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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
JOE KRISHNAN

Latest Liverpool training pictures as players sing 'Happy Birthday' to Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard may no longer be an official part of Liverpool's squad but the former captain remains a hugely popular figure on Merseyside.

The Reds legend, now in charge of Scottish outfit Rangers, celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday (May 30) and Liverpool decided to honour the Kop icon with a personalised tribute.

While Gerrard was not able to visit the squad who were at Melwood for an afternoon training session with social distancing measures in place, Jurgen Klopp ensured Gerrard would be recognised with a birthday song.

But this was no ordinary birthday tune.

As the entire Liverpool squad and coaching staff gathered round in a semi-circle, Klopp and other German speakers began their rendition of "Zum Geburtstag alles Gute" with some impressive synchronised clapping.

Once the German song finished, the whole group joined in for the English chorus with a simple but effective "Happy Birthday Stevie" line repeated over and over.

Other players were then able to include their own versions in their native tongue before the squad returned to training.

There is no doubt Gerrard - who made 710 appearances for the Merseyside club and won nine trophies including the Champions League in 2005 - would be delighted to see the tribute from his home in Glasgow, some 220 miles away from his boyhood town.

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