Steven Gerrard has revealed that a lack of discipline was his major weakness as a player - and that former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was the man to point it out to him.
The Reds legend announced his retirement from professional football on Thursday morning - bringing an end to a glittering 19-year playing career - and spoke to BT Sport about his time both on and off the pitch since making his senior debut way back in 1998.
Gerrard has been praised by all quarters for his unquestionable ability on the ball and will no doubt go down as one of the finest midfielders of the Premier League era.
However, the 36-year-old was self-admittedly not the perfect footballer, and he exclusively told BT Sport that it was current Newcastle United manager Benitez who realised the one main area that Gerrard was lacking in during the pair's time together at Anfield.
Gerrard said: I think my weakness in my early years, and Rafa Benitez pointed that out quite cleverly, was probably discipline, in terms of losing my position as a central midfielder too easily.
Also maybe emotions, controlling my emotions. In terms of stupid yellow cards, stupid red cards - I've let my team-mates down on a few occasions.
His 19-year career is over,...
Remember when Steven Gerrard scored THAT FA Cup final goal? https://t.co/rv4cVtSaiF
They're the things that I look back on and wish I could go back and correct them things to have a totally smooth career. But who is out there that has that perfect career? I'm not sure there's many.�
Magpies manager Benitez helped turn Gerrard from a talented youth prospect into one of England's best box-to-box midfielders during his six-year spell in charge of Liverpool from July 2004 to June 2010.
The duo helped the Reds win the 2005 Champions League title, as well as an FA Cup, UEFA Supercup and Community Shield before the 56-year-old Spanish boss departed for Inter Milan.
Gerrard himself called time on his Liverpool career in the summer of 2015, and enjoyed an 18-month spell in the USA with LA Galaxy before he announced his retirement.
The ex-England international is now expected to take up a coaching role at Liverpool's youth academy after spurning the advances of MK Dons, who had hoped to hand him the manager's job at Stadium: MK.
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