Steven Gerrard has revealed that he turned down an astronomical amount of money to move to Qatar before signing a contract with LA Galaxy.
The former England captain, who was also courted by David Moyes at Real Sociedad, made the revelation in his new autobiography, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail.
‘Before I went public with the news, other clubs were hearing I might be leaving Liverpool,’ says Gerrard.
‘The first offer came from Besiktas, then managed by Slaven Bilic. Monaco were next. They came in strong. Paris Saint-Germain were also very keen.
‘David Moyes called my agent a couple of times, to see whether I would be interested in playing for him at Real Sociedad.’
After rejecting a 40% pay cut on a new one-year deal at Liverpool, Gerrard was keen to assess all his options. But it had to be the right league and the right move for his family.
‘My career has been about football: neither vast amounts of money nor a celebrity image really interests me,’ he continues.
‘So I had no problem when it became clear that if I decided to play Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy, it would be for less money than if I had stayed at Liverpool.
‘It’s also why I turned down a €13.5million (around £10m) net deal to play in Qatar for two years. That would have been more than I’d ever earned, but Qatar wasn’t the right place for me and my family.’
