Steven Gerrard to leave Liverpool at end of season

"It is almost an impossible task to find the words to appropriately sum up Steven Gerrard and his importance to Liverpool.

"This is an era where the word 'legend' is vastly overused, but in his case it actually doesn't do him justice."

This has been the toughest decision of my life and one which both me and my family have agonised over for a good deal of time.

I am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not distracted by stories or speculation about my future.

Liverpool Football Club has been such a huge part of all our lives for so long and saying goodbye is going to be difficult, but I feel it's something that's in the best interests of all involved, including my family and the club itself.

I'm going to carry on playing and although I can't confirm at this stage where that will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won't be playing for a competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool - that is something I could never contemplate.