Saudi Arabia has gotten another soccer icon after Steven Gerrard has been announced as manager of Al-Ettifaq. Gerrard, the legendary Liverpool player who has managed Scottish club Rangers and Premier League side Aston Villa since he retired, is following the path of another former Liverpool star, Robbie Fowler, who was signed by Al-Qadisiyah last week.
“Here is the source of the legends,” Al-Ettifaq tweeted. “We are delighted to announce that Steven Gerrard is our new head coach.”
Gerrard has not managed a team since he was sacked by Villa last season, when the club was one place above the Premier League relegation zone.
His coaching career seemed to take off after Gerrard led Rangers to the Scottish league title in 2021 and broke Celtic’s run of nine straight championships.
Al-Ettifaq, who plays in the lucrative Saudi Pro League, is yet to sign a major player in an offseason that has seen Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and several stars from Europe’s top leagues travel to the country to join Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed for Al-Nassr in January.
As a player, Gerrard won many of football’s biggest club trophies, including the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005. He won seven more major cups during a highly decorated career, but never lifted the Premier League.
