I have always been a proponent of keeping legends on your club for their entire careers, if that's possible and also assuming that they don't become a distraction or unruly as their skills diminish.
Liverpool midfielder and captain Steven Gerrard has always been one of my favorite players so I was psyched today when I read that he'll be there for the foreseeable future after signing a new contract.
Premier League side Liverpool confirmed the news on Thursday, stating Gerrard, 31, has "committed his long-term future" to the Reds, while he will also take up an ambassadorial role when he retires.
The deal caps an excellent 24 hours for the midfielder after he scored from the penalty spot on Wednesday night to help his side to a 1-0 Carling Cup semi-final first leg with over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
After emerging through the youth ranks at Anfield, Gerrard has gone on to make 561 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool, winning both the FA Cup and League Cup twice as well as claiming Champions League glory in 2005.
The England international has recently endured a torrid time with injuries, but he made his comeback in September and has since steadily returned to form and fitness.
Of his contract extension, Gerrard told the club's official website: "I'm very happy. It's a very proud day for myself and my family.
"It comes on the back of a fantastic team performance last night when we got the result we were looking for. Hopefully we can finish the job off in two weeks time and take all of our magnificent fans down to Wembley for a day out.
"The contract extension coming the day after has been the icing on the cake so it has been a perfect 24 hours. This is the club I love and is the club I have supported since I was a young boy. I am living the dream as the captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"I love coming to work every day and the experiences I have had since I was eight years of age and first signed for the club, I wouldn't change them for the world. To extend that and to hopefully have some more good times in a red shirt is what I want.
"There will be more highs and lows, there's no doubt about it as that's part and parcel of being a football player at a top club. The important thing is that you react well to the lows and experience more of the highs.
"I'm confident moving forward that the club is going in the right direction. We've got a fantastic team, we've got the right owners in place and the right team behind our team, so I'm really confident we'll have more good experiences in the future."
Reading those quotes from Gerrard, what more can you ask for? It's not just smart PR, you can tell the guy truly loves his club and playing professional soccer for a living. Plus, he's still energized and looking forward to the future rather than sitting back and resting on his laurels and impressive resume. This all makes me love him even more and root for the Reds to do well for the rest of his career.
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