"I don't think there's any doubt about the way I play and my attitude to the game is down to where I grew up," said the Liverpool skipper. "t's down to my dad and the way he has brought me up.
"I do not think I would be where I am today if I wasn't taught what I was taught and where I was taught it - I do not think I would be at the level I'm at now.
"I used to play football in the streets of Huyton and get kicked from pillar to post by the older boys and that sort of education for a footballer is priceless.
"It was one of those places where you didn't complain about it, you just picked yourself up and got on with it.
"It certainly toughened me up and I think those lessons have helped me right through my career.
"Coming from a council estate and battling with the older lads definitely gave me a hunger to succeed at the very top level.
"I don't think the way I play the game now and the way I played on the streets is too different.
"I think the desire to work hard is just the result of where I grew up and comes naturally to me."