El inglés Steven Gerrard anunció su retiro del fútbol después de 19 años de carrera

El mediocampista inglés Steven Gerrard anunció hoy su retiro luego de 19 años de una exitosa carrera en Liverpool y el seleccionado de su país.

A los 36 años, el talentoso volante, que registró un último paso por LA Galaxy de la MLS de Estados Unidos, se emocionó al anunciar el fin de un ciclo.

"Estoy emocionado por lo que depara el futuro y siento que todavía tengo mucho que ofrecer a este deporte, de la forma en la que sea", manifestó Gerrard, ídolo de Liverpool, donde disputó más 700 partidos y conquistó, entre otros títulos, la Liga de Campeones de Europa de 2004/05 luego de una recordada final ante Milan, de Italia, por la remontada del equipo inglés de 3-0 a 3-3.

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Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football.I have had an incredible career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy. I feel very fortunate to have had the career I've had but none of it would have been possible without the support of so many people. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone at Liverpool Football Club. I am proud to have played for and captained Liverpool for so many years and to have achieved what we achieved during my time at the club. I was lucky to play alongside some great players and under some fantastic managers during my time at Anfield and would like to thank each and every one of them, as well as all of the backroom staff at the club for the fantastic support they showed me. I would like to say a special thank you to Steve Heighway, Dave Shannon and Hugh McAuley for believing in me when I was making my way at Liverpool and for giving me the platform to go on and fulfil my dreams. Thank you to the amazing fans of Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy for the incredible backing you have given me throughout my career. Your loyalty and support has meant the world. I would like to thank Struan Marshall, my agent throughout my career, and the team at Wasserman for all of their support over the past 18 years. I feel lucky to have had such a close group of friends that I have always been able to count and rely on throughout the course of my career. Thank you to all of you. Finally, the most important thank you; to my family. I cannot thank my Mum, Dad and brother Paul enough for their unconditional support over the years, it has meant everything to me. To my wife Alex and children Lily, Lexie and Lourdes, thank you for the constant love and support you’ve shown me. You’ve been there through the good times and the bad and without you nothing would have been possible. Thank you for everything. I am excited about the future and feel I still have a lot to offer the game. I am currently taking my time to consider a number of options and will make an announcement with regards to the next stage of my career very soon.

A post shared by Steven Gerrard (@stevengerrard) on Nov 24, 2016 at 3:35am PST

El futbolista también dejó una marca en el seleccionado inglés, ya que con 114 partidos se ubica en el cuarto lugar de más presencias y, además, tuvo el "orgullo" de ser el capitán del equipo en los Mundiales de 2006, 2010 y 2014, consignó la agencia EFE.

"En el plano internacional, me siento un privilegiado de haber vestido la camiseta de Inglaterra en 114 ocasiones y de haber capitaneado mi país. Lucí con orgullo la camiseta inglesa cada vez que la vestí", puntualizó mediante un comunicado.

Steven Gerrard's top 1⃣0⃣ @premierleague goals?

Some of the toughest decision-making imaginable!

We've given it our best shot... 🙌 pic.twitter.com/FbHWwIy94x
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 24, 2016