Steven Gerrard has explained his reasons for retiring from football, and says that he has aspirations of a career in management.
Gerrard announced his retirement from playing on Thursday, bringing to an end an illustrious and successful 18-year career.
Your favourite Steven Gerrard moment?
- 2005 Champions League final
- 2004 Olympiakos goal
- 2006 FA Cup final
- The 5-1 v Germany
In an exclusive interview __with BT Sport, the 36-year-old discussed his reasons for retiring:
“There’s a few reasons really. Obviously you’re aware of this time coming, towards the end your body starts talking to you. The pains and the aches get more regular. The way you feel out there on the pitch changes. Over the last couple of years I’ve felt myself slowing down a little bit.
“I can’t deliver what I used to be able to deliver, and that becomes a little bit frustrating. And also I’ve listened to important people in the game who I trust over the years and they’ve said, ‘Always go __with a tiny bit left. Don’t overstay your welcome. Don’t play on too long. It becomes embarrassing.’ I feel that’s not too far away, so now’s the right time.
“There wasn’t a particular moment, more a period. My last three or four months at the Galaxy I was getting too many injuries. I didn’t really feel as sharp as I used to. The games become more challenging, especially in terms of altitude and heat, humidity, the travel.
“It was more a period of time rather than one particular moment.
“Having said that, I’ve had a few moments in the last six months where I’ve thought, ‘I didn’t play well today,’ or ‘that guy got the better of me’.
“I don’t like saying that to myself so now’s the right time.”
Gerrard then spoke of his admiration for Liverpool, for whom he made his debut in 1998 and left in 2015.
“The world,” he replied, when asked what the club means to him. “I started supporting the club at a very young age, a lot of my family are Reds, and the way the club shaped me and treated me from a very young age, they turned me into a decent human being and a good footballer. I’ve got a lot to thank them for.”
In terms of the future, the former midfielder is looking to initially balance his role as a pundit with work in coaching.
“I’d like to do a bit of both. Obviously now I’m really excited to get back to work and cover the Premier League and Champions League. That’s what I’ve been looking forward to doing.
“In terms of the future I definitely have dreams and aspirations of having a go at management, or assisting a manager, and being back involved in the dressing room. But I’ve got many, many years to do that.”