10 Football Players Who Were Nearly One Club Men

As a born-and-bred Scouser, Steven Gerrard joined the Liverpool academy at aged 9 and never looked back.

Following a rocky start to his first-team career after his debut in 1998, he would regularly start for the club in the late '90s and early '00s, earning the captaincy by 2003.

The captain's armband was not awarded to him just for his leadership capabilities, but rather because he would lead by example.

During Liverpool's tumble down the table from 2009 to 2013 he was by far The Red's best player despite pushing further and further into his 30s.

With 321 goals and assists in all competitions and 11 trophies, it isn't hard to see why his name is constantly thrown into any debate for the best midfielders ever.

It may seem harsh to include Gerrard on this list; their loyal captain and legend made 710 appearances during his 26-year association with Liverpool.

However, his single-season stint with LA Galaxy simply cannot be ignored.

Gerrard openly admitted that he joined the MLS outfit because of the success they were having. Perhaps having never won the league title just irked him too much that he couldn't finish his career without one?

Alas, they finished 5th in the Western Conference and 9th overall, and so he ended his playing career.