Jamie Carragher thinks he's ended the Lampard vs Gerrard vs Scholes debate, it's hard to argue

Jamie Carragher thinks he has 'killed' the debate that pits Steven Gerrard against former England teammates Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard.

It remains one of the biggest discussion points in football – who was the better player: Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard?

For every person who thinks Frank Lampard was the best thing since sliced bread, another disagrees and claims Paul Scholes was the real midfield maestro.

Thierry Henry, for example, was asked by a fan if there were any players, current or former, with whom he would like to have played with. His answer? Paul Scholes.

Then again, others will say Steven Gerrard was the better player. Step forward Jamie Carragher, who is very much on the Gerrard bandwagon.

In fact, the former Liverpool defender, who played alongside Gerrard for the majority of his career, says it shouldn't even be a debate.

Speaking on the brilliant That Peter Crouch Podcast, Carragher agreed after Crouch said Gerrard was the best player he'd played with "by far".

Carragher said: “It’s not even close, is it? People think I don’t like Frank Lampard and I don’t like Paul Scholes, you know when this debate comes up, and I go, ‘They were amazing players, but it’s not even a debate, it’s not close.’"

The Sky pundit then goes on to explain his reasoning. “I’ll tell you what kills this debate," he says. "Alex Ferguson tried to sign him and so did Jose Mourinho. And they had Scholes and Lampard.”

You can watch that segment below.

As Carragher mentioned in the podcast, Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign Steven Gerrard during his time as Manchester United manager.

In his autobiography, Gerrard recalled how former United full-back Gary Neville would put a word in for his manager on international duty.

“My agent, Struan Marshall, told me that, under Fergie, United had a decent pop at trying to sign me. Gary Neville would knock at my door during England camps," he wrote.

“He’d come in for a chat and let me know how much United would love me to play for them. Gary told me Fergie had sent him.”

Jose Mourinho was also interested in bringing the Liverpool legend to Chelsea in 2002, during his first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.

In fact, Chelsea tabled a £32 million bid for Gerrard but the midfielder decided to stay at Anfield after much speculation.

Image credit: Alamy

Thoughts on Carragher's take on the much-talked about debate? Is Gerrard ahead of the rest?

Let us know in the comments.

Topics: Jamie Carragher, Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_