Frank Lampard says Liverpool counterpart Steven Gerrard was the toughest midfielder he faced during his 20-year Premier League career.
The pair faced each other on numerous occasions when Liverpool and Chelsea squared off both on the domestic and European stages, and they played together in the England national team for 14 years.
Gerrard, who now works as a coach at Liverpool's academy, announced his retirement from football in November, with Lampard deciding to hang up his boots last month.
When asked by Sky Sports for his top three midfielders, Lampard said: "Steven Gerrard, in the Premier League. He had everything.
"If you got him on his day, you can almost forget about it because he was so powerful. Particularly when you used to go up to Anfield, you knew whether Stevie was on his game in the first three minutes because he'd crash through someone.
"But he had everything ... other than the aggressive side, obviously he had top ability. He was a great midfield player."
Lampard believes Barcelona pair Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta were the two best players in their position outside of England.
"Going to the Nou Camp and attempting to get near them for 90 minutes was very tough," he added. "They were absolute naturals on the ball."
The pair faced each other on numerous occasions when Liverpool and Chelsea squared off both on the domestic and European stages, and they played together in the England national team for 14 years.
Gerrard, who now works as a coach at Liverpool's academy, announced his retirement from football in November, with Lampard deciding to hang up his boots last month.
When asked by Sky Sports for his top three midfielders, Lampard said: "Steven Gerrard, in the Premier League. He had everything.
"If you got him on his day, you can almost forget about it because he was so powerful. Particularly when you used to go up to Anfield, you knew whether Stevie was on his game in the first three minutes because he'd crash through someone.
"But he had everything ... other than the aggressive side, obviously he had top ability. He was a great midfield player."
Lampard believes Barcelona pair Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta were the two best players in their position outside of England.
"Going to the Nou Camp and attempting to get near them for 90 minutes was very tough," he added. "They were absolute naturals on the ball."
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