Steven Gerrard has been named PFA Players' Player of the Year following last night's 33rd annual PFA awards at the Grosvenor Hotel, Park Lane. It's the first time the Liverpool skipper has picked up the coveted trophy, although he was voted Young Player of the Year back in 2001. On handing out the award, special guest and 1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball described the 25-year old as 'the best midfield player in Europe'. Givemefootball's Mark Shail spoke to the England international to get his reaction to being honoured by his fellow peers, as well as his thoughts on Liverpool reaching the FA Cup Final and the forthcoming World Cup finals in Germany.
Q:
CONGRATULATIONS, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE PFA PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
A:
I'm still in shock to be honest. If you look at the other players on the shortlist, there are five other guys who have so much talent. They are special players. And then there are also the guys who did not make the shortlist – there are so many players who could have won this award.
Q:
FOLLOWING THE FA CUP SEMI FINAL VICTORY AGAINST CHELSEA ON SATURDAY, THIS MUST HAVE CAPPED OFF A WONDERFUL COUPLE OF DAYS FOR YOU?
A:
It's been one of the best weekends of my life. To go through to another FA Cup Final and win this special award is fantastic for me. These are exciting times. There is the cup final to look forward to and then it's off to the World Cup with England. We're just glad to be in the cup final. I didn't have a preference which team we would meet in the final because it will be about how well we play on the day. If we continue the form we're in at the moment, then we should go on and lift it, but we still have to show West Ham a lot of respect.
Q:
DO YOU THINK LIVERPOOL CAN CHALLENGE THE LIKES OF CHELSEA AND MANCHESTER UNITED IN THE TITLE RACE NEXT SEASON?
A:
I think we've made a lot of progress in the last year. The gap between Liverpool and Chelsea was 35 points last season - this time round it's around half that number of points. We have got a fantastic manager, who is going to continue to build, so things are looking good for Liverpool. But Chelsea are a great team, while Manchester United and Arsenal are going to come back strong next year too.
Q:
YOU MUST BE PLEASED TO SEE YOUR ENGLAND TEAMMATE WAYNE ROONEY PICK UP THE YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING?
A:
He's a fantastic talent and I'm sure it won't be long before Wayne is sitting exactly where I am now. This is the second year on the run that he's won the young player award and he thoroughly deserves it. I voted for him to win the young player award and Thierry Henry to win the Players' Player of the Year.
Q:
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE SUMMER, DO YOU THINK ENGLAND HAVE A REALISTIC CHANCE OF WINNING THE WORLD CUP?
A:
That's the incentive – to come back as heroes. We are going there to win it, not to make the numbers up. We have definitely got all the tools in the squad to go and win it – but you need that bit of luck and there are also a lot of other fantastic teams in the competition. It will be really difficult, but we go there full of confidence.
Q:
IS THIS THE BEST ENGLAND TEAM YOU HAVE PLAYED IN?
A:
It's certainly the most exciting. I have played with some tremendous players during my six years in the national team, but I just feel this squad has a good mixture of experience and youth. The hunger is there. We know, because the World Cup is in Germany, it might be our best chance to win it for a long time. The next one is in South Africa and the climate might not suit us as much, and it will be a long way to travel. So we have to make the most of Germany, go there and give it our best shot.
Q:
HOW IS THE SPECULATION SURROUNDING THE NEXT ENGLAND MANAGER AFFECTING THE PLAYERS?
A:
To be honest, it's not affecting any of the players – we are just concentrating on the World Cup. Sven is the manager, so we will give him 100 per cent. I am sure the FA will pick the right guy for the job in time, and then we will give him 100 per cent backing when he is in charge.
