- Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker played together for England over 10-year spell
- Both are now retired and have taken their first steps in the world of management
- They faced off on Wednesday as Gerrard’s Liverpool U18s played Parker’s Spurs
- Pair joked on the touchline before the match at Tottenham’s training ground
They are former international team-mates and club rivals, but this week saw Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker go head-to-head in a different arena.
The pair met as managers for the first time, as Gerrard took his Liverpool Under 18s south to face Parker’s Tottenham.
The pair shared a joke on the touchline as their next generations faced off on the pitch at Spurs’ Training Centre in Enfield.
Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard shared a joke as they met on the touchline on Wednesday
Parker (left) is in charge of Tottenham’s Under 18s, while Gerrard is coach of Liverpool’s youth
The pair played together on the international stage with England for 10 years until 2013
Gerrard and Parker competed plenty of times in the top flight during their long careers, but this time it was Parker who had the better of the early exchanges.
His Spurs team went 1-0 up in the first half when Reo Griffiths chipped the Reds’ goalkeeper two minutes before half-time.
Both have enjoyed an impressive start to their management careers, opting to start in academy football as opposed to going straight in at the top level.
Gerrard retired at the end of 2016 and confirmed his return to Liverpool at the start of the following year. It was three months later, in March, that his appointment as Under 18s coach was confirmed.
Parker, meanwhile, only retired from playing in the summer, and went straight in at Spurs to begin the new season as a youth coach.
With only five months between them in age, the pair have trodden similar paths, spending 10 years together on the international stage.
Gerrard was in and around the England team for all of Parker’s 13 caps, making a huge 114 appearances himself.
Despite a 10-year foray into international football, former West Ham and Fulham midfielder Parker only went to one major tournament with England – Euro 2012.
