Rafa Benitez: Whatever you ask him to do, you will get 100%. If he needs to play in goal he will do it. And there is more to come from him. He can be an even better player. King Kenny: He is probably the best player Liverpool ever produced. Ex Liverpool Coach, Gerrard Houiller (2012): Stevie is Liverpool Zidane: There are few extra abilities in Gerrard which Ive tried to learn but failed. Henry: He gives his 100% in every match. Wenger: Usually any team worry about an opponents striker but when Gerrard is in the field they worry about him even more. Maradona: After the Istanbul magic Steven won my heart. Pele: He is the only English player who has complete footballing abilities. Gary Neville: Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly a world-class player and I wish hed played for United. Zidane: Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Messi and Ronaldo but, yes, I think he just might be. If you dont have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team. He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly, he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You cant learn that - players like him are just born with that presence. Patrick Viera: The best midfielder I would say is Steven Gerrard. I really rate him as a player and as a man. He is so powerful and strong. He can attack, he can defend and he can score. Kaka: England have always had individually strong players and I am a huge fan of Stevie Gerrard. He has the heart of a lion and is the icon of the modern footballer with his ability to attack and defend so well. He is the worlds most complete modern player. Carlo Ancelotti: He is the complete midfielder. He can be a holding midfielder; he has fantastic shots, passes and skills. When I played, there were players like Giancarlo Antognoni and Rainer Bonhof but today Gerrard, full stop. Sir Alex Ferguson: He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. More than Vieira. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but I think that Gerrard does more for his team than Vieira does. Everywhere the ball is, he seems to be there. Hes got that unbelievable engine, desire, determination. Anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team. Henry (2008): For me, and I have always said this, he will be regarded as one of the greatest midfielders ever when he finishes his career. Ronaldinho (2007): He is one of the very best in the world. For the job he performs, for me he is one of the greatest. Pele (2006): Sometimes you have a player like Gerrard. For me, for the last five years Gerrard has been the best player in the world. Gus Hiddink(2009): I love Gerrards qualities as a player and a leader. Technically and tactically he is the best. His passion is enormous, he means as much for a great team as George Best. He is a player who fans can identify themselves with and a man who carries the love for his club on his club badge. There is not another player in the world who combines all those qualities. Former teammate, Luis Suarez: When I was a child, I saw him on the TV and played with him on the PlayStation. Now I play with him. He helps in the dressing room and helps all the players - he is a great captain. Andre Pirlo(2013): Steven Gerrard is an excellent passer of the ball, possesses an intelligent football brain, and has great vision. “He is a top professional.” Frank Lampard(2014): “Stevie will go down as a great player no matter what.” Daniell De Rossi(2012): Gerrard has been my idol for 10 years and is one of the best players in the world. He is the example of what all midfield players aspire to. He is always there in the heat of the battle, leading by example. He is everywhere you look - in defence, in the middle of the pitch and in attack. I would love to be close to that level. Boro ex manager, Gareth Southgate on Gerrard after a Premiership game between Middlesbrough and Liverpool in 2005: Steven Gerrard was awesome today. We were just laughing in the dressing room that at one stage we thought he was heading his own crosses in. Brendan Rodgers (2012): “He dons his Superman cape, comes on and changes the whole dynamic of the game. That is what great players do and this is one of the modern greats of the game.” ONLY ONE STEVEN GEORGE GERRARD!
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 08:25:32 +0000