Steven Gerrard is one of 16 former Liverpool captains interviewed by Norwegian author Ragnhild Lund Ansnes for a book titled, surprisingly, 'Liverpool Captains'.
In that book the current LA Galaxy midfielder outlines the highs and lows that come with such responsibility, advising anyone who can't handle the pressure that comes with bad performances to avoid the job, stating that it is only for men who wish to lead when things aren't going their way.
But what was also notable to us are his comments on Jamie Redknapp, who Gerrard painted as a throughout nice bloke by detailing the ways in which he helped a then 16-year-old Gerrard settle in at Liverpool.
Redknapp was a senior pro at Anfield at the time, and the attention he gave to Gerrard, showing a clear interest in how the youngster was getting on off the pitch, greatly helped him out.
You hear a lot about older pros being tough on the youngsters, but Redknapp seemed to do the opposite.
Redknapp was my hero. I love him as a guy and I loved him as a player. He went out of his way to help me.
I was 16 and an apprentice on £47 a week. And he was a national star who played for England and LFC and was vice-captain under Paul Ince.
Every day he’d call me over and check on me if I was all right, if I had the football boots and the equipment that I needed. And he’d tell me where he was off to after training and ask me to join him. He didn’t have to do that.
When someone behaves like that to you at 16, it does something important to you. So when I was 26 and I was captain, I’d treat younger players the way Jamie had.
He wasn’t just a top player, he was also a top guy who’d go out of his way to help – not just me, just many of my friends at that time. He looked after us and protected us. Jamie showed great leadership.
That's top, top stuff from Redknapp, who clearly left a lasting impression on Gerrard.
Injuries cut his career short but he was a very talented player for both Liverpool and England with an absolutely ferocious shot on him.
Clearly he was a fantastic leader too, as to have helped mould Steven Gerrard as a Liverpool captain is something few players can claim to have done.
