Born in 1980 and signed as a trainee, Gerrard made his Liverpool FC debut in November 1998 as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers FC. In his first start, against RC Celta de Vigo in the UEFA Cup, Gerrard's ability to tackle, pass and shoot in equal measure shone through.
2001: He proved his worth with a selection of outstanding performances in 2000/01 as Liverpool won the FA Cup, English League Cup and UEFA Cup, where he scored his side's second goal in the 5-4 final win against Deportivo Alavés. Gerrard was voted England's Young Player of the Year that year. He won a second League Cup in Cardiff in March 2003, opening the scoring in a 2-0 victory against Manchester United FC. Having replaced Sami Hyypiä as captain in 2003, Gerrard justified his promotion by almost single-handedly guiding Liverpool to fourth place and turning down a lucrative Chelsea FC offer.
2004/05: A broken bone in his foot left Gerrard sidelined for two months from September, but he returned to strike the late goal against Olympiacos CFP to take Liverpool past the group stage. Although his own goal proved vital in Chelsea winning the League Cup final, Gerrard remained an inspiration and struck the first goal of the dramatic comeback against AC Milan that allowed him to lift the European Champion Clubs' Cup. Although he then seemed set to leave Anfield, he had a dramatic change of heart and signed a new four-year contract. Typically, he struck a hat-trick in the first game after agreeing his new deal, in the Champions League first qualifying round against Total Network Solutions FC.
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