Former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard had to “pretend” to like Manchester United pair Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand when away on England international duty.
While the rivalry between Liverpool and Man United, at least between fans of the two teams, remains intact, on the field, tensions amongst the players of both sides seem to be nowhere near as fraught as they were during Gerrard, Ferdinand and Neville’s pomp.
The trio were involved in bitter clashes at Anfield and Old Trafford as their teams competed for the Premier League as well as domestic and European honours. It is no secret that during the 2000s, the tension and rivalry between the English players of ‘the big six’ sides, impacted upon cohesiveness on the international stage.
And it even led to Gerrard, who made 114 appearances for the Three Lions, to have to “pretend” to like Neville and Ferdinand, such was the rivalry between Liverpool and United back during his playing days.
“When you’re lining up against in the tunnel against Rio and Gary Neville you want to do everything in your power to beat them, there’s hatred there, that’s exactly how it is,” explained Gerrard back in 2017.
“When you meet up for England at that time, you pretend you like them, but your career finishes, their career finishes and your friendship starts for real.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for Rio as a player, played for a top club all his life, he’s a good fella as well, I’m enjoying the role at BT [Now TNT Sport] with him as well.”
Of course, nowadays with ‘the golden generation’ having retired, the likes of Gerrard, who is currently coaching Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, Ferdinand, Neville and Jamie Carragher all seem to get on reasonably well, with the latter two playing a huge part in Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage together.
And so good has their dynamic been together, it has even seen Neville and Carragher go on tour together as part of Sky’s ‘The Overlap On Tour’ earlier this year. “If you’d said to me 10 years ago I’d be going on tour with Jamie Carragher, I’d have said ‘You’re f***ing mad’,” Neville told FourFourTwo back in June.
He added: “But things evolve. The camaraderie between all of us is the strongest part of the show.”