Steven Gerrard heads for California to begin the next chapter of his career next month still haunted by the agonising slip that cost him the chance to win the Premier League with Liverpool.
Gerrard’s blunder at Anfield in April last year let in Demba Ba to score for Chelsea as Liverpool’s title challenge fell apart dramatically with three games of the season to go.
A Premier League winner’s medal remains the glaring omission from a glittering 17-year career at the club, and the former England captain admits he has struggled to put the incident behind him while being mercilessly taunted by rival fans.
‘The slip happened at a bad time, it was cruel for me personally,’ said Gerrard, who has signed for LA Galaxy. ‘There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about what if that didn’t happen. Would things have been different? Would it have turned out different? Maybe it might.
‘I’m not scared of any criticism or any cruelty. I understand the moment and impact it had — it kills me and will do for a long time. I think, “If I’d have got that league, it would have been the icing on the cake”.
‘I’ve got good memories that will live with me for ever. But that one moment will always hurt me until the day I go, and it’s because if I’d have got that moment, I’d have achieved every dream with Liverpool. And as a man it hurts.’
Gerrard revealed that being left on the bench by manager Brendan Rodgers for the Champions League group game at Real Madrid in November contributed to his decision to call time on his Liverpool career.
He added: ‘The situation was a bit unique because it was Real Madrid. I sat on that bench devastated because I wanted to play, so it is one of those situations. It sort of pushed me towards making a decision to move on and try something different.’
And the 35-year-old admitted that he will always regret not playing for Jose Mourinho, who tried to sign him as coach of Chelsea, Inter Milan and Madrid.
‘Listen, I love the manager, I love the man,’ said Gerrard. ‘I have regrets not playing for the man and the coach because I know he would have made me a better player. But looking back now I have no regrets not signing for Chelsea.’
In a lighter moment during an interview with Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport, Gerrard said he used to kiss a television camera after scoring against arch rivals Manchester United just to irritate Ferdinand and his Old Trafford team-mates.
‘I bet all those Man United players are dying to give me a belt for doing that!’ he said.
‘But it’s like a tongue-in-cheek thing. “How can I wind you up on the pitch?” because, you know, at times you’ve frustrated us when you’ve beaten us 3-0 and we can hear your dressing room music pumping and you’re walking past our dressing room and shouting “Yes!” You gave Daniel Agger a clip on the way in, but rivalries happen.’ – Daily Mail