Steven Gerrard knew he'd just seen a future legend after watching England player at the age of 12

Back in the 90's, shortly before Steven Gerrard made his Liverpool debut to start an iconic career, the young midfielder heard about a rival Everton academy star making waves and decided to pop down and have a look.

Gerrard came through the academy at his boyhood club, making his Liverpool debut as an 18-year-old in 1998 and making over 500 appearances in a glorious 17-year career at Anfield where he scored 120 goals and won eight major trophies including the Champions League and two FA Cups.

The iconic midfielder is one of only a few players to represent England over 100 times, with only three men playing more for the Three Lions - so even as a youngster he will have known quality when he saw it.

Gerrard quickly climbed through the ranks at Liverpool and became a true club legend. (Image: Getty)

Of those players to feature more than Gerrard's 114 England caps, one is fellow Liverpudlian Wayne Rooney, who represented Liverpool rivals Everton as a teenager.

And reflecting on the rise of Rooney, Gerrard said his reputation crossed the Liverpool divide to the point he was persuaded to take a look for himself when Rooney was just 12-years-old.

"I had heard all about the special talent everyone was predicting would come through at Goodison Park," he wrote in the Telegraph. "I wanted to see it for myself so went along to one of the junior games taking place on the Littlewoods playing fields in Netherton on Merseyside.

"You could see how good he was, so much stronger and technically gifted than everyone else. He was not just the best player, he had that swagger and the style of play we can all identify now. He also knew where the back of the net was. I walked away from that first game knowing I had seen someone with the potential to become a top player."

Gerrard and Rooney came through their academies in Liverpool and are two of England's best ever players. (Image: Getty)

Gerrard's prediction was quickly proven right as Rooney made his first team debut for Everton as a 16-year-old, bursting onto the scene and earning a huge move to Manchester United when he was just 18.

He had made his senior England debut a year before when he was 17, quickly catapulting himself to the elite level.

Gerrard continued: "By the time he made his senior debut four years [after that afternoon in front of a young Gerrard] everyone on Merseyside already knew the name and had just been waiting for him to explode. He announced himself with that brilliant, memorable goal against David Seaman in that famous Everton v Arsenal match in 2002, and those of us in the England squad realised it was only a matter of time before he was called up.

"When that happened in 2003 Wayne and I instantly clicked on and off the pitch. Within a few days with England you saw a footballer with the ability to stop a training session with a moment of magic, team-mates wanting to stop and applaud a goal or piece of skill. There are some players who look the part instantly and you know they will make the step up."

Gerrard was a rival on the pitch as Rooney represented Everton and Manchester United, but was a regular teammate at international level and described his friend as one of the greatest English players of all time.