Stever Gerrard leaving Liverpool for luxury in Malibu

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said he’s coming to Major League Soccer and the Galaxy this summer because of the soccer, not the Southern California lifestyle.

Apparently, he’s softened that stance a bit. According to London’s Daily Mail, Gerrard and his family plan to live in a $25-million beachfront home in Malibu when the midfielder reports for duty with his wife and three children in July.

The sprawling 11,622-square-foot home, which has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms, formerly belonged to Yolanda Foster, star of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Foster and her husband, David, put the six-year-old custom-built home up for sale 14 months ago.

The three-level home has 12-foot ceilings, Bavarian walnut floors, an office, library and two spa bathrooms, a billiard room, a screening room and a sauna. It also features mountain and ocean views from Santa Monica to Point Dume.

For someone like Gerrard, who has lived his whole life under the dreary, leaden skies of Liverpool -- think Seattle with a British accent -- Malibu will be quite a shock. But probably not as big a shock as negotiating the 405 Freeway between Santa Monica and Carson, where the Galaxy holds weekday practices that begin at 10 a.m.