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Steven Gerrard believes Jose Mourinho would have been a “perfect match” for Liverpool.

The current Chelsea boss was linked with the Anfield job prior to Rafa Benitez’s appointment in 2004 and Gerrard says he would have loved to have played for the Portuguese coach.

Mourinho repeatedly tried to sign Gerrard throughout his career but the talismanic midfielder always opted to stay loyal to the Reds.

In his new autobiography, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, Gerrard said: “Chelsea fans are not my people. We’ve all worked that out over the years. I belong to Liverpool.

“Jose Mourinho understood my reasons; but each time he came in for me he was very persuasive. I liked the way he spoke to me and I could see how most of his players were ready to die for him.

“I remembered him winning the Champions League with Inter Milan and the devastation of his players when he left. You could see it in their faces. I understood how they felt because they had shared such a big moment in their careers together. I never had that with Rafa Benitez. I would have had it with Jose Mourinho.

“It was clear that, tactically, he could set up his team to win any football match. He could spoil, he could fight, he could do whatever you needed because he was a pure winner. But, more than that, he created a special bond with each squad he managed. You heard it in the way his players spoke about him. You saw it in the way they played for him.

“For me, the ideal situation would obviously have been for Mourinho to have managed Liverpool. He was linked with a move to Anfield a couple of times but it never materialised.

“I know I’m biased, but I think it would have been a perfect match. The Liverpool fans would have loved him and he would have known exactly how to turn that love into adoration. He always told me about his deep respect for our supporters. Jose would have had a fantastic time bringing huge success to Liverpool.

“When I was playing my best football, probably in 2006 and even in 2009, there were some big chances to leave: Chelsea again; Real Madrid twice — and the second time was more tempting because, once more, Mourinho wanted me. Playing for Jose in the white shirt of Real Madrid, at the Bernabeu? Only Liverpool could have made me say ‘no’ again.”