Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas has named the toughest opponent he faced when playing in the Premier League.
As one of the best midfielders of his generation, Fabregas got to play for some incredible sides.
After rising to prominence at Arsenal, the Spaniard played in an iconic Barcelona team, won the Premier League twice with Chelsea and won two European Championships and the World Cup with Spain.
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While starring in so many top teams, Fabregas came up against his fare share of top quality opponents.
The midfielder came up against some of the best players in the world while playing in the English top flight with Arsenal and Chelsea, from iconic defenders to legendary attackers.
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best player Fabregas came up against on these shores, as his time at Arsenal coincided with Ronaldo reaching the peak of his powers at Manchester United.
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After winning three Premier League titles and one Champions League with United, Ronaldo left for Real Madrid and became one of the greatest goal-scorers of all-time.
However, in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, Fabregas chose another player instead of the Portuguese great when naming his toughest opponent.
That honour belongs to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, with whom Fabregas engaged in plenty of midfield battles over the years.
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"I always felt he had everything in his locker," Fabregas said of Gerrard.
"He could dictate play, he could score goals, do assists, make runs in behind. Offensively he was very strong.
"You always felt that when you were coming up against him you had to be at the top of your game otherwise you would be in trouble, because he was very consistent.
"He was always and eight, seven, eight, seven [out of 10].
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"For me he was a role model and someone, looking back, I really appreciate playing against. I learned a lot from him."
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Many fans and pundits believe that Gerrard would have won much more silverware had he not spent much of his career at Liverpool, but his loyalty to his boyhood club certainly didn't stop him from becoming one of the game's true greats.
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Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Cesc Fabregas, Football, Premier League, Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona