"Steven Gerrard"

Although it's usually not the case with young footballers, a Steven Gerrard biography was possible, even though the player is just 26 years old, an age where most famous soccer players begin the rise to fame.
Still, Steven Gerrard did so much for the teams he played in, be them club or national, that he fully deserves a biography despite his age.
Take 5 minutes of your time reading this Steven Gerrard biography and find out how the player managed to go from being a low-ranked rookie for the Liverpool squad, to becoming a club legend and an international star. You will also find some spicy Steven Gerrard facts from his youth days at Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard Biography – Liverpool FC Youth Teams
The average lifetime of a player at a given club is around 4 years, after which he needs to move, either due to entering a stage of self sufficiency at that club, losing the first squad or simply wanting a new challenge or a higher salary.
There are a few exceptions and when it comes to stability and having a conservative nature, the English excel. This is how it was possible for a player like Steven Gerrard to already have so many years under his belt at Liverpool, since he started playing for the youth teams of the Reds in 1989, at 9 years of age.
His childhood years were not the most promising though, as he would rarely play for the Liverpool youth squad, having problems with late growth spurts until he was 14.
Although still considered a very talented player that could become an option for the Liverpool first squad in a few years, Stevie Gerrard was allowed to trial for various other clubs in England.
As he noted in his recent autobiography, this was to force Liverpool into offering him an YTS (Youth Training Scheme) contract. He also had an incident at home that almost stopped him from playing soccer, being close to losing a toe to a garden fork.
Finally, in 1997, at age 17, Steve Gerrard was given a professional contract from Liverpool and saw his dream come true.
Steven Gerrard Biography – Liverpool FC First Team
Although he would not get a chance to play in his first season with the senior squad, it was a good year for Stevie Gerrard in that he started to fit in the team, know his future teammates and get some tactical training. His debut was to come the next year in a match against Blackburn, as a second half substitute for Vegard Heggem.
Funnily enough his first start didn't come in an easier Premiership game, as it would have been expected, but in a tough UFEA Cup match against Spanish team Celta Vigo, in which Steve Gerrard didn’t necessarily shine out, but was a safe option in midfield.
His luck came at the expenses of teammate Jamie Redknapp's, as the latter suffered a long-term injury that will allow Gerrard to start in the following 13 matches for Liverpool and eventually win a first team place.
Even after the experienced Redknapp came back after his injury, manager Gerard Houllier found a place for both Jamie and Steven Gerrard in midfield.
Steven Gerrard Biography – The Reds' Captain
By 2004, Steven Gerrard already became an important player for Liverpool and England's national team, but his club's success was not the kind that the fans expected.
With massive changes in the squad, as well as on the bench, Gerard Houllier being replaced with Rafael Benitez, Steven Gerrard was named captain and the new coach started building the team around the powerful midfielder.
Despite being viewed as a rather defensive midfielder, a string of Steven Gerrard goals convinced everyone that he was the type of complete footballer that could play in any field position his coach would need him.
Steven Gerrard Biography – The Peak
In the 2004-2005 season, despite not being a contender to the Premiership title, Liverpool had a good UEFA Champions League group stage, but few gave them a lot of chances as they needed a 2 goal difference win in their last group game in order to progress to the next stage, against the Greek team Olympiakos.
Their chances looked even slimmer as Olympiakos took the lead in the first half, Liverpool now needing 3 goals to progress. Launching an all-out offense in the second half, lead by Gerrard, Liverpool managed to get back in the game scoring twice, but still needed a last goal to progress.
It was the 86th minute that Stevie Gerrard took the ball at half-court, advanced and scored a blazing twenty-five yard shot that brought his team's success.
With this success bringing them a much needed dose of confidence, Gerrard and his teammates managed to advance in the competition, beating Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus Torino and Chelsea in the knockout stages, most of the two legged matches being won by either Steven Gerrard goals or assists.
Despite reaching the final, where they would face AC Milan, no one gave Gerrard and his team a chance against the veteran Italian squad that were in a better form in the league and had the experience to take the trophy home. And this seemed to be the case as AC Milan already had a 3 – 0 advantage at half time, Steven Gerrard's side being apparently up for a disastrous final.
What will follow is the highlight of any Steven Gerrard biography, as under his spell, Liverpool would make one of soccer's most impressive comebacks of all times.
Steve set the tone to this comeback, as he scored a powerful header in the 54th minute of the game, after which he mobilized his teammates for battle. A few minutes later, Vladimir Smicer managed to score with a beautiful long range shot and Liverpool were back in the game, against a Milan side that seemed to be in shock.
Another 2 minutes after Smicer's goal, Gerrard was decisive one last time, earning a penalty kick from which Xabi Alonso equalized. This took both teams to the penalties, where another Steven Gerrard goal was not possible, since Liverpool's goalkeeper, Jerzy Dudek had already saved the last Milan spot kick, winning the trophy before Gerrard could take the fifth penalty.