text: Lucas Leiva would like to remind people it is not just Steven Gerrard playing out his own emotional journey in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley. The Brazilian has been at Anfield for eight years and holds the unwanted record of playing more games for Liverpool without winning a major trophy than anyone else in 50 years. He missed the 2012 League Cup final and two other Wembley appearances that year with a serious knee injury sustained against Chelsea the previous November. His story might not have the celebrity appeal of Gerrard saying goodbye in an FA Cup final on his 35th birthday, but the desire to win the Cup is just as strong. Lucas has been the longest-serving player at Liverpool behind captain Steven Gerrard (right) Lucas has played more games for Liverpool without winning a major trophy than anyone else in 50 years . ‘I’ve played at the Maracana a few times but never at Wembley,’ said Lucas, 28. ‘I have been dreaming about it, to be honest. I’ve been at Liverpool so long. Gerrard deserves to win the FA Cup after what he has done for this club. He has won many trophies here but a lot of people here have been working for many years and not won as much as him. We want to win like him.’ When Lucas was signed by Rafa Benitez in 2007, Liverpool had just been in their second Champions League final in three seasons. But he has had to endure turbulent times since then; four managers and a change of ownership that dragged Liverpool into virtual civil war. Not surprisingly, the cup finals and trophies dried up. ‘I didn’t think I was going to stay this long. I felt after the first season I was gone,’ said Lucas with a laugh, having been pilloried by the Kop during his early days. ‘There have been big changes in the club during my time here and at some point you pay a price for that. Sunday will mark Steven Gerrard’s 36th, and possibly last, appearance at Wembley. Thirty-two of his games have been there for England (including one at the old Wembley) and three for Liverpool. Wembley record for England P32 W24 D4 L4 Goals 8 . Wembley record for Liverpool P3 W1 D1 L1 Goals 0 . Three Wembley highlights . England 2-0 Ukraine - 2000 . Makes his England debut at the old Wembley the day after his 20th birthday and impresses enough to earn a place in Kevin Keegan’s Euro 2000 squad. Plays for 81 minutes before replaced by Kieron Dyer. England 2-0 USA - 2008 . Scores his first goal at the new national stadium when he sidefoots Gareth Barry’s pass past American goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Liverpool 2-1 Everton- 2012 . Having lifted the League Cup earlier in the season, Gerrard returned to Wembley for a sweet FA Cup semi-final victory against their Merseyside rivals, with Andy Carroll heading a late winner. ‘There was discussion about ownership, the court and all that. It didn’t help. We saw a lot of senior players leaving. This is a chance for our new team to win their first trophy.’ Lucas has gone from an impressionable youngster learning from Gerrard, Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso to one of the senior voices in the dressing room. He has seen youngsters Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe criticised for being photographed with a shisha pipe and said: ‘It is hard to give advice because there are so many people always around players. I just think young players shouldn’t get carried away. I had real role models in the dressing room like Pepe and Stevie. You saw they had success because of the way they do things, not just their talent. ‘Ten years ago, players would have more space. Today we go to a restaurant and everyone is filming, recording or taking pictures. You need to have extra care. If you are having a glass of wine, then people say you are drunk.’ Lucas tries to win a tackle during Liverpool's 2-0 victory at home to Newcastle on Monday night . Lucas celebrates Joe Allen's (right) second goal for Liverpool against Newcastle . Lucas is desperate to win the FA Cup and end his 270-game barren spell at Anfield. The last player to have played more times for Liverpool without winning a major trophy was Alan O’Court who played for the club 345 times between 1952 and 1964, collecting just a Second Division championship medal. Liverpool felt so sorry for Lucas, who was injured for the 2012 League Cup final win, they asked the Football League to send him a medal in the post. Liverpool’s improvements under Rodgers have not so far translated into silverware. They finished second to Manchester City in a thrilling Premier League title race last season and were beaten by eventual winners Chelsea in this year’s Capital One Cup semi-finals. Brendan Rodgers knows, with a far stronger squad than he inherited in 2012, they now have to take the cup competitions seriously. ‘For me, the objective in the first couple of years was getting into the Champions League,’ he said. ‘If you look at how we did in the cups we weren’t so good. I felt we didn’t have the squad to challenge. This year we’d arrived into the Champions League and could focus on winning a trophy. We have got to one semi-final already in the Capital One Cup and now we’ve got another chance. Our vision is to win trophies.’ Gerrard has returned to the squad after a three-match ban from being sent off against Manchester United . Gerrard (right) made his Wembley debut for England in 2000 in a friendly against Ukraine . The return of Gerrard into the squad after a three-match ban for stamping on Manchester United’s Ander Herrera is vital to calm any nerves. In contrast to Lucas and others in the Liverpool team, he has played at Wembley 35 times in his career — and been on the winning side in 25 of them. Rodgers smiles that he will be ‘heartless’ in deciding whether to name his captain in the starting XI but is adamant Gerrard will make a big contribution. ‘I’ve had a meal with him, talking over things,’ said the manager. ‘I am disappointed I didn’t have the chance to work with him for longer. At 24, I would have built a team around him like I did with Luis Suarez. ‘Wembley is like his second home. He knows what it takes to win there. He’s calm anyway before the games and that is important for us as a team. Everyone respects that I want to do what is best for the team. Status and star quality have never bothered me, really.’
target: Lucas holds record of playing more Liverpool games without winning a major trophy than anyone else in 50 years .
  Liverpool face Aston Villa in FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday .
  FA Cup final next month could be Steven Gerrard's last Liverpool game .