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Steven Gerrard confirms Liverpool departure at the end of the season

By Dominic King for MailOnline and Neil Ashton for MailOnline and Simeon Gholam for MailOnline09:00 02 Jan 2015, updated 12:46 02 Jan 2015

Steven Gerrard admits choosing to leave was 'toughest decision of my life'
The 34-year-old announced he is to leave Liverpool at end of the season
Brendan Rodgers admits it's impossible to sum up Gerrard's importance
Liverpool skipper has just six months left on Anfield deal
Gerrard has told Liverpool he will not join a direct rival
LA Galaxy among the MLS clubs chasing his signature
Liverpool players past and present react to Gerrard's departure
Owner John W Henry also full of praise for Liverpool captain

Steven Gerrard has officially confirmed that he will leave Liverpool at the end of this season.

The former England captain is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and he has taken the difficult and emotional decision not to renew terms.

Liverpool had made an offer to Gerrard in November but the 34-year-old has reached the conclusion that he wants to pursue a new challenge.

Steven Gerrard leaving Liverpool's training ground with a thumbs up on Friday

Gerrard has announced that he is to leave Liverpool at the end of the current season

Liverpool announced the departure of captain Gerrard via their official Twitter account

Gerrard applaud the fans at Anfield after Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Leicester City on New Year's Day

Gerrard arriving earlier at Liverpool's Melwood training ground on Friday morning with friend and fellow footballer Ian Dunbavin (right)

Gerrard arriving at training on the morning he announced his decision he was to leave Liverpool

Gerrard had been offered a new deal by his club but has decided to leave Anfield after 26 years

Gerrard scored 13 times for Liverpool last season, coming agonisingly close to his first Premier League title

GERRARD'S LIVERPOOL CAREER

695 games, 180 goals

1 Champions League

2 FA Cups

3 League Cups

1 UEFA Cup

2 UEFA Super Cups

1 Charity Shield

In a statement on Liverpool's official website, Gerrard, who drove away from the club's Melwood training ground on Friday with a thumbs up, said: 'This has been the toughest decision of my life and one which both me and my family have agonised over for a good deal of time.

'I am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not distracted by stories or speculation about my future.

'Liverpool Football Club has been such a huge part of all our lives for so long and saying goodbye is going to be difficult, but I feel it's something that's in the best interests of all involved, including my family and the club itself.

'I'm going to carry on playing and although I can't confirm at this stage where that will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won't be playing for a competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool - that is something I could never contemplate.

'My decision is completely based on my wish to experience something different in my career and life and I also want to make sure that I have no regrets when my playing career is eventually over.

'I can't thank Brendan [Rodgers], the owners and everyone at the club enough for how they've handled this and I am leaving on great terms. Also, I would like to thank my team-mates and all the staff for their help and continued support.

'It is a very special place to be part of. It is my sincere hope and wish that one day I can return to serve Liverpool again, in whatever capacity best helps the club.

'One point that is important to make is that from now until the last kick of the last game of the season, I will be as fully committed to the team as I ever have been and giving everything I have to help Liverpool win games.

'My final message is for the people who make Liverpool Football Club the greatest in the world - the supporters.

'It has been a privilege to represent you, as a player and as captain. I have cherished every second of it and it is my sincere wish to finish this season and my Liverpool career on a high.'

Gerrard has been an inspirational captain for more than a decade, leading the team since 2003

The Liverpool skipper has often been the man to bail his team out on the big occasion with an important goal

Gerrard was instrumental in his sides run to the Champions League final to win their fifth European title

GERRARD'S LIVERPOOL RECORD

Premier League: 494 appearances, 116 goals

FA Cup: 39, 13

League Cup: 28, 9

Champions League: 87, 30

UEFA Cup/Europa League: 42, 11

Other: 5, 1

TOTAL: 695 appearances, 180 goals

Following the announcement, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers paid a personal and heartfelt tribute to Gerrard.

The manager said: 'It is almost an impossible task to find the words to appropriately sum up Steven Gerrard and his importance to Liverpool.

'This is an era where the word "legend" is vastly overused, but in his case it actually doesn't do him justice.

'From a personal point of view I will always have gratitude for the support he gave me, when I arrived here as manager.

'Steven came to see me and promised he would be 100 per cent behind me and do everything he could to help as we looked to introduce new ideas and a new way of working.

'He wasn't just true to his word, he vastly exceeded it.

'As a player he is immense and the influence he has on games should never be understated. At times he has carried this club on his back and in my time here he has always shown the ability that has rightly seen him be regarded as one of the world's best for well over a decade.

'As a leader and as a man, he is probably incomparable to anyone I have ever worked with.

'He takes professionalism to a new level and the dedication he has to his work is an example to everyone in the game.

'He is also someone who has always put the club and team ahead of himself and I think that will ultimately be his legacy.

'People better placed than me to judge have said Steven is Liverpool's greatest ever player; when you look at the company he is in, that is some statement.

'We of course will miss him, both on the field of play and in his capacity as club captain, but his influence will live on and we wish him nothing but joy and success wherever he chooses to go next.

'Until that moment arrives I will continue to enjoy working with Steven Gerrard the man and Steven Gerrard the player, one of the greatest we have seen.'

Steven Gerrard: The best Premier League player of all time?

Gerrard was man of the match in the 2006 FA Cup final, scoring twice to help Liverpool lift the trophy

Gerrard has won the Cup twice, adding to the eight other trophies he collected during his years at the club

GERRARD'S INDIVIDUAL HONOURS

Professional Footballers' Association player of the year (1):2006

Professional Footballers' Association young player of the year (1): 2001

PFA team of the year (8): 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014

Football Writers' Association footballer of the year (1): 2009

Premier League player of the month (5): February 2001, March 2003, December 2004, April 2006, March 2014

FA Cup final man of the match (1): 2006

Champions League final man of the match (1): 2005

UEFA club footballer of the year (1): 2005

MBE: 2007

Gerrard's final game for Liverpool could be the FA Cup final on May 30 this year - which would be his 35th birthday.

Liverpool get their FA Cup campaign under way away at AFC Wimbledon on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Daniel Sturridge has been among Reds stars past and present to heap praise upon the midfielder following his announcement.

'Stevie will always be a legend - not just for Liverpool but to England as well,' declared Sturridge.

'He will go down in history as one of the best midfielders in the game. He's just unbelievable every day, a great leader and the perfect example for every young player around the country.'

While fellow forward Rickie Lambert added: 'Stevie is his own man but he is Mr Liverpool.

'He's No 1 for me and I think he always will be. He has meant everything to me, growing up as a Liverpool fan.

'The nights he has given Liverpool fans are unbelievable - I'll never forget them and I know the Liverpool fans will never forget them.'

Out of respect to the club he has been at since he was eight, Gerrard will not play for another Barclays Premier League club but there will be offers from elsewhere, with LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls leading the chase to take him to the MLS.

LA Galaxy, however, refused to say whether Gerrard would be joining them.

Team president Chris Klein, quoted by the LA Times, said: 'We don't have anything yet. We don't comment on players that are not with our club. We've been pretty consistent with that all along.'

Gerrard has enjoyed a brilliant career at Anfield. The Premier League title has eluded him, but he inspired Liverpool to their incredible Champions League final comeback win against AC Milan in 2005.

Relations between Gerrard and Liverpool boss Rodgers have improved in recent months, but the midfielder insists his decision to quit is in the best interests of his career.

Rodgers had suggested that Gerrard would finish his career as a central defender at Anfield, but his view has changed recently.

Instead, the captain was warned he will no longer play every game and the club offered him a new package on different terms for 2015-16.

Since making his Liverpool debut in 1998 Gerrard has played almost 500 league games for the club

Gerrard quickly established himself as a fans' favourite and has stayed with Liverpool for 17 years

Gerrard celebrating the Liverpool treble of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001 alongside team-mates Robbie Fowler (left) and Sami Hyyipa (right), and manager Gerard Houllier (second right)

Liverpool owner John W Henry and chairman Tom Werner have also praised Gerrard, releasing the joint statement: 'This news stirs many strong emotions for all of us connected with the club.

'There is sadness that such a great player and person is leaving and won't be playing for Liverpool beyond this season.

'But there is also a sense of celebration and gratitude, that we've all been privileged to watch and work with one of the true greats, not just of this club, but the game in general.

'We will all have our own personal memories of breathtaking Steven Gerrard moments; there are far too many to list.

'His contribution to the club is almost beyond measure and it's testimony to his influence, that despite Liverpool having such a long and distinguished list of legendary figures, the name Steven Gerrard will always be at the summit.

'Another emotion that resonates today is respect; a respect not just for his achievements but also the decision he and his family have reached.

'Steven will always have a part to play for this club, as and when the time comes that he wishes to return.

'I hope we all respect that Steven and his family want to pursue something new and different for the final years of his playing career.

'We all wish him well in this endeavour and look forward to welcoming him back to Anfield in the future, when the time is appropriate.'

Gerrard has won three League Cups during his Liverpool career, and could still win a fourth this season

The former England captain has been rested in recent games, but returned to score twice against Leicester

Despite Gerrard's two spot-kicks Liverpool capitulated against the league's bottom side, drawing 2-2

Gerrard has often spoken highly of Raheem Sterling and the England forward thanked his skipper for the role he has played in helping him settle in at Anfield.

'He has been brilliant for me,' Sterling said.

'He's always looking after me, always checking to see if I'm all right. He's an inspiration and a great captain.'

Gerrard's midfield partner Jordan Henderson spoke highly of the 34-year-old and his 'humble' personality.

The Liverpool vice-captain said: 'He is a top player but he is also a top person. The lads can go to him with anything and he will always help them out and put them first. That is massive as a captain. With the aura that he has got, he could be a different person but he is very humble.'

Mario Balotelli paid tribute to Gerrard, likening him to his Italy team-mate Andrea Pirlo, who is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of this century.

The Italian striker said: 'Wow. I think of him as being at the same level as Pirlo. Vision, technique but he is powerful as well.

'Stevie can do anything, he's an amazing player. It's going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him in the future.'

While Martin Skrtel simply added: 'Stevie is special.'

Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier - the boss who gave Gerrard his first start for the club said: 'He's a leader, someone who inspired, someone you want to follow and no one forgets the Champions League final in 2005.

'We started him in the Under 19s and I saw him in a game and came and asked him to play for the pros.

'I played him at right back in the early days, but his position was always in that role in the middle.'

Gerrard celebrates scoring his side's second during their victory away at Leicester last month

Gerrard celebrates scoring at Anfield in March 2014 with Jordan Henderson (left) and Daniel Sturridge

Gerrard insists he has made no decision about his next club but has assured Liverpool he will not join a direct rival, as Frank Lampard did when he quit Chelsea for New York City, then joined Manchester City.

The former England skipper's availability will alert clubs across Europe, though, and he has a massive decision to make.

Gerrard has lifted 10 trophies but he will always regret missing out on the biggest domestic prize of all. The closest he came to winning the title was last season, when Liverpool finished two points behind champions Manchester City.

His international career ended when England limped out of last summer's World Cup in Brazil without winning a game.

After criticism of his form earlier this season, particularly after Liverpool's 3-1 defeat at West Ham, Gerrard hit back when he scored in the derby against Everton.

He insisted he wasn't finished but Liverpool's exit from the Champions League in the group phase hit him hard.

Now he has resolved to quit the club and look for another challenge.

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