Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard is leaving the Reds. It is official now. Gerrard’s agent was never able to hammer out a new deal with Anfield, so he will now join the current MLS Champions, the L.A. Galaxy. According to numerous sports outlets, it’s an 18 month deal.
ESPN FC’s Jeffrey Carlisle first reported the deal after Liverpool’s longest-serving captain confirmed his intent to leave for the United States when his deal is up in the summer. According to the report, Gerrard will be paid $6 million per year, though the deal needs final approval from the MLS Board of Governors.
Steven Gerrard also served as the Captain of the English National team. Gerrard also said his final goodbyes on the TV channel controlled by Liverpool on their official website:
“I think the key conversation or moment was with the manager when he sat me down not so long ago and said it was time to manage my games for me and for the team. I’m bright enough to realize it is the right thing for everyone, but when you’ve been a starter and a mainstay in the team for such a long time, it was a very difficult conversation to have with the manager.”
Vaya con dios Steven Gerrard.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2