Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has opened up on how he hopes to inspire the next generation of talent in the same way he was by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
The Reds midfielder collected his Premier League winners medal on Wednesday after scoring the final goal in their 5-3 thriller with Chelsea.
Oxlade-Chamberlain came off the bench to sidefoot home Liverpool’s fifth goal to safely wrap up all three points late on before the title celebrations really got started.
And despite there being no fans inside the stadium to bask in Liverpool’s glory, the moment was not lost on the 26-year-old.
“You can’t take moments and nights like this for granted,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told the official Liverpool website. “You can’t take playing for an amazing football club like this with fans that care so much, you can’t take that for granted.
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“So, as a player you need to seize those sorts of moments. We are here for a short time. We have our little spells hopefully making history at this football club, we’ve got to do our bit to inspire the next generation like Steven Gerrard inspired me.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain has already gone one better than Gerrard by winning the Premier League, but will no doubt be hoping now is his own time to shine.
The former Arsenal man has had rotten luck with injuries previously, which kept him out of last year’s Champions League final.
(Image: Getty Images)
He has been in and out of the side since under Jurgen Klopp this season, who has got fierce competition for places in his midfield.
But Oxlade-Chamberlain is excited for what the future will bring for him alongside his teammates as they look to build a lasting legacy at the club.
“At the minute we are going that way to doing that, but we need to go on now and have a strong streak for a few years and once said and done, that will be our story told and this football club will go on and hopefully people can follow us too,” he said.
“But we’ve got more work to do here and it’s an amazing start to a journey.
“We’ve done really well in the last three years since I’ve been here and we need to just keep building on it, but it’s a good time to be a Liverpool player and to be involved in this amazing football club so I’m really looking forward to what comes next, but we need to stay hungry and stay focused.”
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