Few people would contest the idea that Steven Gerrard is the best player in Liverpool’s history since he is the epitome of a legend. But if the legendary midfielder, one of the best of his time, had decided to leave Anfield in 2005, that legacy might have taken a completely different direction.
Only a few months after leading Liverpool to their sixth Champions League title, Gerrard became irate with the team’s reluctance to extend his contract. Disillusioned, he made a transfer request and was strongly connected to Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Inter Milan. With Jose Mourinho eager to lure him to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea in particular made their intentions known by submitting a bid of £32 million.
But in the end, Gerrard turned down Chelsea’s approaches to stay a Red, choosing loyalty above a new beginning. Understandably frustrated, Mourinho publicly hailed the midfielder’s skill, but he also made a daring forecast that turned out to be spot-on.
Mourinho’s Gerrard Prediction in 2005 Proved True
The Englishman’s loyalty cost him a shinier trophy cabinet
“Gerrard is a great player, and we want an English core very much,” Mourinho said to The Times in 2005, according to Manchester Evening News. We often play a midfield triangle, so you can see how Gerrard and Frank Lampard, with Claude Makelele protecting them, could form a formidable team. However, I believe Gerrard’s loss is greater than Chelsea’s.
“Why? Because Chelsea has viable answers, a strong team with room to grow, and a team that will soon rank among the best in the world.” Then he came up with his scathing forecast:
In my opinion, Gerrard is right when he says, “I was European champion at Liverpool.” However, I can tell him that we will compare the trophies won by Chelsea and Liverpool over the course of the next ten years. He will also lose.
José Mourinho, after Steven Gerrard rejected Chelsea in 2005:
"It will be a loss for him. He can say 'I was European Champion at Liverpool', and that is correct, but I can tell him that in the next 10 years we will compare trophies at Liverpool and Chelsea. And he will lose." pic.twitter.com/lXPKRLY02w
— IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) March 25, 2025
Mourinho was right about the number of trophies won. Gerrard became a legend at Liverpool, but he only won three more trophies there (2006 FA Cup, 2006 Community Shield, 2012 League Cup). Chelsea, on the other hand, won 12 trophies over the next ten years, including three Premier League titles and a Champions League victory. The Blues might have even been more successful if Gerrard had chosen to join them. Although he may not regret his choice (see his interview below), it is obvious that he would have wanted to have more success during his professional football career because his time at Anfield coincided with one of the club’s darkest times.
"If I win a couple of trophies at Liverpool, it would mean an awful lot more to me than to win 10 at Chelsea, Inter Milan or Real Madrid" pic.twitter.com/0lWmkD5fDx
— barry (@BackseatsmanLFC) March 25, 2025
Why Liverpool Fans Hate Homegrown Players Leaving
Trent Alexander-Arnold could be the next Scouser to face the consequences
Football has always been more than simply entertainment in Liverpool, where Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley helped foster an obsession with the game that may have overshadowed the enthusiasm for the sport in the rest of England. Football became a lifeline, a source of pride and identity, and, in many people’s eyes, a matter of Liverpool vs. the world during a period when few pastimes offered genuine escape from Merseyside’s struggles, whether they were caused by the post-war uncertainty or the Thatcher government’s disregard for the port city.
Given this, it is considered a pleasure to be a Scouser who is fortunate enough to wear the Liverbird and fulfil the aspirations of innumerable local children. The Trent Alexander-Arnold story revolves around this attitude, as the supporters of Anfield and the local communities struggle with the idea of their homegrown star going down the same polarising route as Steve McManaman and Michael Owen did.
As a Scouser, Trent had the footsteps of Stevie G to follow. How can he leave after completing football with us yet Gerrard stayed through it all? There’s no excuse
— YNWA 🏹 (@kloppfc24) March 25, 2025
The fact that Alexander-Arnold is on the verge of departing Liverpool during their most prosperous period since the 1980s further distinguishes his circumstances from those of his predecessors. Many others think he has no reason to want to move on, and his strategy of keeping quiet while allowing his contract to expire and possibly hurting the club’s finances is viewed as the ultimate betrayal, something that no true Liverpudlian would do.
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