Steven Gerrard has branded Manchester United great Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest of all time when detailing his influence on his career, while the Al-Ettifaq boss also explained how he was able to sign ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
Gerrard took a leap of faith when signing on to become the manager of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq on July 3. The club aren’t one of the four backed by the Public Investment Fund, meaning they don’t enjoy the same level of financial backing boasted by Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli.
In a recent sit-down interview with the Saudi Pro League, Gerrard spoke at length about why he chose the Saudi route as the next step in his management.
Per The Liverpool Echo, Gerrard had applied for the then-vacant jobs at Leeds United and Leicester City. But when those avenues closed, Gerrard did not hesitate to join Al-Ettifaq.
Explaining part of the reason why, Gerrard pointed to Man Utd icon, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The legendary Portuguese was the first global superstar to jump ship to Saudi Arabia in late-2022. A swathe of household names such as Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, Neymar and Sadio Mane have since followed suit.
Gerrard pointed to Ronaldo’s influence in raising the profile of the SPL as a factor behind his own decision to sign up. In doing so, Gerrard also labelled Ronaldo “The GOAT” – an acronym for greatest of all time.
“The arrival of ‘The GOAT’ as we call him, Cristiano, him arriving in January obviously (was) a huge signing,” said Gerrard. “He still had a lot of football to offer.
“So, from afar, for six months, I was looking in at Cristiano Ronaldo’s results, at the league, watching some games and watching some highlights.
“I think from that moment, the league around the world had become a very popular talking point for everyone. After Cristiano’s arrival, even more big-name signings, talents and skill sets were joining the league.
“At the time it coincided with me being out of the game and looking for my next opportunity, so I was fascinated from afar looking in.
“When my agent brought a couple of opportunities in the gulf area at the time, I was fascinated to explore them.”
Gerrard explains why Henderson ditched Liverpool
Among Gerrard’s summer signings are ex-Liverpool stalwarts, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum.
Henderson cost £12m to prise out of Anfield and Gerrard went on to explain how it was possible to sign the former Reds skipper.
“Myself and Jordan (Henderson) we have that trust,” continued Gerrard. “We played together and he’s a fantastic player still, a fantastic human being.
“For us, to execute that signing was key and very important and I think a lot of the other signings we made came on the back of Jordan agreeing to come here.
“I think he wanted to still play, I think that was the key. He was at Liverpool at the time, he’s had a fantastic career, he’s achieved everything at that club, he’s been a fantastic servant to Liverpool Football Club.
“But I think in the previous months, maybe him not being a regular starter in the team, when you get to that age, I’ve been there myself under Brendan Rodgers when, you’re the captain, you play all the games.
“Then all of a sudden you’re on the bench or you’re not getting as many minutes as you’d like, and that’s when you analyse and think about a different challenge.
“And when we knew it was a possibility, I wanted to be aggressive and wanted that to be my first signing, because for me it was a no-brainer.
“Still a fantastic player, he’s a leader, an on-pitch coach. His standards on how he lives his daily life on and off the pitch is good for our young players to see, watch and learn.
“Jordan understands the size of the project, that it’s not a quick fix. He wants to be part of the journey and building it with us, but he was a very important signing at a key time.”
Henderson lost his place as a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
With a midfield overhaul on the horizon and fresh blood such as Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai on the way, Henderson understandably decided to pursue a fresh challenge.
