Ballon d'Or: Steven Gerrard Profile

Can the midfield maestro match his 3rd place finish in 2005?

Nov 23, 2009 3:13:32 AM

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Players

Steven Gerrard

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STEVEN GERRARD
Club: Liverpool
Country: England
Age: 29 (DOB 30 May 1980)
Position: Midfielder
Previous Placings: 3rd (2005)
He may not have the Premier League winners’ medal he so craves, but Steven Gerrard has won just about every other honour the game has to offer, and he is not yet 30.

Gerrard captains Liverpool with the same energy and desire he brought to the club when he burst into the side a decade ago, and plenty more besides. Last season’s Football Writers’ Association Player of the Season may have had an injury disrupted start to 2009/10, but he remains one of the most respected players around.

His injuries, and Liverpool’s poor start to the season, will likely deny him a place in the top three, but Gerrard should also be England’s highest placed contender...

Attributes

Third highest Premier League goalscorer with 16 goals from an advanced midfield position.
Seven goals in nine Champions League appearances last season, second only to Lionel Messi.
24 goals in all competitions last season, a personal best.
Football Writers’ Player of the Year for 2008/09.
Set a new Liverpool record by scoring in seven consecutive games.

They Say...

“Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Lionel Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, but yes, I think he just might be. If you don’t have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team.” – Zinedine Zidane speaking to the Daily Mail in March of this year.

Prediction

Despite Zidane’s recommendation, Gerrard is unlikely to pip Messi, Xavi or Ronaldo to a spot in the top three due to Liverpool’s lack of silverware this year, and Gerrard’s own injuries.

The 29-year-old is likely however to be the Premier League’s (and England’s) top representative, and is surely worthy of a place in the top five.