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Steven
Gerrard
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Liverpool captain Steven
Gerrard has announced he is to leave his boyhood club at the end of the season,
GRAPHITTI NEWS has confirmed.
- Joined the Liverpool Academy at the age of 9 after being spotted by a scout.
- Made his debut for Liverpool in 1998 as a substitute.
- Won his first England cap in 2000 and was named captain in 2012.
- His autobiography Gerrard: My Autobiography won Sports Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2006.
- Awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2006.
- Scored a hat trick during his 400th Premier League appearance for Liverpool in 2012.
- Received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University in 2008.
- In February 2011, set up the Steven Gerrard Foundation, which aims to raise money for a range of children's charitable organizations.
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Source: BBC Sport
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The full statement posted
on the LFC website states:
Liverpool
Football Club can confirm Steven Gerrard is to leave the club at the end of the
2014-15 season.
The
Reds captain will bring the curtain down on a glittering Anfield career that
has spanned nearly 17 years and included 10 trophies, as well as 695 appearances
and 180 goals to date since joining the club's youth system aged eight.
Gerrard
will not retire from professional football at the conclusion of the 2014-15
season. No decision on his new club has been made yet, but he will continue his
career outside the United Kingdom and at a side that will not bring him into
direct competition with Liverpool.
The
34-year-old admits it is with a heavy heart he will depart Liverpool,
describing the decision as the 'toughest of his life', but has chosen to make
it now to avoid speculation about his future.
Until
then, the No.8 insists he will continue to concentrate all his efforts on
helping Brendan Rodgers' side achieve both domestic and European success.
Explaining
his decision, Gerrard said: "This has been the toughest decision of my
life and one which both me and my family have agonized over for a good deal of
time.
"I
am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not
distracted by stories or speculation about my future.
"Liverpool
Football Club has been such a huge part of all our lives for so long and saying
goodbye is going to be difficult, but I feel it's something that's in the best
interests of all involved, including my family and the club itself.
"I'm
going to carry on playing and although I can't confirm at this stage where that
will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won't be playing for a
competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool - that is
something I could never contemplate.
"My
decision is completely based on my wish to experience something different in my
career and life and I also want to make sure that I have no regrets when my
playing career is eventually over.
"I
can't thank Brendan, the owners and everyone at the club enough for how they've
handled this and I am leaving on great terms. Also, I would like to thank my
teammates and all the staff for their help and continued support.
"It
is a very special place to be part of. It is my sincere hope and wish that one
day I can return to serve Liverpool again, in whatever capacity best helps the
club.
"One
point that is important to make is that from now until the last kick of the
last game of the season, I will be as fully committed to the team as I ever
have been and giving everything I have to help Liverpool win games.
"My
final message is for the people who make Liverpool Football Club the greatest
in the world - the supporters.
"It has been a
privilege to represent you, as a player and as captain. I have cherished every
second of it and it is my sincere wish to finish this season and my Liverpool
career on a high."
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Source: BBC Sport
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