Captain Fantastic || *Name is Bond, James Bond*

El Cujo wrote:Hey all, big time Liverpool fan and first time poster in the Liverpool section here.

Have to say I will be gutted when Gerrard finally hangs up his boots. Pure class and amazing player. Best ever for the Reds in my opinion. People thought he was done but he's proving everyone wrong this year!

I have played alongside some of the greatest footballers of my generation, but there is only one ex-team-mate I would rate higher than Steven Gerrard.

The biggest compliment I can give him is he is second only to Zinedine Zidane in terms of his world-class status. Since the first time I saw Stevie play, as an 11-year-old in the Liverpool youth ranks, it has been obvious how much ability he possessed to become the complete, modern footballer.

As he evolves his game in the latter years of his career for club and country, it is no surprise he is continuing to excel. His new role at Liverpool as a deep midfielder is a position he can play blindfolded. It is the easiest position on the pitch and, if anything, the only obstacle to success is psychological.

The reason I would have been reluctant to put him there in previous years is he is too good for the job. You want your most dynamic players making a difference in the final third, not protecting the defence. It is difficult for a player whose natural instinct is to bomb forward, creating and scoring goals to stay disciplined and hold back.

Gerrard can do it, but curbing the desire to join attacks is what requires most practice.

There comes a point in every career where you know you have to adapt to thrive and evidently Stevie has reached it.

So far, it is working ideally, offering plenty to ponder for England manager Roy Hodgson as much as Brendan Rodgers.

It was said throughout my time with England that Gerrard and Frank Lampard could not play together in a two-man central midfield. I agreed. They both needed the freedom to get forward and could only flourish with someone behind. Gerrard’s new position offers an opportunity for others equally suited to the advanced role.

An England midfield of Gerrard and Michael Carrick sitting in front of the back four with Ross Barkley given the freedom to roam from central midfield just ahead excites me. It has balance and creativity, as well as ensuring England have technical players who can retain the ball.

What you will also continue to get with Gerrard is the ability to see and execute passes others would never even consider. His defence-splitting ball to Daniel Sturridge against Fulham on Wednesday night was the perfect example, and brought back plenty of memories of the numerous times I benefited from Gerrard’s skill and vision.

I first met Stevie in 1992 at Liverpool’s training ground when we were emerging through the club’s youth ranks, looking to impress the academy coaches as well as each other.

In those days there was no standing on ceremony when judging the talent. The Liverpool coaches quite openly put the best players in the same team and, as we were considered two of the brightest prospects, we would always be paired.

You knew quickly you were playing alongside someone special. There was not an instant moment of realisation, as such. There never is with footballers.

People assume you have noticed a particular pass or a shot slammed into the top corner from 25 yards, stood back in awe and thought ‘how good is he?’

It is much more subtle than that. You identify the first touch, the balance and movement, speed of thought and natural technique of a player more than the moment of individual brilliance.

With me, I would make a forward run and this tiny lad in midfield – believe it or not I was bigger than Stevie in those days – would just keep delivering the ball into my path. That was how it was with Stevie and me for the next 20 years for Liverpool or England. No one created more goals for me.

We would spend the entirety of our youth career discussing the possibilities ahead and, but for injuries, he would have broken into the senior side at the same time as me at 17. His body struggled at first but was built to last, whereas I was the pocket rocket who suffered later in my career.

There are some who argue Gerrard cannot be rated so highly because he does not have the medal haul to compare with, say, the Manchester United players. It is preposterous to judge a player’s ability based on his trophy collection. There are dozens of players who have several Premier League winners’ medals who are not fit to lace Gerrard’s boots.

The only reason Gerrard does not have the title is because he turned down the opportunity to join clubs who would have instantly satisfied that ambition. That was a decision he took out of loyalty to a club which, for most of his career, has never been in the position to win the title.

I cannot think of any world-class player who has been more loyal than Gerrard given the offers he has declined. With all due respect to the United lads who came through the ranks and became one-club players, they knew at the start of every season they would either win the league or go close.

It was a lot tougher for those of us who came through at Anfield to resist the urge to pursue success elsewhere. I wanted to experience football abroad before going back to Liverpool – just like Ian Rush did when he joined Juventus – but that return never materialised.

It means Stevie and I took different career paths and although supporters will always want you to stay at their club, speaking purely as a player there is no right or wrong decision.

There have been times Stevie has asked me what it was like in Madrid, no doubt wondering if it was an opportunity he should have grasped.

He will only know when his career is over whether he would have spurned so many opportunities to move on if he could make those decisions again, but with a Champions League winner’s medal already, the one trophy that would ensure he never thinks about what might have been is the Premier League.

If he could lift that trophy just once at Anfield, it will mean more to him than had he won it many times elsewhere. It would also ensure, when he assesses his career many years from now, he would regret nothing.

It is preposterous to judge a player’s ability based on his trophy collection. There are dozens of players who have several Premier League winners’ medals who are not fit to lace Gerrard’s boots.