Legendary midfielder never won the league with his boyhood club – but now he could help them do it as manager of another team.
"We'll give everything we've got to get points for Aston Villa. If that helps Liverpool, fantastic," says Gerrard ahead of Man City clash.
Steven Gerrard's phone has been red-hot ahead of the finale to the English Premier League and many of the calls and messages will likely have come from people connected to his former club.
One of the greatest midfielders in his generation, Gerrard never got to win the league for Liverpool in 17 years there as a player and team captain. It was the biggest regret in his career, denying him what he has called "the icing on the cake".
On Sunday, though, he could help win the title for Liverpool – as a manager of another team.
Gerrard's Aston Villa stand between Manchester City and another league title, their sixth in 11 seasons. All City need to do is win at their Etihad Stadium home.
Yet if Gerrard can inspire a win or even a draw for Villa, the title could then go to Liverpool – provided his boyhood club, the team he’ll forever hold dear to his heart, beat Wolverhampton in a match taking place simultaneously at Anfield.
It's the dominant narrative heading into Sunday and Gerrard cannot deny it.
"I totally understand and respect the external noise and the questions that have been coming my way for some time," he said. "They're involved in a title race and I spent a lot of time there."
So how does Gerrard assess the situation?
"We'll go out at the weekend," he said, "and give it everything we've got to try and get points for Aston Villa and our supporters.
"If that inevitably helps Liverpool, fantastic, but my priority is to try and get points for Aston Villa."