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Full Name: Steven George Gerrard
Date of Birth: 30 May 1980
Place of Birth: Whiston, Merseyside, England
Signed: February 1998
Signed From: Trainee
Other Teams: Trainee
International Side: England
Height: 6 ft 1 in
Position: Central midfielder / Second striker
Squad No.: 8
Debut: vs Blackburn Rovers 29 November 1998
Once in a generation a player comes along to whom nothing seems impossible. Luckily, that man wears the No.8 shirt at Anfield.
Liverpool's inspirational captain is arguably the most complete footballer in the world. Power, pace, touch and a never-say-die attitude; Stevie G has it all, and rarely have these attributes been more apparent than when he skippered the Reds to 2005 Champions League glory in Istanbul.
The current Football Writers' Player of the Year has collected just about every medal during more than 10 years in the first team - except the Premier League. He's also captained his country and in 2006 was awarded an MBE by the Queen.
Gerrard's LFC love affair began when he was spotted playing for Whiston Juniors aged nine. Eight years later, after a period as a trainee, he signed his first professional contract.
Within 12 months the starlet had made his first-team debut, coming on as a second-half sub for Vegard Heggem against Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998. Gerrard played 13 games in his debut season, in part due to the injury woes of fellow midfielder Jamie Redknapp.
Persistent back and groin problems punctuated his blossoming career, though he'd managed to establish himself as a first-team regular by the start of the 1999-00 season.
By the start of 2003-04 the midfielder had firmly established himself as Liverpool's on-field leader, and it was no surprise when Houllier handed him the captain's armband in place of Sami Hyypia.
The decision proved such a success that within six months Gerrard was captaining England against Sweden in the absence of David Beckham. Gerrard - who's played in just about every position for Liverpool - had now scored in four major finals, something no English-based player had ever done.
The strike was one of 24 for Gerrard during 2008-09, a personal record which earned him Football Writers' Player of the Year for the first time. Sadly, his haul wasn't enough to secure an elusive Premier League winners' medal, though Liverpool mounted their best challenge since 1990 before United crossed the line on the penultimate weekend.
With the Reds now established as true Championship contenders, the pride of Merseyside once again committed his future by agreeing a two-year extension tying him to Anfield until the age of 33.
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Full name: James Lee Duncan Carragher
Date of birth: 28 January 1978
Place of birth: Bootle, Merseyside, England
Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position: Defender
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher (born 28 January 1978) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool. He is the current vice-captain and is one of the club's longest-serving players; he made his 666th appearance for Liverpool in all competitions on the 9th May 2011, thus placing him second on the club's all time appearance list.
Carragher started his career with the Liverpool youth team. He made his professional debut in the 1996–97 season and became a first team regular the following season. He gained his first senior honours in 2001, winning a cup treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. Having initially played as a full back, the arrival of manager Rafael Benítez in 2004 saw Carragher move to the centre back position and that season he won his greatest honour to date—the UEFA Champions League. In the next season, he won the FA Cup and was selected in the PFA Team of the Year. Carragher set a record for the most appearances in European competition for Liverpool in 2007.
Throughout his early years he was essentially used as a utility player spending time as a centre-half, right and left full-back and defensive midfield in a squad that was often negatively labelled the "Spice Boys". Carragher, young and caught up with the negative media reputations of that squad initially, to shun the spotlight and focus on football as new coach Gerard Houllier used him consistently in a new continental side focused on discipline and a new era. Carragher's versatility meant he would be deployed to fill in wherever there was a hole, but ironically harmed his ability to hold down a first team position of his own. In 1999–2000 he played mainly as a right-back, this season saw one of Carragher's darkest Liverpool moments as he scored two own goals in 3–2 home defeat to Manchester United, then in 2000–01 he made the left-back position his own. 2001 also saw Carragher gain his first senior trophies: the FA Cup, UEFA Cup, League Cup (scoring in the shootout in the final against Birmingham), Community Shield and European Super Cup.
Internationally, Carragher held the national record for most caps at under-21 level and earned his senior debut in 1999. Although he competed at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, he failed to pin down a first team place in the England national team. Carragher decided to retire from international football in 2007, with 34 senior England caps, and released his autobiography, Carra, in 2008. However, he came out of retirement after being selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.
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Full name: Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz
Date of birth: 24 January 1987
Place of birth: Salto, Uruguay
Height: 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position: Striker
Senior career: 2005–2006 Nacional; 2006–2007 Groningen; 2007–2011 Ajax; 2011-present Liverpool
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz; born 24 January 1987, commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" (The Gunfighter), is a Uruguayan international footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool as a striker. Suárez also plays for the Uruguayan national team. He has been praised as an excellent goal scorer with "remarkable technical ability" who is also known for creating chances for his teammates.
Suárez was born in Salto, Uruguay, and moved with his family to Montevideo, where he grew up with a single mother and six siblings. In 2005, he began his professional career at Montevideo side Nacional. At age 19, in 2006, he moved to the Netherlands with Eredivisie side Groningen. Suárez transferred to Ajax in 2007 and made a major impact at the Amsterdam club. In 2008–09 he was named club Player of the Year and he led Ajax in scoring, although he was suspended for both fighting with a teammate and for getting seven yellow cards on the season. The following year he was made the club captain, he led the Eredivisie in scoring with 35 goals in 33 games and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. He scored 49 goals in all competitions and Ajax won the KNVB Cup. In the 2010–11 season he scored his one hundredth Ajax goal and joined an elite group of players from the club, including Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp, to do so. But that season he was also involved in an incident in which he bit the shoulder of PSV player Otman Bakkal. He was branded the "Cannibal of Ajax" and suspended seven games. During his suspension, in January 2011, he transferred to Liverpool for €26.5 million. Suárez was one of Liverpool’s best players during his partial season and helped the club move from twelfth in the league in mid-January to finish sixth.
Suárez represented Uruguay at the youth level in the 2007 U-20 World Cup. In 2007 he scored in his senior team debut against Columbia but was also sent off for a second yellow card. In the 2010 World Cup he played an important role for Uruguay's fourth place finish and he scored three goals. But he was also involved in one of the tournament's most controversial incidents in the final minutes of extra time against Ghana; in a tied game, he saved a goal with his hands to prevent his team from losing. He was given a red card, but the ensuing penalty kick was missed and Uruguay advanced after winning the shootout. He was labeled a villain and a cheat but also as a hero for sacrificing himself for his team. In 2011, Suárez scored four goals for Uruguay as they won a record fifteenth Copa América, and he was named Player of the Tournament.
Suárez was the Liverpool's record signing for a few hours until the arrival of Andy Carroll from Newcastle United. The next day, Suárez passed his medical and signed a five-and-a-half-year deal that will keep him with the club until 2016. Suárez requested the number seven jersey, but at the time did not realize that it was worn by Liverpool "legends" such as his new manager Kenny Daglish and Kevin Keegan. After he learned about the players who previously wore that number, he said he appreciated the expectations associated with it. Suárez made his Liverpool debut on 2 February against Stoke City at Anfield, coming off the bench in the sixty-third minute to score Liverpool's second goal in front of the Kop in a 2–0 win. He finished the 2010–11 Premier League season with four goals in 13 games.
Suárez began Liverpool's 2011–12 Premier League season by missing a penalty and scoring the opening goal in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland. Suárez followed this up by coming on as a substitute against Arsenal to be heavily involved in Liverpool's first goal and then score the second. The 2–0 win was the first against Arsenal in London for eleven years. Next Liverpool played Exeter City in the Carling Cup and scored the first goal as Liverpool won 3-1.
