Former Everton winger Anthony Gordon has named Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as his footballing idol, speaking to Barcelona’s official club media.
The 24-year-old left Goodison Park for Newcastle United in January 2023, in a deal reported at around £40 million, before a £69 million move to Barcelona this summer. That switch has produced an Anthony Gordon Steven Gerrard storyline that will resonate with supporters who remember his family’s well-known Liverpool ties.
Gordon names Gerrard as footballing idol in Barcelona media interview
Gordon’s comments to Barcelona’s club media single out Gerrard as the player he looked up to most growing up. It is not the first time he has spoken publicly about his footballing roots on Merseyside, and it adds a fresh detail to a background that Everton fans already know well.
Liverpool upbringing…
Gordon’s admiration for Gerrard fits with revelations he made in a past appearance on Sky’s A League of Their Own. He told the show he was on Liverpool’s books as a boy before being let go. “So I was at Liverpool and they released me at 11 and then Everton signed me,” he said.
He went further on his family’s allegiance. “I have no family members who support Everton. None, not one. All Liverpool so it was quite strange,” Gordon said, before explaining that even his own goals went unwelcome at home. “As long as they lost it was alright. Like if I ever scored, they were like, ‘if you score great but we still want you to lose’. My family are really, really bitter Liverpool fans.”
In a separate interview reported by the Liverpool Echo, Gordon spoke to the Spanish newspaper El Pais about what convinced him to join Barcelona. He credited manager Hansi Flick directly.
“Flick told me he wanted me to come, and that I fit his style and the things he likes,” Gordon said.
He also used the interview to point to a part of his game he feels goes unnoticed. “I feel that my intelligence as a footballer is the quality of mine that gets the least recognition,” Gordon said.
Early Barcelona career stats following summer transfer
The Gordon/Gerrard admission sits alongside a Barcelona career that is starting to take shape statistically since the summer switch. Gordon has made seven appearances for the Catalan club, registering five assists without yet scoring his first goal. Those numbers point to a player being used mainly to create chances for others inside Flick’s attacking setup, rather than as a focal point in front of goal.
Everton, for their part, have continued their own business in the transfer market since Gordon’s £40 million departure to Newcastle in January 2023. Recent reporting has covered links to incoming attacking targets played down and potential wage hurdles for prospective signings as the Blues weigh up their own options in the position Gordon once filled. His progress abroad continues to be watched closely on Merseyside, given his career began at Everton after Liverpool released him as a child.
Upcoming fixtures for Gordon
Gordon looks established in Flick’s squad after his summer move and will keep pushing for a first Barcelona goal in the games ahead. Seven appearances and five assists already suggest he has the manager’s trust as a creative outlet in the final third.
For now, the winger’s focus stays on adding end product to his all-round game, while his comments on Gerrard and his family’s Liverpool roots add another layer to a career that began on Merseyside before taking him to Newcastle and now Barcelona.
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