The former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard has announced his retirement from professional football, ending his 19-year playing career.
The 36-year-old has decided to call time on his career after his LA Galaxy side were knocked out of the MLS play-offs earlier this month, losing on penalties to Colorado Rapids.
Gerrard made 710 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 186 goals and winning eight major trophies, including the Champions League in 2005, before joining MLS side LA Galaxy in 2015.
Gerrard had this to say: “Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football,” Gerrard confirmed in a statement on Thursday. “I have had an incredible career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy.”
He also said : “The way you feel on the pitch changes and over the past couple of years I felt myself slowing down a little bit on the pitch,” Gerrard said, speaking to BT Sport. “The body starts talking to you, the pains and the aches get more regular. I can’t deliver what I used to be able to deliver and as time goes on that’s frustrating.
“My last three or four months I was getting too many injuries, the games were becoming more challenging and the travel was starting to affect me. I’ve had a few moments over the past few months where I thought ‘I didn’t play that well today’ or ‘that guy got the better of me today’.
“I’ve listened to people over the years, important people in the game who I trust and have a lot of respect for, and they said to me, ‘always go with a tiny bit lift and never overstay your welcome and play on too long where it becomes embarrassing’. I can feel that’s not too far away so now is the right time [to retire].”
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