As adidas celebrate Steven Gerrard's 700th appearance for Liverpool with a personalised pair of Instinct boots we've taken a look back at every Predator football boot he's worn for the Reds throughout his Anfield career.
Although Gerrard made his Liverpool debut in a pair of Nike Tiempo boots the local lad from Whiston netted his first goal for the club in adidas 16 years ago and the rest is history. Since the retirement of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard has become Mr adidas Predator and we've dug up each pair he's worn for the Reds to see which were his most successful.
Accelerator | Aug 1999 - Apr 2000 | 1 goal: A fresh-faced, 19 year old Stevie G notched his first goal for his boyhood club in front of the Anfield Road end wearing the Predator Accelerator against Sheffield Wednesday. It was the only time Gerrard would score in the boot as he moved straight into the Precision after signing terms with adidas.
Precision | Apr 2000 - Mar 2002 | 14 goals: Perhaps one of Gerrard's most successful spells for Liverpool occurred whilst wearing the Predator Precision. Gerrard scored 14 goals in this boot whilst helping Liverpool achieve the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup - all in the same season. Gerrard was also voted the PFA player of the year award that season. Arguably Gerrard's most significant goal in these boots was in the Uefa Cup final against Spanish opposition, Alves.
Mania | Mar 2002 - Jan 2004 | 8 goals: The mania boot was released just before the '02 World Cup. Unfortunately for Gerrard, injury prevented him from going to the tournament. However, for the following season Gerrard scored a very memorable goal in his Mania Predators against Manchester United in the League Cup final, the first goal of the game which saw Liverpool go on to win 2-0, with Micheal Owen grabbing the second.
Pulse | Jan 2004 - Nov 2005 | 18 goals: By this time, Gerrard's career was in full swing as he had been announced as the first team captain and was very much an established player at International level. One of Gerrard's most exceptional moments was when Liverpool beat AC Milan in the UCL final. A game that can only be remembered as one of the greatest European finals ever played. Gerrard was the catalyst for the comeback scoring Liverpool's first goal with a stunning header.
Absolute | Nov 2005 - Nov 2007 | 30 goals: At the time the Predator Absolute was released Gerrard was entering the peak of his career. He managed to chalk up 30 goals in this Predator which was his personal best yet. In 2006, Gerrard won the FA Cup for a second time in a pulsating game against West Ham United scoring two wonder goals in a 3-3 draw. Liverpool held their nerve to claim the FA Cup for a seventh time. Gerrard celebrated the birth of his second daughter by adding 'Lexie' to his Absolutes.
Powerswerve | Nov 2007 - Oct 2009 | 42 goals: To date, this has been Gerrard's most lethal weapon in front of a goal and it's no surprise to learn that Gerrard admits to the Powerswerve being his favourite ever Predator. Most notable games for Gerrard in these Preds include the away league game at Manchester United where his 2 goals lead to a 4-1 victory, and when he scored twice against Real Madrid in front of the Anfield faithful. Liverpool knocked Madrid out of the competition with an aggregate score of 5-0.
Predator X | Oct 2009 - Apr 2011 | 17 goals: For Gerrard's next Predator, we saw adidas take the famed boot in a new direction with the long-standing folded tongue removed from the boot. In this updated version, Gerrard only managed to score 17 goals, with 16 goals coming from Premier League games and only one goal from the FA Cup in a 1-1 draw against Reading forcing an FA Cup replay.
adiPower | Sep 2011 - May 2012 | 9 goals: In 2011, we saw Gerrard switch into the new silo of the Predator from adidas. The adiPower was his boot of choice and we only saw nine goals from Gerrard. Under new management of Roy Hodgson, Liverpool struggled to find form that season, but one game that sticks out was the 3-0 victory against local rivals, Everton. Gerrard scored a hat-trick in his 400th league appearance for Liverpool. Not a bad way to celebrate this achievement.
LZ | May 2012 - May 2013 | 10 goals: The following season saw Liverpool welcome another new manager, with Kenny Dalglish taking the hot seat. Towards the end of this season Gerrard was handed the Predator LZ., which he scored 10 goals in, with nine of them coming from league games and one coming from the Europa League. 10 SoccerBible points if you can name the team.
LZ II | Aug 2013 - Sept 2013 | 0 goals: Gerrard struggled to adapt to the new-generation LZ. The England captain only opted to wear the boots for a handful of games before moving into adidas' latest boot, the Nitrocharge. Gerrard put his move away from the Predator down to a heel problem with the boot, which has now been resolved as he moved into the Instinct. 
Instinct | Aug 2014 onwards | 9 goals: At the start of this season Gerrard was back in the Predator, and so far he's scored nine goals in the Predator Instinct: five in the league, two in the FA Cup and two in the Champions League. One of his final CL goals came in true Gerrard fashion, with a sublime free kick against Basel. It'll be a sad day when Gerrard finally leaves his Preds in the Anfield changing room to head stateside but we reckon there's a few big goals left in those size 9.25's yet.
Got a favourite Predator from this list, or a favourite Gerrard moment in any of these boots? Lets us know in the comment section below.
