Former Manchester United and Everton striker Wayne Rooney will have left Liverpool supporters delighted after some news comments about Steven Gerrard.
Rooney was the absolute enemy for Reds fans throughout his career, considering he enjoyed spells as their two biggest rivals.
The ex-England international always made it clear what he thought of Liverpool, often showing delight when scoring against them, and no doubt cherishing beating them more than anyone else.
Speaking on The Overlap with Gary Neville [via Give Me Sport], however, Rooney admitted that he thinks Gerrard was the most complete footballer out of him, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard, giving his thoughts on the debate:
“They’re all different. I think, as an all-rounder, Stevie is the best one out of them. I think he can defend, pass the ball, run, tackle, score goals, set-pieces, so I think as an all-rounder, Stevie is the best from that point of view.”
Our thoughts on the Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard debate…
This is a talking point that has gone on for many years, and in truth, there is always going to be an element of bias depending on which team you support.
That being said, for Rooney to single Gerrard out as the most complete of three great midfielders does speak volumes, considering how much he played with all of them.
The England legend is spot on with his remarks, too, with the former Liverpool captain barely possessing a weakness in his game, excelling in all facets.
He was fast, strong, scored and created goals, defended resolutely, showed great leadership and was hugely versatile, whereas Scholes and Lampard had flaws, despite clearly being elite players in their own right.
Scholes’ lack of tackling ability was well-documented, for example, and he lacked pace, while Lampard was an outstanding goalscoring midfielder, but didn’t have Gerrard’s versatility and ability to drive past players.
It is no doubt a debate that never go away, but you only have to look at how many former players rave about Gerrard to know just how special he was, and why he should always be looked at as the greatest English midfielder of his generation.
At his peak in the mid to late 2000s, he was among the best footballers in the world, and his qualities are worthy of gracing any era in football history.
