World Cup

Steven Gerrard: 'Ambition is to reach World Cup semi-final'

By Liam Power, Reporter | 12 November 2013

England captain Steven Gerrard believes that going beyond the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil next summer would be a significant achievement.

England captain Steven Gerrard has insisted that he places making the country proud of the Three Lions at next summer's World Cup above any individual accolades, setting a target of going beyond the quarter-finals for the first time since 1990.

Gerrard has played 107 times for England in a 13-year international career, placing him fourth on the all-time list and one cap behind World Cup winning skipper Bobby Moore.

The 33-year-old believes that being clapped home by the England fans following next summer's South American showpiece would be a tremendous feeling, while openly asking just how far his team can go in the tournament.

He told the Daily Mail: "To be clapped home would be amazing. But it will only happen if we go past the quarter-final. It is not about me passing Bobby Moore, Peter Shilton or David Beckham. To think about that would be very self-centred. I am not that type of person.

"For me the ambition is this: can I help get the team past a quarter-final? I haven't really thought about what I will do after the World Cup. It is all about going to enjoy this World Cup. What an experience it will be in Brazil.

"I am absolutely delighted to help the team get there, it was a great achievement. But now the attention has to switch to: what can we do there?"

England boss Roy Hodgson may be without the Liverpool skipper for this Friday's friendly with Chile at Wembley, with Gerrard nursing a persistent hip problem.