19 tahun berkarir, Steven Gerrard resmi pensiun

Mantan kapten Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, pada Kamis (24/11/2016) resmi mengakhiri kariernya sebagai pemain sepak bola profesional, setelah bermain selama 19 tahun.

Secara resmi menggantungkan sepatu setelah kontraknya dengan klub LA Galaxy habis. Gerrard menghabiskan sebagian besar kariernya di Liverpool dan menjadi sosok yang iconic di klub tersebut.

Selama 16 musim di Anfield, Gerrard bermain 710 pertandingan dan mencetak 186 gol, sekaligus menjadi kapten dari tahun 2003 hingga 2014.

Pemain kelahiran Whiston, 30 Mei 1980 ini memimpin Liverpool menjuarai Liga Champions 2004-2005 setelah menang melawan AC Milan di Istanbul, Turki.

“Saya beruntung mengalami banyak hal menakjubkan di karier saya. Saya bangga bisa bermain lebih dari 700 kali untuk Liverpool dan sebagian besar dengan status sebagai kapten. Tentu saja tidak ada yang lebih menakjubkan ketimbang membantu Liverpool meraih titel, terutama di Istanbul,” ujar Gerrad.

Di level tim nasional, Gerrard bermain untuk Inggris sebanyak 114 kali dan mencetak 21 gol. Untuk kedepannya, Gerrard masih tidak berbicara apa-apa.

Ayah dari 3 putri ini mengucapkan selamat tinggal dan terima kasih melalui sebuah foto di akun Instagramnya.

Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football.I have had an incredible career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy. I feel very fortunate to have had the career I’ve had but none of it would have been possible without the support of so many people. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone at Liverpool Football Club. I am proud to have played for and captained Liverpool for so many years and to have achieved what we achieved during my time at the club. I was lucky to play alongside some great players and under some fantastic managers during my time at Anfield and would like to thank each and every one of them, as well as all of the backroom staff at the club for the fantastic support they showed me. I would like to say a special thank you to Steve Heighway, Dave Shannon and Hugh McAuley for believing in me when I was making my way at Liverpool and for giving me the platform to go on and fulfil my dreams. Thank you to the amazing fans of Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy for the incredible backing you have given me throughout my career. Your loyalty and support has meant the world. I would like to thank Struan Marshall, my agent throughout my career, and the team at Wasserman for all of their support over the past 18 years. I feel lucky to have had such a close group of friends that I have always been able to count and rely on throughout the course of my career. Thank you to all of you. Finally, the most important thank you; to my family. I cannot thank my Mum, Dad and brother Paul enough for their unconditional support over the years, it has meant everything to me. To my wife Alex and children Lily, Lexie and Lourdes, thank you for the constant love and support you’ve shown me. You’ve been there through the good times and the bad and without you nothing would have been possible. Thank you for everything. I am excited about the future and feel I still have a lot to offer the game. I am currently taking my time to consider a number of options and will make an announcement with regards to the next stage of my career very soon.

A photo posted by Steven Gerrard (@stevengerrard) on Nov 24, 2016 at 3:35am PST

Moment ini pastinya jadi moment yang mengiris hati pecinta sepak bola, sama saat Gerrard meninggalkan Liverpool dulu.

Menghormati Gerrard, klub Liverpool dan LA Galaxy pun mengunggah sebuah video melalui akun Instagram masing-masing.

How would you like to be remembered, @stevengerrard? – – – #LFC #Legend #LiverpoolFC #Gerrard #Liverpool

A video posted by Liverpool Football Club (@liverpoolfc) on Nov 24, 2016 at 7:57am PST

Congratulations to @stevengerrard on an amazing career.

A video posted by LA Galaxy (@lagalaxy) on Nov 24, 2016 at 12:41pm PST

Jangan ketinggalan berita terkini seputar dunia musik, film, dan entertainment. Streaming terus Trax FM di sini!

[teks Andre Fransisco, Anak Trax dari Universitas Atma Jaya | foto dailystar.co.uk]

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