Jamie Carragher
“He is without doubt the greatest player I have ever played with, he has everything. At Liverpool, he is irreplaceable. Every big club has a standard bearer, a home-grown talent, someone with a lifelong commitment to the cause. People come and go but he’s always there. It’s him and 10 others. He’s everything to the side. That’s Steven Gerrard at Liverpool. I can’t even begin to imagine the place without him.”
“I’d probably say a lot of players think he’s the best they’ve ever played against and the best they’ve played with, and there’s always a fear factor around him regardless what position he’s playing, regardless of how many minutes he’s played. He’s got an aura around him, he’s got that thing not everyone has. Not everyone has a fear factor but he’s got a fear factor."
- Daniel Sturridge
“A Roy of the Rovers character. It’s surprising to me how often people have used this tag as a criticism of Steven Gerrard and his all-action playing style. He wants to be everywhere…he deserts his position…he can’t play in the middle because he’ll leave a gap. What nonsense. Roy Race was a comic book hero and Steven Gerrard is a real-life one.”
- Harry Redknapp
“Everybody has their favourite midfield player. Some say Paul Scholes, some Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira or Frank Lampard. But the reason I always say Stevie, having played with him and against him, is because he encapsulated what they all do well rolled into one. He’s got a little bit of everything. He can score goals like Lampard, tackle like Keane… My dad summed it up perfectly when he first saw him play. He said: “He’s like Roy of the Rovers, that kid.” That’s what Stevie is and that’s why they love him at Liverpool.”
- Jamie Redknapp
“There are some who argue Gerrard cannot be rated so highly because he does not have the medal haul to compare with, say, the Manchester United players. It is preposterous to judge a player’s ability based on his trophy collection. There are dozens of players who have several Premier League winners’ medals who are not fit to lace Gerrard’s boots.”
- Michael Owen
“There was a point when Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world. It is unusual to get complete midfield players who can do everything, but that is what he was.”
- Zinedine Zidane
“If you were looking for the player you would replace Keane with, it would be Gerrard, without question. He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. More than Vieira. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but I think that Gerrard does more for his team than Vieira does, and has way more to his game. I’ve watched him quite a lot. To me, Gerrard is Keane. Everywhere the ball is, he seems to be there. He’s got that unbelievable engine, desire, determination. Anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team.”
- Alex Ferguson
“In my opinion he’s in the top three midfielders in the world, maybe the best right now. I heard what Alex Ferguson said about him being better than me. He’s probably right. Gerrard is England’s best player and he single-handedly got Liverpool into the Champions League. He is the complete player. He can score, he has a great final ball, he can tackle and he drives his team forward. He is a winner on the pitch, which is why I really admire him.”
- Patrick Vieira
“I can’t think of a striker anywhere in the word, let alone a midfielder, who has scored so many important goals. How many times has he done it in the dying seconds? It is incredible. I really would have loved to have played with him.”