Midfielder Steven Gerrard announced he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season. If he comes to the U.S., it will be with the LA Galaxy, says a report.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard stunned teammates when he announced that he will leave the Reds after a 25-year association with the club.
The 34-year-old midfielder told BBCSport, “This has been the toughest decision of my life, one both me and my family have agonized over for a good deal of time.”
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Gerrard’s contract expires at the end of this English Premier League season and while he said he would think about continuing to play, it won’t be in the Premier League.
Gerrard said he could “never contemplate” having to play against Liverpool.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated reported Friday via Twitter:
Made some calls. Feel safe saying that if Steven Gerrard comes to MLS it will be to the LA Galaxy.
— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) January 2, 2015
Gerrard came up through Liverpool’s youth academies, joining the club at age 9. The BBC reported he has been linked to a potential move to MLS.
He has never played for another professional club in 17 seasons, scoring 180 goals in 695 matches for Liverpool, including 116 goals in Premier League play.
He also played 114 caps for the English national team from 2000-14, scoring 21 goals. But as England suffered its first group stage elimination at the World Cup since 1958, Gerrard was at least partly responsible for both goals allowed in a loss to Uruguay.
Gerrard was replaced as captain by Frank Lampard for the final group stage match against Costa Rica and played as a substitute. He retired from international competition immediately following the World Cup.
He was part of Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League winning side in 2005.
Gerrard has five goals in 19 matches for Liverpool in Premier League action this season and scored two goals for the Reds in the group stage of the Champions League. However, with a 1-3-2 mark, Liverpool was eliminated and will face Turkish club Besiktas in the round of 32 of the Europa League on Feb. 19 and Feb. 26.
Fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson said it will be tough to lose Gerrard.
“It will be difficult because he is such a leader of our group, such a figurehead, and has been for many years,” Henderson told BBC Sport. “We just have to try and deal with it the best we can.”
While the LA Galaxy getting Gerrard would be a similar coup to MLS landing aging European standouts David Beckham and Thierry Henry in recent years, it is still a sign the circuit has a lot of distance to make up among the elite leagues in the world.
The best players from the U.S. still migrate to leagues in Europe and elsewhere and the international talent coming into MLS is comprised of either aging stars or players who were never quite able to contribute against more difficult competition.
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