Steven Gerrard says he owes his England captaincy honour to everyone at Liverpool.

Gerrard led from the front yesterday, scoring England's goal in their World Cup opener against the USA.

"It's a huge honour to be England captain at the World Cup finals and, of course, it gives you a huge sense of satisfaction," said the Reds No.8.

"All I can do is thank everyone at Liverpool who has helped me get here; from the coaching staff to the constant backing of the supporters - the roles they have played will never be forgotten.

"I'm fortunate to play at a level where the prizes on offer are tremendous and I've been lucky to enjoy lots of success with Liverpool. But now I'm determined to stay in this tournament all the way to the end.

"In a few years, I want to look back at South Africa and say I enjoyed it, I played my part and led a successful England team.

"When you are a kid, you dream of playing at a World Cup finals and 1990 - when Paul Gascoigne was the star performer - was the first one I really studied; it would be amazing if I could have a similar impact."