Steven Gerrard: The Moments That Made Them

0:00Alan Shearer:This episode is powered by Fuse Energy. Winter is all about energy. Switching on Christmas lights, warming your home for a cosy night in, keeping the TV on for all the festive fixtures.

0:13Gary Lineker:And Fuse keeps things simple thanks to their fixed rates, cheap tariffs and 24-7 support.

0:19Alan Shearer:Better yet, Alan. Fuse is the fastest growing energy company in the UK, and you can play a part in building the infrastructure for clean, affordable energy by referring land to Fuse for renewables development. Not only will you claim your place on the starting lineup of the clean energy revolution, you can earn a£2 ,000 reward by referring 20 acres or more of land to Fuse for solar projects.

0:45Gary Lineker:They're building a system that proves renewable power can be affordable, scalable in practice, and accessible to everyone, not just an idea on a tactics board.

0:57Alan Shearer:For more information about land referrals and energy powering the full festive fixture list, head to land at fuseenergy.com. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin. Way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with Kayak and get your trip right. Kayak. Got that right. Protein is now at Starbucks, and it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha.

1:44Try it today at Starbucks.

1:49At Grubhub, we're eating the fees on restaurant orders over$50. That's right. No more of those pesky fees. No delivery fee. No service fee. No knock, knock. Who's there? Another fee fee. No more fees on restaurant orders over$50. Only on Grubhub. Grubhub will eat the fees. Details at Grubhub.com.

2:14Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to The Rest is Football with Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and me, Gary Lineker. We've got another episode of Premier League Greats, the moments that made them. Well, this week's episode is about someone that you two probably played against, possibly with Alan, not sure. Come to it in a minute, but a certain, well, one of the great midfielders of the Premier League era. some people would say the best of the Premier League era we can have that debate once again a Liverpool legend a certain Steven Gerrard Stevie G he's the best you've always said that he's the best all round all round defending attacking passing scoring goals crosses pass everything he was a complete midfielder without doubt and all these people who say oh he's never won a Premier League yeah but look at some of the teams he played in.

3:10Alan Shearer:Yeah, that wasn't the greatest Liverpool era was it? No, no. Yeah, he won the Champions League, dragged them through that, he's just phenomenal. Yeah, he's unbelievable. Playing against him and playing with him, played with him for England as well. In training, he was the best by far. There's always levels and he was just above. Rio Ferdinand and JT could see they was different level, but as a midfielder, I never played with Scholes, so I don't know. And everyone talks about Scholes. Scholes was a passer, wasn't he? Probably the greatest passer of the football in that era. Lampard as well. Lampard, but Lampard will get more goals.

3:49Alan Shearer:It's different, different. They're all different. And that's why I always think this argument is a little bit... It is. It's almost impossible. Almost impossible.

3:56Gary Lineker:When you talk about passing, by the way, and Scholes, Gerrard was unbelievable in passing. I mean, the way he used to move it and ping it. He crossed over slightly, didn't he? He crossed over slightly with England, yeah. He was in Euro 2000, made his debut just before Euro 2000. But that was obviously a tournament that we didn't do very well in. So it probably wasn't a great start to his England career. But I couldn't go up against the argument that you think he's the best because he could do almost everything a midfielder needs, the engine up and down, goals when his team needed it, important goals.

4:32Gary Lineker:You mentioned the Champions League FA Cup final. Yes.

4:35Alan Shearer:Leader. Leader though, wasn't he? Really nice guy as well. I've worked with him quite a lot for BT Sport when I did the Champions League, and he was a pundit during that quite a lot. And he really knows the game as well. I mean, obviously he went into management, didn't he? I wonder if he'll try and bounce back. I suspect he might want to have another pop at it, because he did particularly well at Rangers, didn't he? Yeah. I thought he was a bit unlucky. The Villa, they went quite early. I think it was his first really sticky spell and he was out. But we're here to focus more on his playing career.

5:10Alan Shearer:I think we'll start early on, really, in 2005. Because he'd had a lot of speculation, hadn't he, about whether he was going to leave for Chelsea. I think Mourinho wanted to sign him. Gerrard. Gerrard. Oh, what about that? That was really special from the Liverpool captain.

5:32Gary Lineker:That, Micah, is a volley. Hold on. Are you starting this nonsense again? It's just bounced up from him. Go back on that, H. Great volley. That is not a volley, that's a half-volley. It's bounced. No, a half-volley is when the ball's going up off the ground. Let's not start this again. You think that's a volley? I don't think. I know. It is a volley. But how is that a volley, though? Because it's in the air. It's bounced. It's in the air. But the technique is superb. Let's put it this way.

6:03Alan Shearer:It's a hell of a bloody goal. That's one of the best volleys I've ever seen. It's more than half. You can't call that half anything, can you? No way that's a half volley. That is a great volley. Are you a volley half empty or a volley half full? It's ridiculous. It is. But it was interesting around that period, wasn't it? And, I mean, you were at Newcastle. It's slightly different because you had the chance to go, perhaps to Manchester United before you went to Newcastle. You weren't already there. So it is slightly different. But there's that pull of your boyhood club against possibly winning more, which would have been the case, I suspect, for Stevie, because he would have been in a very, very good Chelsea side under Mourinho.

6:46Alan Shearer:Whereas at that time at Liverpool, it was not their best period. I mean, latterly, they were probably a stronger side when they just missed out on the title. But it's a heartstrings over the head.

6:57Gary Lineker:No, there's definitely heart, but I think what also comes with that is extra pressure. The expectation of you because you're a local boy and it's your team, your area, and everyone looks to you to be the difference. You know, when you go into the big games, it's you or you're the captain, you're the local boy, you have to do something to get us. And that comes with an extra pressure, but I don't think... I mean How close were you to going though without trying to upset the Newcastle fans you know Close to Man United Oh yeah before it was it was going to be either Newcastle or Man United and I'd made the decision really everything was the house was chosen that was that far from choosing from going to Man United What changed it?

7:44Gary Lineker:Was it Keegan? Kevin asked for one last chat ironically in Manchester Manchester Airport and then said could I have another half an hour with you and I did I just thought what am I doing I've just got to go back home go back to Newcastle where I left 10 years earlier and so that yeah it was really really close yeah so it was Keegan who just that little chat yeah just that little nudge of thinking I've got to go back home

8:12Alan Shearer:did you have the balls to call Sir Alex

8:14Gary Lineker:I did I thought it was the right thing to do was to ring Sir Alex and so I rang him and and there was no answer. So I thought, I have to speak to him. I rang him again, there was no answer. So I thought, a third time I have to leave.

8:31Alan Shearer:Did he already know by this stage that you'd changed your mind? He must have had an inkling.

8:35Gary Lineker:Otherwise you'd been answering, wouldn't he? Otherwise he would have answered the phone, yeah. Yeah, but did you ring him properly? You'd like one bell someone and put it down just like... He rang out the answer. I knew what he was up to. I'm trying to hear he didn't answer. No, I rang him and I let it ring and ring and ring and there's no answer. I rang him again, I let it ring and ring and ring, no answer. So I thought the third time and then it went on to answer four and I thought I have to leave a message and it was like... And I thought, can you call me back? I'm sorry for that! No, no, I didn't, there was no sorry.

9:05Gary Lineker:I just left a message and said, this is the situation. I thought it was the right thing I'd speak to you, so if you would like to ring me back and guess what? He never did. He never rang me back.

9:16Alan Shearer:Stephen Jarrah's was slightly different, honestly. there was a lot of talk about going and obviously I think football fans never really see the whole situation do they and I think it became very difficult to leave and in the end even though it looked like it was almost done probably slightly different with your circumstances but similar in some ways in the end he didn't leave I'm glad he didn't leave there 17 years he ended up there yeah but he might have won more at Chelsea at that time or Real Madrid but he's an absolute legend of the football club and there were so many good players in Chelsea side one of many but there's never going to be another Steven Gerrard at Liverpool that's how good he is that's the impact he has

9:59Gary Lineker:I think when you go through that particular football club Liverpool and you look at the greats that have played there and whenever you go through the lists you will always get Steven Gerrard mentioned that I think that sort of tells you how good he is to be associated with the greats of that great club, then you have to be something very special. And I think there's no doubt that he was. There's rumours that the fans didn't allow him to leave, weren't they?

10:27Alan Shearer:Well, that was always the rumour. Whether there's any truth in that or no. Imagine someone turning up at your house saying, you're not going anywhere, mate. All right, no problem. That'll be fine. No problem. I'll stay then. I'll stay then. And he did stay, obviously. And because he stayed that season or the next season, of course, they went and won the Champions League. And that Istanbul night, I mean, he was the one that drove that comeback as well. I mean, he really was. I mean, how they won that game is hard to explain, even to this day, because Milan was so good. But he pulled them back into it.

11:04Remember some of the players in that Milan side as well. I know. Oh, my God. Three mil down at halftime. And then he just, we talk about leadership. he's just got a different aura around him. You know, just when he's in the dressing room and whatnot, you're looking up to him and... I told a story about me borrowing his boots, didn't he? It's just, he's so selfless. But once he gets on that whack, on the pitch, it's just...

11:27Gary Lineker:You borrowed his boots? Yeah, I borrowed his boots, didn't I? Did you start pinging the ball 40, 50 yards across? I was unbelievable in training. Get up! What? I've told you a story before! Now I know you're lying. I've told you this before. It's just proof, really, that... It was the boots, it was all in the boots, wasn't it? Yeah, was it those adidas predators? Yeah, there was eight and I think it was eight and a half as well I was nine and a half on that I told you the story the kit man remember? Yeah, he left my boots Well, he put two left in me and then I had to knock on He watched you play a lot So that's what he did And then I knocked on his head and I was like Stevie sorry mate, my first England camp as well.

12:08Can I borrow your boots? to give him his boobs. First England camp, you didn't have your boobs. I was unbelievable in that training session. You know what? I want to get footage of it. I was unbelievable.

12:17Alan Shearer:I want to see it. You want to see it. And it takes us on to our next moment. Just going on a bit and it's just a penalty, actually, we've chosen in a victory for Liverpool at Old Trafford. But it was really about the era, wasn't it? This was Liverpool United's era, wasn't it?

12:33Gary Lineker:You know, when you say it's just a penalty, I mean, it's just a penalty at Old Trafford against your biggest rivals. He won the penalty as well. And the vast majority of the ground are praying for you to miss it. Definitely a penalty. Then you're under huge pressure.

12:51Alan Shearer:Sticks it away. Look at him. Little turd. You know where he's going now? This is the famous one, which is why we've chosen it. Obviously, he kisses the camera. Yeah. Kisses the badge. Yeah. Kisses the camera. What? Iconic shot, that wasn't it?

13:04Gary Lineker:You know that rivalry, Micah? Mm-hmm. You've obviously played for City. The rivalry, I guess, is bigger Man United-Liverpool than it is Man United-Man City. Yeah, historically. Yeah. Because they would argue they're the two biggest clubs in England. And they was always battling them out, weren't they? But then Man City come to the scene. I would still say Liverpool-Man United, they'd say it's the biggest game. Yeah. But when we won the league in 2011-2012, Do you remember the whole thing with Fergie, noisy neighbours and all that sort of thing? And we was just coming to our own then. And when we won the league, it was just...

13:44Alan Shearer:I think it's one of the great strengths of the English League. I'll say English League because I do believe football existed before the Premier League took place. But we've always had different times, different... Well, it's always the rivalries. But in terms of the domination of football clubs, If you go to Spain, for example, it's nearly always the two big boys, Real Madrid and Barcelona. You get occasional teams that will come in. Atletico. But there's still not a massive rivalry over that period. Even in Italy, you know, Juve or the two Milan sides. But then if you go to the English league over different areas, you can go back to a time when it was Leeds Arsenal, things like that.

14:27Alan Shearer:Then it was Liverpool, Arsenal. And then over different times, different, the era of Chelsea and Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester United, that great period. And now we'd probably go, what would it be at the moment? Liverpool, Manchester City in recent years. So I think that's one of the great strengths of our league is that even though there might be teams that are dominant in certain periods, a couple of clubs, but overall it does seem to change from time to time looks like it's changing now Man City Arsenal doesn't it exactly it could well be because we've gone through the Man City Liverpool period and now it does look like it might be Arsenal Man City or Arsenal Man City and Liverpool and who knows maybe one and you know Chelsea could come back you don't know whereas a lot of leagues it's always the same like you go to France it's PSG and times it's one of the others maybe occasionally like Monaco or Marseille

15:30Gary Lineker:that's the standard that you were chasing when City came on to the noisy neighbours as Sir Alex said is that that was the push to try and catch those wasn't it Man United Man United were the best team in terms of not just on the field off the field as well they knew exactly what they needed to do always had the best players obviously had the greatest manager in the Premier League till Pep came and they was the bar. They set the bar for everyone. And it was always difficult because throughout the youth, they was the best and then they go and win the title. So when we won the league in 2012, we just couldn't believe it.

16:07That's why we dropped off the season after. They won it in 2013, didn't they? And they didn't even have an amazing squad. It was just Fergie getting them over the line.

16:18Alan Shearer:This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. New year, new website for your business and Squarespace makes it easy. Choose from a line of professional templates customized with simple drag and drop tools and let their AI builder help you create a polished site in just a few steps. Head to squarespace.com slash football for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code football to save 10 % off your first purchase of a website or domain. This episode is brought to you by Whoop In the modern game, of course, there are a lot more games and that feeling of being slightly off by Monday.

16:59Alan Shearer:And that's how it shows up. Not as an injury, it's just fatigue creeping in. Off the pitch, everyday life stacks up too. Work, travel, late nights, early starts. WHOOP helps you see how sleep, recovery and stress are impacting your overall health over time. It's like a health scout working quietly in the background. No screed, no constant pings, just deeper insight into your health when you actually need it. WHOOP makes it easier to see what's helping you stay well and what's taking more out of you, so you can build habits that actually last.