Legendary status at your beloved home-town club is what every schoolboy dreams of, but the reality of local-hero worship can bring unexpected restraints.
Much is being made regarding the future of Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard. The Anfield star became a living legend at his boyhood club, not long after making his debut in 1998. Stevie was venerated wherever he went in Liverpool, but achieving that level of adulation brings with it the shackles of fidelity. In 2005, after seven years’ loyal service, he decided to spread his wings and fly to Spain’s capital to pit his skills against Europe’s elite on their home turf. But he soon discovered that the chains he had unwittingly forged proved to be too strong to break.
Liverpool Chief Executive, at the time Rick Parry, publicly reminded Gerrard of his duty to the Anfield devotees, whilst playing upon his heart-strings: "I did say to him 'think of Istanbul, think of the fans'." In a break with tradition, the view of the official side was mirrored by the fans’ representative Les Lawson, of the Liverpool International Supporters’ Association, when he said acerbically of Gerrard: "He's lifted the European Cup, but it's definitely tainted,"
This two pronged attack appeared to have had the desired effect; Gerrard penned a new contract and reluctantly Ms Alex Curran (later to be Mrs Gerrard) cancelled her conversational Spanish lessons and put the Ambre Solaire back in the cupboard. Gerrard is still there plying his trade. He pretends he has no regrets, but betrays his feelings by waxing lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo’s meteoric rise in talent since leaving the English Premier League for La Liga. Now, with talk of a management or training role, he is due to lose his parole and extend the sentence into his dotage.
Source: DSG
