Steven Gerrard will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
The club have confirmed the news in a statement on their website this morning.
The Reds Captain will end his career-long stay at Anfield when his contract expires in the summer.
He has been with the Reds since he joined the club’s youth academy as an 8-year-old.
Gerrard had been offered a new deal by the Liverpool hierarchy, but he has turned that down, insisting "my decision is completely based on my wish to experience something different in my career and life and I also want to make sure that I have no regrets when my playing career is eventually over.”
"This has been the toughest decision of my life and one which both me and my family have agonised over for a good deal of time,” continued Gerrard.
"I am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not distracted by stories or speculation about my future.
"Liverpool Football Club has been such a huge part of all our lives for so long and saying goodbye is going to be difficult, but I feel it's something that's in the best interests of all involved, including my family and the club itself.
"I can't thank Brendan, the owners and everyone at the club enough for how they've handled this and I am leaving on great terms.
The midfielder has been criticised for his performances this season by experts and fans alike.
He has been dropped and rested by manager Brendan Rodgers on several occasions, as the Reds have struggled to match their stunning form of last season, which saw them just pipped to the title by Manchester City.
Gerrard says he will play on beyond this season, with LA Galaxy in the MLS reportedly his most likely destination, though he wouldn’t confirm those rumours: "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.
Gerrard made his Liverpool debut in 1998 and famously lifted the Champions League trophy as captain in 2005.
He has also won the Uefa Cup, two FA Cups, three League Cups, one Community Shield and two Uefa Super Cups in his time at Anfield.
Former teammate at Anfield, Jamie Carragher, has responded to the news of Gerrard’s departure on twitter:
