Steven Gerrard has always called the 2005 Champions League final the "best night of his life"—a fairytale finish in Istanbul where Liverpool, 3-0 down at halftime against AC Milan, staged a miraculous comeback to win on penalties. It was the crowning achievement of his career and secured the club's fifth European Cup. But just two months later, the unthinkable happened: Gerrard announced he was leaving Liverpool.

In a candid new Netflix documentary about that historic victory, the Liverpool legend opens up about the emotional whiplash that followed. "My head was like a box of frogs," he admits, describing a period where he felt "in a bad place" mentally. The reason? A strained relationship with then-manager Rafael Benitez.

"I felt like he didn't rate me, he didn't trust me, he didn't want me," Gerrard, now 45, reveals. Despite captaining the club to its greatest triumph in decades, he says Benitez's criticism and emotional distance left him doubting his future at Anfield. "With that doubt and that coldness, and being part of a team where you don't believe you can compete at the top, that's when your head gets turned."

And turn it did. Chelsea, managed by the charismatic Jose Mourinho—widely considered the best manager in the world at the time—came calling with "silly contracts" and promises of guaranteed success. Real Madrid also lurked in the background. Gerrard admits Mourinho was "on the phone, offering silly contracts, which would naturally turn your head."

But the decision wasn't easy. "I can't park my relationship with Liverpool," he says. "When they came, I didn't know which way to go." After announcing his intention to leave, he dramatically changed his mind overnight, eventually signing a new contract and staying for another decade. It was a decision that would define his legacy.

Former teammate Jamie Carragher offers a simple explanation for the turmoil: "He probably needed an arm round his shoulder. Rafa Benitez was never going to do that. He's very unemotional." That lack of warmth, Carragher suggests, nearly cost Liverpool its captain and talisman.

For fans, Gerrard's story is a reminder that even legends face moments of doubt. The 2005 final may have been the pinnacle of his career, but the aftermath shows that glory doesn't always bring clarity—sometimes it just leaves you with a head full of frogs.