"When the bus arrived back in Liverpool, I didn't want to get out. I thought it wouldn't be long until I was out permanently, sent back to the Under-19s with a note marked 'not good enough'."
It was December 1998 when Steven Gerrard felt this way. He was 18, and had just seen his first senior start for Liverpool ruined. Ruined by David Ginola and a 2-1 defeat. He had Paul Ince on his back, and crippling self-doubt in his head. "I was out of position and out of my depth," he would later reveal.
Fast forward eleven years, and Gerrard is preparing for a trip to Blackburn Rovers this weekend which will mark his 500th appearance in the red of Liverpool. It is a remarkable achievement, especially for someone still six months shy of his 30th birthday.
He may not be having the best run of form this season - mirroring the team's troubles - but Gerrard remains integral to Liverpool, and has been ever since that chastening lesson from Ginola in North London.
He was deployed as a right wing-back that day, a pawn in Gerard Houllier's experimental 3-5-2 formation, and he would feature at right full-back and right-midfield throughout the 1998/99 season, impressing with his ferocious tackling and long-range passing.
But he was a central midfielder at heart, and once he was switched infield - aided by the exit of his captain and tormentor Ince - he began to really shine. His first goal came in 1999 at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday - it will be ten years exactly since that strike when Gerrard lines up at Ewood Park on Saturday.
Despite a series of growth-related injury problems, Gerrard was a key figure under Houllier, as Liverpool ended the 2000/2001 season with an unprecedented treble of cups, scoring in the UEFA Cup final against Alaves. England recognition had already arrived, and the skinny kid from Huyton was growing into a man, and fast.
His goals tally began to improve - including a League Cup final strike in 2003 - as did his discipline. Early indiscretions - a derby day stamp on Everton's Kevin Campbell, a horror-challenge of Aston Villa's George Boateng - were replaced by maturity on the pitch, prompting Houllier to award Gerrard the Liverpool club captaincy in late 2003. It was, he says, "an unbelievable honour".
Houllier's reign was ultimately doomed, and when the Frenchman departed Anfield in May 2004, it seemed his captain may be set to follow him out of the door. Liverpool were in decline, and a cash-laden Chelsea were waiting outside Gerrard's door.
But, just like he would do the following year, Gerrard resisted the overtures from West London, opting to stay and spearhead the Rafa Benitez revolution on Merseyside.
And how glad he was that he did. Benitez's first season may have been below-par domestically - Gerrard even scored an own-goal against Chelsea in the 2005 League Cup final - but in Europe they embarked upon an unforgettable journey to the Champions League final in Istanbul.
The final itself looked like it would become very forgettable, however. AC Milan were three-up and cruising by half-time and Gerrard was back in Ginola territory ("out of position and out of my depth").
However, the captain inspired the greatest comeback in modern times, scoring the first and winning the penalty for the third as Liverpool fought back to 3-3, before securing a historic fifth European Cup in a shoot-out. It was the defining moment of Gerrard's career, and cemented his place among the pantheon of Liverpool legends forever.
As did his performance in the FA Cup final a year later. Liverpool made hard work of a mid-table West Ham side at Cardiff's Milennium Stadium, but Gerrard again turned things around. He created one goal and scored two of his own, before netting his penalty as the Reds secured another spot-kick success. The match would go down in history as "The Gerrard Final".
Liverpool have not won a major trophy since that 2006 triumph in Cardiff, and Gerrard is more vocal than most in his desire for a Premier League title, but the influence of their skipper remains huge. He is Liverpool's most-capped player of all time - no mean feat considering the legends to have represented the club - and the records continue to tumble.
Last season saw him blast past the 100-goal mark for the club, as well as secure the Football Writers' Player of the Year award. His reputation is such that he was named second only to Kenny Dalglish in the official website's "100 Players who shook the Kop".
He may have to wait another year at least for that much-coveted Premier League medal, but one thing is certain: when people of any age talk of Liverpool legends, Steven Gerrard's name is one of the first that springs to mind.
It was December 1998 when Steven Gerrard felt this way. He was 18, and had just seen his first senior start for Liverpool ruined. Ruined by David Ginola and a 2-1 defeat. He had Paul Ince on his back, and crippling self-doubt in his head. "I was out of position and out of my depth," he would later reveal.
Fast forward eleven years, and Gerrard is preparing for a trip to Blackburn Rovers this weekend which will mark his 500th appearance in the red of Liverpool. It is a remarkable achievement, especially for someone still six months shy of his 30th birthday.
He may not be having the best run of form this season - mirroring the team's troubles - but Gerrard remains integral to Liverpool, and has been ever since that chastening lesson from Ginola in North London.
He was deployed as a right wing-back that day, a pawn in Gerard Houllier's experimental 3-5-2 formation, and he would feature at right full-back and right-midfield throughout the 1998/99 season, impressing with his ferocious tackling and long-range passing.
But he was a central midfielder at heart, and once he was switched infield - aided by the exit of his captain and tormentor Ince - he began to really shine. His first goal came in 1999 at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday - it will be ten years exactly since that strike when Gerrard lines up at Ewood Park on Saturday.
Despite a series of growth-related injury problems, Gerrard was a key figure under Houllier, as Liverpool ended the 2000/2001 season with an unprecedented treble of cups, scoring in the UEFA Cup final against Alaves. England recognition had already arrived, and the skinny kid from Huyton was growing into a man, and fast.
His goals tally began to improve - including a League Cup final strike in 2003 - as did his discipline. Early indiscretions - a derby day stamp on Everton's Kevin Campbell, a horror-challenge of Aston Villa's George Boateng - were replaced by maturity on the pitch, prompting Houllier to award Gerrard the Liverpool club captaincy in late 2003. It was, he says, "an unbelievable honour".
Houllier's reign was ultimately doomed, and when the Frenchman departed Anfield in May 2004, it seemed his captain may be set to follow him out of the door. Liverpool were in decline, and a cash-laden Chelsea were waiting outside Gerrard's door.
But, just like he would do the following year, Gerrard resisted the overtures from West London, opting to stay and spearhead the Rafa Benitez revolution on Merseyside.
And how glad he was that he did. Benitez's first season may have been below-par domestically - Gerrard even scored an own-goal against Chelsea in the 2005 League Cup final - but in Europe they embarked upon an unforgettable journey to the Champions League final in Istanbul.
The final itself looked like it would become very forgettable, however. AC Milan were three-up and cruising by half-time and Gerrard was back in Ginola territory ("out of position and out of my depth").
However, the captain inspired the greatest comeback in modern times, scoring the first and winning the penalty for the third as Liverpool fought back to 3-3, before securing a historic fifth European Cup in a shoot-out. It was the defining moment of Gerrard's career, and cemented his place among the pantheon of Liverpool legends forever.
As did his performance in the FA Cup final a year later. Liverpool made hard work of a mid-table West Ham side at Cardiff's Milennium Stadium, but Gerrard again turned things around. He created one goal and scored two of his own, before netting his penalty as the Reds secured another spot-kick success. The match would go down in history as "The Gerrard Final".
Liverpool have not won a major trophy since that 2006 triumph in Cardiff, and Gerrard is more vocal than most in his desire for a Premier League title, but the influence of their skipper remains huge. He is Liverpool's most-capped player of all time - no mean feat considering the legends to have represented the club - and the records continue to tumble.
Last season saw him blast past the 100-goal mark for the club, as well as secure the Football Writers' Player of the Year award. His reputation is such that he was named second only to Kenny Dalglish in the official website's "100 Players who shook the Kop".
He may have to wait another year at least for that much-coveted Premier League medal, but one thing is certain: when people of any age talk of Liverpool legends, Steven Gerrard's name is one of the first that springs to mind.
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