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Back in 2017, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard admitted that he pretended to like Manchester United legends Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville while playing for England. The retired midfielder revealed how club loyalties often impeded the establishment of real friendships between national team members back then.
Gerrard, a one-club man for Liverpool in the top flight, was understandably a fierce opponent of Manchester United during his playing days. This fierce rivalry between the two teams carried through into England camps, where there were tensions between players from different clubs. Speaking in 2017, Gerrard opened up (via SPORTbible):
"When you're lining up against in the tunnel against Rio and Gary Neville you want to do everything in your power to beat them, there's hatred there, that's exactly how it is. When you meet up for England at that time, you pretend you like them, but your career finishes, their career finishes and your friendship starts for real."
Despite the once-intense rivalry, Gerrard praised Ferdinand, hailing the healthy career that the former defender had enjoyed.
"I've got nothing but respect for Rio as a player, played for a top club all his life, he's a good fella as well."
The Liverpool talisman won 114 caps for the Three Lions, making him England's fourth-most capped player. After a 14-year spell, he retired from international football in 2014.
Harvey Elliott admits frustration over game time but shines as Liverpool’s hero against PSG
Harvey Elliot reached a new high point in his career on Wednesday, March 5, in the Champions League last-16 first leg, scoring the only goal to beat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He found the net just 47 seconds after coming on for Mohamed Salah.
It was a big moment for the 21-year-old, who has found playing time difficult under head coach Arne Slot this season. He has played just 507 minutes of football, having not even started a single Premier League game.
Speaking about his frustrations, Elliot said (via the Guardian):
“I’ve already played almost 150 games for Liverpool [137] and I feel like I’m very experienced in that aspect. So there are moments within the season where I am getting angry, I am getting frustrated because I want to play, but at the same time I need to respect the situation and I need to respect the manager’s decisions."
PSG dominated possession and created numerous scoring opportunities in the match. However, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was up to the task with nine important saves. The Reds' resistance finally paid off in the 87th minute when Elliott converted Darwin Nunez' cross to score a vital 1-0 victory.
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Edited by Nihal