Just when we were ready to shed a few tears over Steven Gerrard's departure from Liverpool FC and from the Premier League in general rumors of a Steven Gerrard Liverpool return have begun to emerge. The 34-year-old legend has pledged to return to Anfield in a few years in a management role. The midfielder-who has enjoyed a 17-year senior career at Liverpool, serving as team captain for the majority of that time-took his final bow at Anfield on May 16th, in a loss against Crystal Palace. Appropriately, in the Reds' final game of the 2014 2015 Premier League, it was Gerrard who scored the only goal-a 70-minute point that couldn't salvage a demoralizing 1-6 defeat dealt by Stoke City.
Those two losses didn't quite do justice to what Gerrard has done in his time at Liverpool, but from the looks of it, the longtime team leader has his sights set on a return to Anfield as soon as possible. In an open letter to fans, published in the Liverpool Echo, Gerrard laid out his hopes for the future and Liverpool return.
"I've been a supporter all my life and that will continue," he said of Liverpool. "I hope I get the opportunity to come back and serve the club one day again. I feel that I can make a contribution in some role in the future."
Reasons for Departure
The question is this: if Steven Gerrard is so committed to remaining a part of what's going on at Anfield, then why is he leaving now? Why won't football fans in the Liverpool kids home kit 2015 2016 have an opportunity to watch him on the field?
Gerrard also answered those questions in his open letter to fans. He explained that he wanted to keep playing football every week "in the final few years of [his] career," and that he didn't get that opportunity at Anfield this year. Gerrard only appeared in 29 of Liverpool's 38 Premier League games this year-down from 34 appearances in 2013 2014.
Indeed, not putting Steven on the field more frequently might have been the biggest blunder that Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made during the 2014 2015 campaign. Gerrard ended the year as the football club's top goalscorer-both in Premier League play (nine goals) and overall (13). And yet, the 34-year-old captain featured in significantly fewer games than younger midfielders like Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, and Phillippe Coutinho.
By transferring to a lower-profile team-Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, to be exact-Gerrard will see more opportunities to play late into his career. That factor ultimately pushed him to leave Liverpool after all these years-even after the Reds approached him with a late contract offer. This way, he gets the chance to leave Liverpool on a high note (despite the club's struggles this year, Gerrard was as dependable as ever) and to prolong his playing career into his mid-to-late 30s. Few soccer stars wouldn't take an opportunity like that.
The Promise of a Return
Best of all, fans in the Liverpool kids home kit 2015 2016 or 2014 2015 away jersey (both available from the Soccer Box online store!) don't have to look at this as a goodbye. Rather, after 17 years of having the pleasure to watch Steven Gerrard at Anfield, Reds fans can consider his departure as a brief intermission between two stages of his football career.
Based on how effectively he has served as the on-field leader for Liverpool since he was named captain back in October 2003, Gerrard is one of those gifted football players who could also have great potential as a manager.
That much was evident in 2005, when Steven led the Reds to their first Champions League title in more than two decades. In what is widely considered one of the greatest UCL finals ever, Liverpool came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat AC Milan in a penalty shootout. Gerrard scored the first of the three comeback goals, and was ultimately named Man of the Match for inspiring and leading his soccer team to a seemingly impossible victory.
Celebrate Steven Gerrard's impressive Liverpool legacy-as well as the promise of his eventual return-by picking up a new Liverpool home kit 2015 2016 at Soccer Box!