A Tribute to Captain Fantastic

A century is always special. It’ll certainly be special for Steven Gerrard as he makes his 100th England appearance against Sweden in Stockholm tonight.

Not that his talent and early potential didn’t indicate he could reach this milestone; but in a sport in which factors like loss of form and ill-fortune with injuries have curtailed many careers, it’s hard to take this for granted. The fact that only 5 England players have cracked that 100 cap barrier speaks volumes about the difficulty of reaching a century of caps.

The last man to join that elite group was, of course, David Beckham – the only one in the last 20 years – and he joined English legends Billy Wright, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton in the “century club”.

At 32, Gerrard is hardly at the peak of his powers, but he’ll pick up his 100th cap as captain and sure starter in Roy Hodgson’s England team. It’s a truly fitting accolade for a man who has, over the last 12 years been as consistent as any other in what has been dubbed England’s “golden generation”, and whose exploits in Liverpool’s red shirt have sealed his legacy as a true Anfield legend.

It’s been a pleasure to watch the emergence and development of arguably the most complete midfield player of the last decade. He may not have the goals of the likes of Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistlerooy or even Frank Lampard; but he has a good enough return for a midfield player (19 goals in 99 caps), and none of those prolific scorers can match his versatility. Some would argue that Paul Scholes and Xabi Alonso are better midfield passers; but he passes it better than most and neither of those can match him for tackling, dynamism or goal scoring ability. The likes of Claude Makelele, Javier Mascherano and Lucas will always be better defensive midfield players; but Gerrard was good enough to play this role for England earlier in his career, and none of these guys can offer what he does on the offensive end.

Right back, defensive midfield, offensive midfield, right wing, left wing, second striker. Gerrard as filled all these roles – and credibly too – for both club and country.

He made his international debut in 2000, at 19, and featured at Euro 2000. By the time the 2002 World Cup qualifiers got into full swing, Gerrard had replaced Paul Ince as midfield pivot, grabbing a memorable goal along the way as England trounced Germany in Munich. Injury kept him out of the World Cup finals, but he was back at Euro 2004 – where scored once – and scored twice at the World Cup in 2006. Even at the World Cup in 2010, where England had a miserable time, Gerrard, filling in as captain, was one of the few players to rise above the chaff, scoring once again. At last summer’s Euros, Gerrard was once again the pick of England’s under-performing squad, providing two assists and picking up two man of the match awards.

For me, as for most Liverpool fans, three key moments will always underline the quality of Steven Gerrard, and have gone a long way in firmly securing his place in Liverpool and football lore:

• Olympiakos, 2004 – when a well-placed half-volley from 20 yards helped complete a comeback win at Anfield and put Liverpool through to the Champions League 2nd round – and on to glory in Istanbul;

• Istanbul, 2005 – when his headed goal started the unlikely comeback from 0-3; his darting run won the equalising penalty; and he ended up at right back to nullify the rampaging Serginho in extra time;

• Cardiff, 2006 – where an exhausted Gerrard smacked home a volley of such ferocity from all of 30 yards to tie the FA Cup final in the very last minute, setting up a Liverpool win on penalties after extra time.

A true captain fantastic.