How Gerrard went from 'best night' to 'head like a box of frogs'

"In May 2005, Gerrard captained Liverpool to perhaps the most famous victory in their storied history as they came from 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan to win on penalties and clinch the club's fifth European Cup. It was a moment fans hoped would convince Gerrard to commit his future to Liverpool amid interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Premier League champions Chelsea, who were managed at the time by Jose Mourinho."

"Six weeks later, Gerrard announced he was leaving. Then he wasn't. "Mourinho was on the phone - the best manager in the world at the time, offering silly contracts, which would naturally turn your head. Chelsea were spending fortunes, he was guaranteed success there," he says. "I can't park my relationship with Liverpool. When they came, I didn't know which way to go. Mentally, I was in a bad place. My head was like a box of frogs.""

""I felt like he didn't rate me, he didn't trust me, he didn't want me," says Gerrard, 45. "I've always been clear that I want to be a Liverpool player and a Liverpool player only, but with that doubt and with that coldness and being part of a team where you don't believe that you can compete at the top, that's when your head gets turned.""

""Rafa Benitez was never going to do that,""

Gerrard described the 2005 Champions League final as the best night of his life after captaining Liverpool to a comeback from 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan, winning on penalties to secure the club’s fifth European Cup. Despite hopes the victory would keep him at Liverpool amid interest from Real Madrid and Chelsea, he announced he was leaving six weeks later, then reversed the decision overnight. He said Jose Mourinho contacted him with lucrative offers and guaranteed success, which affected his thinking. Gerrard said he was mentally unwell, with his head like “a box of frogs,” and that Rafael Benitez’s demeanour made him feel distrusted and undervalued, weakening his belief in competing at the top.

Read at www.bbc.com