Steven Gerrard Reveals His Biggest Regret From the End of His Liverpool Career
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has opened up about one decision from the final stage of his Anfield career that he now wishes he had handled differently.
Gerrard has admitted that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would have preferred to remain at Liverpool for another season because doing so could have given him the chance to work under legendary manager Jürgen Klopp.
The former midfielder ended his remarkable 17-year association with Liverpool in 2015. Although the club offered him a new one-year contract, Gerrard understood that his role was likely to become smaller, with fewer opportunities to play.
At that point in his career, Gerrard felt that spending a season mainly on the substitutes’ bench was not what he wanted. He therefore decided to leave Liverpool and continue his career in Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy.
However, the timing of his departure created a huge “what if?” moment.
Only a few months after Gerrard played his final game for Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers was dismissed as manager. Klopp was then brought in to take charge at Anfield.
Under Klopp, Liverpool would go on to enjoy one of the most successful periods in the club’s modern history, including Premier League and Champions League triumphs.
Looking back now, Gerrard says he would have taken the gamble of staying at Liverpool had he known Klopp was going to become the next manager.
The former Reds captain believes he could have remained at the club, worked hard to impress Klopp and possibly earned a meaningful role in the new manager’s plans despite being in the twilight years of his playing career.
Gerrard also acknowledges that he could not possibly have known at the time that Klopp was about to arrive. From his perspective in 2015, remaining at Liverpool primarily as a squad player simply did not seem attractive.
That unfortunate timing meant Gerrard’s Liverpool career ended just before the Klopp era began.
For Liverpool supporters, it remains a fascinating question: what could Gerrard have achieved if he had stayed at Anfield for one more season?
There is no way to know the answer, but Gerrard himself now admits that, if given the same decision with the knowledge he has today, he would have taken the risk and stayed.
Gerrard left Liverpool after making 708 appearances for the club across his 17 years at Anfield, cementing his status as one of the greatest players in the club’s history.
