Steven Gerrard : fifty defining fixtures

Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool.

He has played much of his career in a centre midfield role, but also as a second striker, holding midfielder, right-back and right-winger.

Gerrard, who has spent his entire career at Anfield, made his debut in 1998 and cemented his place in the first team in 2000, succeeding Sami Hyypiä as team captain in 2003.

His honours include two FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, one Champions League, one UEFA Cup, and two Super Cups. On 21 July 2014, Gerrard announced his retirement from international football.

With 114 caps for England he is the third most capped player ever, after Peter Shilton (125) and David Beckham (115).

Tracing Gerrard’s most notable fixtures, Tony Matthews outlines why Steven Gerrard deserves to be recognised as a legend of the game.