Steven Gerrard MBE ( ) (born 30 May 1980, Whiston, Merseyside) is an English football player. He is the captain of Liverpool, where he wears the number 8 shirt. He is the England vice captain, for which he wears the number 4 shirt. He has been called an influential and versatile midfielder, and is known for his long-range shots and defence-splitting passes, he is usually employed in the "box-to-box" midfield role, although he has often been deployed as a right-sided midfielder, and occasionally as a second striker. Throughout his career he has won the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, European Midfielder of the year, Premier League Most Valuable Player (twice), and UEFA Most Valuable Player. He has also been awarded the MBE for his outstanding contributions in both the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final in which he greatly inspired his team's comeback. blank">ABC ESPN Guardian He has been nominated three times for the _FIFA Player of the Year, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. On February 5th 2008 it was announced he had been voted by fans, the Nationwide England Player of the Year for 2007. www.FA.com