Steven Gerrard was one of the world's finest midfielders during his playing days. He won plenty of trophies, but the common view is he should have collected more before moving into management.

Steven Gerrard is an English football manager and former player, who is currently head coach of Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.

He is most famous for his contribution to Liverpool FC and the England national team as a midfielder. Towards the end of his playing career, Gerrard also played for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

Gerrard captained Liverpool to the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League title. His domestic career, though, was characterised by near misses in his pursuit of Premier League glory.

Despite a comparative lack of honours, Gerrard was one of the best midfielders of his generation, earning the Ballon d'Or Bronze Award and winning UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in 2005.

He wrote his name in Liverpool's history books by sticking with the club instead of jumping ship during an era of limited success when he was courted by some of the finest clubs in world football.

After short spell coaching Liverpool's youth team, Gerrard made the step into management at Scottish giants Rangers in 2018.

He won the Scottish Premiership in the 2020/21 season, Rangers' first title in ten years, and was poached by Premier League club Aston Villa in November 2021.

However, his spell at Villa Park was brief. After leading the club to 14th in the Premier League in the 2021/22 season, he was sacked in early October of the new campaign as the club struggled at the foot of the table.

In July 2023, Gerrard returned to management as head coach of Al-Ettifaq after signing a two-year contract.

 

Captaining his hometown club

Gerrard joined Liverpool's academy at the age of nine and made his first team debut nine years later, on 29 November 1998, against Blackburn Rovers.

Injury to captain Jamie Redknapp meant Gerrard was able to make 13 appearances in his debut season. He played mostly as a central midfielder, but also occasionally on the right wing.

Injury troubles initially halted his progress, but then in 2000/01, Gerrard made 50 starts in all competitions, scoring 10 goals as Liverpool earned a unique treble by winning the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. His contribution that season saw him win the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

After winning the UEFA Super Cup and FA Charity Shield the following season, Gerrard got his hands on silverware again in March 2003, when he scored the opening goal in Liverpool's 2-0 League Cup final win over Manchester United.

In October 2003, manager Gerard Houllier handed the captain's armband to Gerrard. He replaced centre-back Sami Hyypia as skipper and Gerrard then signed a new four-year contract with the Reds.

In 2003/04, Liverpool failed to win any trophies, leading to the resignation of Houllier as manager. Rafael Benitez replaced Houllier just as Gerrard was being linked with a move to Chelsea. By Gerrard's own testimony in his autobiography, his relationship with the Spanish tactician was frosty and his head was turned by the prospect of playing for Jose Mourinho in West London.

In 2004/05, Gerrard scored a stunning long-range volley against Olympiacos to send Liverpool through to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. An own goal in the League Cup final defeat to Chelsea, however, did little to cool speculation of a move to the Blues.

Liverpool's Premier League form was abysmal and they finished fifth - behind Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton. This meant that in order to qualify for the following season's UEFA Champions League, Liverpool had to win the competition.

A 1-0 semi-final victory over Chelsea on aggregate came against the odds. This set up a final between Liverpool and Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded AC Milan.

Milan went 3-0 up but Gerrard scored in a sensational comeback to 3-3 before Liverpool won the penalty shootout 3-2. He won man of the match in the final and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award.

In the wake of Liverpool's sensational triumph, Gerrard made a u-turn on his transfer request and stayed at Anfield rather than moving to Stamford Bridge.

In 2005/06, Gerrard won the PFA Player of the Year award and lifted the FA Cup. He scored 23 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions.

Gerrard's sensational equaliser against West Ham United in the FA Cup final ultimately won the trophy for his side. He became the only player to have scored in the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League finals.

In the 2007/08 campaign, Gerrard struck up a deadly partnership with new Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, but Liverpool finished fourth in the Premier League and were eliminated by Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals.

In 2008/09, Liverpool led the league title race for much of the season, but they were pipped at the post by Manchester United.

The 2009/10 season ended in a disastrous seventh-place finish and the departure of Benitez. This was to be the beginning of a difficult era in Liverpool's history. Many star players left, but Gerrard stayed put.

The 2011/12 season saw Liverpool end their trophy drought with the League Cup, but Chelsea beat them 2-1 in the FA Cup final and the Reds finished eighth in the league.

The 2013/14 season saw Liverpool fight their way to the top of the table with mere weeks to go in the Premier League title race.

Inspired by the form of Suarez, they looked certain to claim the crown, but Gerrard's slip against Chelsea allowed Demba Ba to score and the Blues beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield. After a 3-3 draw to Crystal Palace left their title challenge in tatters, Liverpool were beaten to the punch by Manchester City.

The 2014/15 season was Gerrard's last in Liverpool colours. The Reds finished sixth in the Premier League as Chelsea stormed to the title, but Gerrard received a standing ovation at Stamford Bridge when he was substituted off, despite the fierce rivalry between Liverpool and Chelsea and his previous snub of the Blues' transfer advances.

After his spell at Liverpool came to an end, Gerrard joined LA Galaxy in MLS.

 

Signing for LA Galaxy

Gerrard signed an 18-month Designated Player contract at LA Galaxy reportedly worth $9million.

At Galaxy, he played alongside former England teammate Ashley Cole and former Liverpool teammate Robbie Keane. Despite his short time in the league, with just 13 league appearances, Gerrard's impact was such that he was named on the roster for the 2015 MLS All-Star Game.

After MLS Cup Playoff exits in 2015 and 2016, Gerrard retired from playing football upon the expiration of his contract.

 

Steven Gerrard and England

Gerrard scored 21 goals in 114 England caps and appeared in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, captaining England in 2010 and 2014.

He scored his first England goal in a 5-1 victory over Germany in 2002 World Cup qualifying, but withdrew from the tournament due to injury.

Gerrard also played for England at the 2004 and 2012 European Championships. In the unsuccessful 2006 World Cup campaign for England, Gerrard earned the consolation of being the Three Lions' top scorer at the tournament.

However, Gerrard's England career was characterised by disappointment as he never progressed past the quarter-finals of a major tournament with the Three Lions.

Throughout his international career, there was widespread cynicism over his midfield partnership with Chelsea counterpart Frank Lampard, with their similar playing styles causing concerns over fitting them both in the same line-up - this 'problem' was a continuous talking point in the English media for years.

 

Silverware at Rangers

Gerrard moved into coaching just a few months after retiring as a player, moving back home to Liverpool to take on a coaching role within the club's academy.

The former midfielder took charge of Liverpool's Under-19 side as they took part in the UEFA Youth League - a Europe-wide competition for elite academies.

After spending time gaining experience and managing in Liverpool's youth ranks, Gerrard was confirmed as the new Rangers manager ahead of the 2018/19 season, replacing Graeme Murty in the dugout.

Rangers progressed under the former England international, steadily reeling in a dominant Celtic team in his first couple of seasons.

Gerrard's Rangers finally broke Celtic's nine-season strangehold on the Scottish top flight during the 2020/21 season.

The Gers claimed back-to-back wins over Celtic and their first Scottish Premiership title in ten years, without losing a match. Gerrard scooped a host of personal awards including the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year.

 

Flop at Villa

On November 11 2021, Gerrard left Rangers and was appointed Aston Villa manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Gerrard won four of his first six games in charge, losing to Manchester City and Liverpool, and dragged Villa into 10th place and clear of another relegation dogfight.

However, the rest of the season was inconsistent. Despite signing Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona, and a brief flirtation with the top ten in March, Villa eventually fell away and finished 14th.

The 2022/23 season didn't start much better with Villa only winning two of 11 league outings.

On October 20, just hours after a 3-0 humbling to Fulham, Gerrard paid the price for poor form and results and was sacked.

 

Moving to Saudi

In July 2023, Gerrard became the latest big name to make the move to Saudi Arabia after signing a two-year contract to become head coach of Al-Ettifaq.

"Without a doubt Gerrard's presence will be an addition and a quantum leap to our league," said Al-Ettifaq president Engineer Khaled Al-Dabel.

Gerrard had been long-term target for the Saudi club but he revealed last month he had turned down an initial approach.

"I was invited over there to look at a potential offer, which I did, and have been analysing that over the last couple of days. As we stand, right now, I won't be taking that offer up," Gerrard told BT Sport at the Champions League final.

However, Al-Ettifaq, who finished seventh out of 16 clubs in the Saudi Pro League, maintained their interest and Gerrard had a change of heart.

Despite a rocky season, Gerrard signed a contract extension with the club in January 2024, which will keep him at the helm until 2027.

“This is very pleasing for myself and my family and feels like recognition for a lot of hard work and commitment,” the former England captain told Al-Ettifaq’s official website.

“We knew at the beginning this was a big job and a challenging job. We all know it’s not going to be an overnight fix. But it’s really exciting in terms of where we believe we can get the club to. We want to build a special club and build an elite culture around the team and squad.

“I also understand my position, it’s a results business. I never take that for granted. I understand where we are in the league, but I am very confident we will improve. There will need to be an element of patience as there is still a lot to do on and off the pitch.

“Of course, I am going to have challenges in front of me. But I am willing to take them on, embrace it and do the best job I can do for this club.”

 

Personal life

Gerrard married Alex Curran on 16 June 2007 and the pair have four children together.

Six months prior, Gerrard became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in her New Year honours list. He received this honour for services to sport.

 

Net worth

Gerrard was 86th on Forbes' "The World's Highest Paid Athletes" list in 2014, but dropped off the list in 2015.

His net worth is believed to be around $90 million, and his two-year deal with Al-Ettifaq is worth £16m, which works out at £155,000 a week.