Gerrard prepares for emotional Anfield farewell
Print Edition
ALMOST 17 years after making his debut, Steven Gerrard will play at Anfield for the final time today when Liverpool entertains Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
His last game before he leaves for the Los Angeles Galaxy may yet occur at Stoke City on the season’s final day, but with Liverpool realistically unable to qualify for the Champions League and Palace long safe from relegation, tonight’s match will serve as his farewell party.
After 708 appearances, 185 goals, 10 trophies and innumerable moments of drama, it will be an occasion of unique poignancy, and the 34-year-old midfielder knows it will be difficult to keep his emotions in check.
“I’m really looking forward to the game,” he said. “I want to win my last game at Anfield. It will be a bonus if I can get on the score-sheet.
“But once the game finishes and I say goodbye to the fans that are here — and I know it’s being televised, so it’s a good chance for me to say goodbye to the fans worldwide as well — it will be emotional, not just for me, for my family.
“I’m sure there will be a few supporters that are emotional too. After 17 years, that’s just the way it’s going to be.”
Gerrard will be granted a guard of honor by both sets of players prior to kick-off, while supporters will display giant mosaics in the Kop and the lower part of the Centenary Stand.
The club will make a presentation to him on the pitch at the final whistle and the captain will then address the crowd for the final time.
When Gerrard passes beneath the famous ‘THIS IS ANFIELD’ sign in the tunnel prior to taking the field, it will be 6,012 days since he made his first appearance there, aged 18, as a late substitute for Vegard Heggem during a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998.
By his own admission, Gerrard’s career has been a tale of “really cruel lows and incredible highs”, but for the most part, the 123-year-old ground has been a sanctuary.
The lows have tended to happen elsewhere, be it major tournament heartbreak in foreign fields with England, FA Cup final disappointment at Chelsea’s hands in 2012 or the 2007 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League final in Athens.
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