How Zinedine Zidane's private transfer talks over Steven Gerrard at Real Madrid went

Steven Gerrard was as loyal as they come as the Liverpool legend rejected transfers to the world's best clubs - including the potential to become one of Real Madrid's Galactico's

Steven Gerrard could have partnered Zinedine Zidane in Real Madrid's midfield – but the Liverpool icon stayed loyal to his boyhood club.

The former Reds skipper is regarded as one of the best players of his generation but despite his immense talent, his trophy cabinet doesn't stack up to some of his contemporaries due to Liverpool's lack of success throughout his career.

While the Huyton native led his team to a shock Champions League triumph in 2005, he never won the Premier League and won just one major honour in his last eight years at Anfield.

During difficult periods for the club in the mid-2000s, Gerrard's stock was at an all-time high and was subject to interest from the world's biggest clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.

Two of his former Liverpool team-mates in Steve McManaman and Michael Owen made the move to Spain as the midfielder was seemingly next on Madrid chairman Florentino Perez's hit-list.

Los Blancos icon Zinedine Zidane played for the club from 2001 to 2006 and managed them in two different stints as the Frenchman recently revealed he brought up the idea of signing Gerrard to Perez in 2004 - a year before he went on to lead Liverpool to their first Champions League title since 1984.

"In his prime, Gerrard was the best in the world," the 1998 World Cup winner said. "I think it was in the summer of 2004 when I had a conversation with Florentino (Pérez) and told him that I wanted him to be my partner in Madrid's midfield. "I know the club tried twice, but he didn't want to leave Liverpool.

"There aren't many players who reject Real Madrid, but I think that says a lot about the person's loyalty." While some Liverpool fans may not have begrudged Gerrard leaving a mediocre Liverpool side for the Spanish giants, there certainly would have been uproar in Merseyside if he decided to join bitter rivals Manchester United who were also suitors for the former England skipper.

United legend Gary Neville was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast as he recalled when Sir Alex Ferguson told him to talk to Gerrard about making the move to Manchester. "Stevie told this in his book, where I went into his room with England and asked him to sign for Manchester United," Neville said.

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"I was meeting up with England for the Euros, and he [Ferguson] rang me and said it’s ambitious, but his words were, ‘Tell him I’ll go and fetch him, and I’ll walk him back down the East Lancs’. I went to see Stevie, and he quite categorically [rejected it] pretty quickly. He said he would never get out of Liverpool and his family would never get out of Liverpool."

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