Steven Gerrard's Liverpool career in stickers

In 1998, a fresh-faced Steven Gerrard walked into a barber's shop as a promising Liverpool youngster and asked for a short back and sides.

And, as these Merlin Premier League stickers chronicling Gerrard's career will attest, nothing has changed in the subsequent years.

Number two in the barber's chair, number one in the heart of modern-day Liverpool fans.

Stickers courtesy of www.toppsfootball.co.uk

First senior steps - 1998-99

When Steven Gerrard replaced Vegard Heggem with a minute to go of a 2-0 victory over Blackburn on 29 November 1998, few Liverpudlians could have predicted the future the fresh-faced 18-year-old would have.

The breakthrough - 1999-2000

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry quizzed Patrick Vieira on their way down the Anfield tunnel after a defeat: "Who was that kid in midfield?" Gerrard was shown his first red card against Everton and netted his first goal against Sheffield Wednesday.

Goals and trophies arrive - 2000-2001

Gerrard, who was given the number 17 shirt having previously worn 28, was named the Professional Footballers' Association's Young Player of the Year, PFA Fans' Player of the Year, was chosen in the PFA Team of the Year and won the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup.

International calibre - 2001-02

The Whiston-born player won the Uefa Super Cup as Liverpool finished runners-up domestically for the first time in over a decade and his England career took off as he scored the second goal in a 5-1 win over Germany.

The armband - 2002-03

As Sami Hyypia struggled for form, Gerrard took on the club captaincy. "Now he is 23 and he is ready, there has been a maturing in his game and his personality," said Gerard Houllier, then the Liverpool boss.

First sign of doubt - 2003-04

"For the first time in my career I've thought about the possibility of moving on," said Gerrard at the end of the season as Rafael Benitez moved into Anfield and Chelsea tried to lure the midfielder to Stamford Bridge.

One night in Istanbul - 2004-05

Gerrard lifted the most famous trophy in club football to conclude one of the most dramatic nights in Liverpool's history, was named Uefa Club Footballer of the Year yet still came close to leaving Anfield.

The Gerrard final - 2005-06

Gerrard's last-minute 30-yard strike to force extra time against West Ham in the FA Cup final will light up highlight reels for decades to come. Gerrard, then 25, also became the first Liverpool player since John Barnes in 1988 to be voted the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

Champions League defeat - 2006-07

Gerrard experienced defeat in the Champions League final by AC Milan but Liverpool finished third in the Premier League as he made the fifth of his eight appearances in the PFA Team of the Year.

Partnering Fernando - 2007-08

The Liverpool number eight found himself in a new role just off striker Fernando Torres and both players were nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award. Off the field, Gerrard became a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

A title chance - 2008-09

In his most prolific season Gerrard managed a first Premier League hat-trick in a win over Aston Villa in March 2009 and got closer to a league title than ever before - losing out by four points to Manchester United - as he won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.

Back to reality - 2009-10

After a summer in which a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Gerrard not guilty of affray, Liverpool struggled as Benitez left at the end of the season, though their 29-year-old captain became one of just 13 men to pass 500 appearances for the club.

England captain to the operating table - 2010-11

In a season in which Gerrard captained his country, Liverpool's team needed surgery and so did he, with a groin problem ending his season in March as Liverpool swapped manager Roy Hodgson for Kenny Dalglish.

Hands back on trophies - 2011-12

After turning down a summer move to Bayern Munich, Gerrard lifted the club's first trophy in six years - the League Cup - and scored a hat-trick against local rivals Everton on his 400th Premier League appearance.

The foundation of a rebuild - 2012-13

New Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers got to work on re-building the club and Gerrard was at the centre of his work, playing 36 times in the league as the club finished seventh.

A title run, a costly slip - 2013-14

"It's probably been the worst three months of my life," Gerrard said after the slip which handed Demba Ba a Chelsea goal, Manchester City the initiative in the title race and ruined hopes of a first Liverpool title in 24 years.

The final chapter - 2014-15

His sending off after 38 seconds of coming on against Manchester United as a substitute in March 2015 was the behaviour of a man overcome by frustration, while his late winner to beat Queens Park Rangers in May was the act of a leader and match-winner Liverpool fans will never forget.