Steven Gerrard retires from international football - the Twitter reaction

But following England's early exit from the Brazil World Cup, Gerrard tells the FA it's time to step down from the international stage.

“This has been a very difficult decision, one of the toughest I’ve had to make in my career. I have agonised over this since coming back from Brazil and have spoken to family, friends and people close to me in the game before coming to this point."

"I have enjoyed every minute of representing my country and it is a sad day for me knowing that I won’t pull on the England shirt again.

"However, I do look forward to continuing my strong relationship with The FA and helping out in any way I can going forward.

"I’d also like to thank everyone who has been part of my international career, from the England Managers I’ve played under to the staff at The FA and, of course, all the players I’ve been fortunate to play alongside.

"In particular, the supporters have been amazing, not least in Brazil when they got behind the team despite the disappointing results.

“I’d especially like to thank [England manager] Roy [Hodgson], firstly for giving me the captaincy permanently when he took the job, making me the proudest man in the country and allowing me to fulfil my childhood dream."

The hash tag "#ThankYouSteven" is already gaining momentum on Twitter with fans eager to share their views on the news:

Many were keen to discuss the footballer as a legend:

#ThankYouSteven :') #legend #LFC #England

— Dinesh Jeyapalan (@dinoboy_92) July 21, 2014

He couldn't have given more. Legend. #ThankYouSteven

— Connor Groves (@ConnorGravy) July 21, 2014

Some are even thinking about crying

For some, once wasn't enough

Some weren't keen to shower the footballer with praise

While others are dreading the decisions to come...

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