Manchester City star Raheem Sterling has admitted that Steven Gerrard was the first player he was in awe of at the start of his professional career.
Sterling rose through Liverpool's academy ranks before graduating to the senior squad in 2012, and went on to appear in 129 matches for the club, scoring 23 goals.
The 25-year-old quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young players in Europe at Anfield, forming one third of a deadly attacking triumvirate alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
Sterling ended up completing a big-money move to City in 2015 as Brendan Rodgers' Reds squad broke up following a failed Premier League title bid, but he is still able to recall his early experiences in the first team on Merseyside.
The England winger has conceded that he was intimidated by ex-Reds captain Gerrard at first, while also revealing that Barcelona legend Ronaldinho was his main idol growing up.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Probably when I was 17, 18, 19 I was in awe [of great players]. [When I was young, I looked up to] Ronaldinho. If you check my history on YouTube, I think I've watched every single clip of his playing career.
“He was a player that I used to go in the garden to try to recreate but it could never be done. I tried it to the best of my ability, but he was something special.
“Steven Gerrard was the first person I felt a bit in awe of – I couldn’t believe I was standing in front of him but not now, it's just strictly business: ‘I need to beat your team’ and it's as simple as that.
“I think they are great players and everything but I don’t really dwell on that anymore.”
Sterling is currently in self-isolation away from the rest of his City team-mates, with the 2019-20 season still on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Social distancing rules have been introduced in a bid to contain the spread of the illness in the United Kingdom, which is set to remain in a state of lockdown for at least another two weeks.
“It's been weird but we are well – the family is well, the kids are well,” Sterling added on how he and his family are coping at home.
“It's another opportunity to be with the family. A lot of time, we're on the road so it gives us an opportunity to be there and take the leading role in the house and give the missus a rest for once!
“At first, I didn’t have a structure in place when we first started because I didn’t know what was going on exactly but I have to be ready and keep myself fit, while at the same time having the afternoon off to have some time learning and studying with the kids, trying to balance it out in the right way.
“Everyone is well.”