Steven Gerrard’s first attempt at speaking Arabic with Al-Ettifaq goes viral | OneFootball

Steven Gerrard has gone viral after his first attempt at speaking Arabic following his appointment as manager for Saudia Arabia club, Al-Ettifaq.

The former Liverpool midfielder was announced as manager this week, marking his return to football following his sacking from Aston Villa last October.

Addressing fans of the Saudi Arabian club, he released a short video, where he tried his hand at speaking Arabic for the first time and football fans are losing their minds over it online.

What did Steven Gerrard say to Al-Ettifaq fans?

The video, while only short, has quickly gone viral, with fans loving Gerrard's attempt at speaking Arabic, especially when paired with his thick Scouse accent.

In the clip, and in Arabic, the former Villa boss says: "I am Steven Gerrard. I am an Ettifaqi. See you soon."

It's an exciting time for Al-Ettifaq, who get one of the most highly-rated English midfielders of all time as manager and join the list of clubs in Saudi Arabia who have been bringing in some high-profile personnel this summer.

With Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr seemingly opening the door for a number of other top names to head to Saudi, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves and Karim Benzema are just a handful of names to make their way to the country in recent months and now Gerrard has joined them, becoming one of the first high-profile managers to make the move.

What did fans think of Steven Gerrard's message to Al-Ettifaq fans?

Gerrard's message to Al-Ettifaq fans was released online and as you can imagine, football fans are lapping it up. There has been some incredible reactions and hilarious comments from fans who have watched the video and here are just some of the best ones.

A couple of fans pointed out the hilarious contrast between Gerrard's Scouse accent and the Arabic he was speaking, while another compared him to Joey Barton during the Englishman's brief spell in France several years ago.

A couple more had similar ideas, both comparing Gerrard's attempt at Arabic to their own efforts during their foreign language-speaking school exams.

The former English midfielder has immediately gotten to work as well, with reports suggesting a move for fellow Liverpool icon Jordan Henderson could be on the cards for Al-Ettifaq, as well as a potential transfer for former Reds man Phillipe Coutinho.