In his autobiography, My Story, Steven Gerrard revealed how he tried to bring Willian to Liverpool in his playing days.
"I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool," Stevie G said. "In 2013, the latest player in our sights was Willian, the Brazilian midfielder. I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign.
"Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong.
"I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn’t mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: 'If you need to chat or ask any questions I’m available at any time'."
"However, Willian replied with: “I’m not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League."
Another player on Gerrard's mind was Toni Kroos - Brendan Rodgers was a big fan of the German, so was the Reds captain.
"We both admired Kroos immensely. I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos," Gerrard continued.
"The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl."
However, Kroos declined the offer, too, and opted to join Real Madrid instead.
