LANGUAGE FOCUS: Adjectives with prepositions, past simple regular SPORT

around there with my big brother ten years old. After that, I wanted to CROWN CULTURE: and his friends every day! be a great football player – for him. I was small and they were big and Liverpool LIVERPOOL strong – but that’s how I’m good CROWN: Did you enjoy your Liverpool is famous for … Steven Gerrard: at football! teenage years at Liverpool F.C.? Gerrard: Yes, but there were CROWN: When did you join problems then too! At 14 years old, I From Kid to Captain! Liverpool F.C.? started growing too fast – from very Gerrard: When I was seven, I small to 1.83m in just two years! So played for a local boys’ team called my balance* was bad. BEFORE YOU READ Whiston Juniors. Someone from SIGNED: Age 17 1 ... its two football teams! • What do you want to be Liverpool F.C. watched me play when you grow up? and asked me to join Liverpool Academy when I was eight years 2 ... the He was just a kid from old. I trained there twice a week. Royal Liver a poor part of Liverpool. Building, built in 1911, Now he’s captain of SCHOOL: Age 7 with a bird Liverpool FC. CROWN on each talks to Steven Gerrard tower! about his journey from little boy to professional footballer.

THE CROWN INTERVIEW CROWN: But it ended OK! CROWN: But you had an Now you are captain of CROWN: Where did you live when accident when you were eight, Liverpool and England! you were a child? didn’t you? Gerrard: Yes. I signed my first 3 ... the Beatles – the most Gerrard: I lived on the Bluebell Gerrard: Yes. I tried to get a professional contract at 17. I always famous band ever? estate* in Huyton, just outside football out of a bush* with my foot dreamed of being captain! For Liverpool, in a small, terraced* house. and stepped on a garden fork*! The a young boy from an estate in There were lots of poor families like doctors wanted to cut off my toe Liverpool, I am very lucky! us. It was a tough* place! but Liverpool football club stopped them! After a long time, my toe was Past simple regular OK again. CROWN: How did you start At which age …? playing football? At Age Gerrard: There was a piece of land CROWN: Another bad thing Write the correct age: 1 I joined Whiston Juniors … in front of our house. I kicked a ball happened at the same time, 4 ... the ferry on the River Mersey 2 My cousin died … didn’t it? – a great way to see Liverpool! PROFILE Gerrard: Yes. My cousin Jon-Paul 3 I stepped on a garden fork … died at the disaster* at Hillsborough 4 I started to grow quickly … Nickname: Stevie G Best moment: In the Champions player – Wayne Rooney! 5 I signed a professional PRACTISE Family: Wife Alex Curran and three Stadium in 1989. Jon-Paul was only Born: 30th of May, 1980 League against AC Milan in 2005, contract with Liverpool … More English activities Wins: 2 FA Cups, 1 Champions Liverpool were losing 3-0 at half-time. daughters, Lilly-Ella (10), Lexie (8) www.mg-plus.net /activities League, 1 UEFA Europa League Then Gerrard scored and they won and Lourdes (3) ✱ WORDWISE Cup – and many more! the match! Lives in: Southport, in a house with English French Italian German Dutch Spanish Position: Midfield Worst moment: He knocked down* a two-floor gym, a pool, a solarium, estate lotissement tenuta Siedlung landgoed la urbanización terraced house maison mitoyenne villetta a schiera Reihenhaus huis in gesloten bebouwing las casas pareadas Strengths: He’s a good captain, a schoolboy with his car. But Gerrard a jacuzzi, six TVs and a playground tough dur difficile hart, schwierig moeilijk duro/-a scores important goals. visited the boy in hospital and presented for his children. to knock down faire tomber investire überfahren onderuithalen atropellar bush buisson cespuglio Busch struik el arbusto him with boots from the boy’s favourite Loves: Cars. garden fork fourche forca Forke riek el rastrillo de jardín disaster désastre disastro Katastrophe ramp el desastre balance équilibre equilibrio Gleichgewicht evenwicht el equilibrio THE ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 15 ➧ 6 CROWN November / December 2014 7