Houllier delighted with his decision to give Gerrard the armband at young age – Football News
Former Liverpool boss, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gerard-c14664 Houllier, has admitted that he is proud of his decision to make young Steven Gerrard the captain of the side 10 years ago. He admitted that the player has immense quality and that he truly deserved the honour.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steven-Gerrard-c34196 has been captain of the Liverpool side since 2003 and has led the club to some major honours in this time period. Lifting the UEFA Champions League in 2005 was probably the best achievement he has had in a Liverpool shirt.
Houllier claimed that he had asked Gerrard after the emphatic Champions League win in Istanbul, when Liverpool beat AC Milan after being 3-0 down at half-time, that is this the best day of his career. The former manager stated that the midfielder relied with a ‘No’ and told him that the day when he became captain was his best moment.
“I met Stevie after the Champions League final in Istanbul and asked him if that was the best day of his life. He said no, and told me the best day of his career was when I gave him the captain's armband at Liverpool. Don't forget he was 22 when I made him captain but you could see he was a natural born leader and he could have an influence and an impact on everybody,” he was quoted as saying in an interview.
Houllier also clarified why he did not name Sami Hyypia as the captain at that time, stating that the Finn was not in the best of form at that time. He stated that Gerrard was a natural born leader and he could not think of any other option.
“Sami was - and still is - a huge figure at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809, but Stevie is a natural leader and I thought the armband would boost his game even more,” he concluded.
Steven Gerrard is probably Liverpool’s greatest ever player and the loyalty he has shown to stay at the club is heart-warming. The player has kept Liverpool alive in the hearts of fans over all these years and for that the club should be grateful to him.
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