10月20日，利物浦传奇球星杰拉德在接受媒体访问时透露，他对自己职业生涯中拒绝皇马等欧洲顶级俱乐部的邀请一事，毫无遗憾之情。
Gerrard's tenure with Liverpool saw him don the club's colors in 710 appearances, securing a total of 9 accolades. In a recent interview, he disclosed, "There were indeed several international clubs expressing interest in me, many of which were led by Mourinho, including Inter and Real Madrid, and this interest was recurrent. Moreover, around the time Schweinsteiger departed from Bayern, discussions with my agent regarding such possibilities had also taken place."
原先我对足球的热情并不高涨，毕竟我对离开利物浦并无任何打算。在罗杰斯的指导下，我沉浸在踢球的快乐之中。然而，确实有几支顶级俱乐部对我产生了浓厚的兴趣，这无疑让我感到无比自豪。
在告别之际，杰拉德坦诚表达：“目睹贝林厄姆与凯恩等球星在国际赛场屡获殊荣，难免引发人们对其过往选择的深思。然而，就我个人而言，对当初的决定我始终坚定无悔。”