Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is to leave the club at the end of the season, the player announced Friday, saying it had been "the toughest decision of my life".

"I'm going to carry on playing and although I can't confirm at this stage where that will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won't be playing for a competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool -- that is something I could never contemplate," he told liverpoolfc.com