Steven Gerrard is one of the best players to have graced the Premier League, but there's no need to take our word for it, just read what others of his generation said about the former Liverpool midfielder.
In 17 years at Anfield, Gerrard played 710 times for the Merseyside club, captained them to Champions League success in 2005 and won multiple other honours with the club.
He is often considered one of the best three midfielders the Premier League has seen, alongside Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard, and a bunch of quotes, via Give Me Sport, prove just how high esteem his fellow professionals held him in.
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Paolo Maldini - "What I have always liked of Steven is that on the pitch he was very quiet, but was capable of inspiring all his team-mates with great strength, not so much with words,"
"The real example - and that is what I've learned from players like Steven and Franco Baresi - is to do rather than talk.
"And he was indeed one who did a lot and since he also had great talent, he was easy to follow. His story is one of those stories to be told, one of those fairytales, to be narrated to your children and grandchildren."
Pele - "The fans, they look only for forwards, always a forward. Somebody who scores. Sometimes you have a player like Gerrard. For me, for the last five years Gerrard has been the best player in the world.
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"He is a midfielder, he plays very good. People didn't mention Gerrard, now they mention Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Messi because they are forwards."
Thierry Henry - "It was a disgrace he didn't win European Footballer of the Year after Istanbul in 2005 and, for me, he will be regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time."
Andrea Pirlo - "While at Milan he Ancelotti came to me and said, 'I want to sign Steven Gerrard to play next to you in midfield - what do you think?' Without any hesitation I told him, 'Do it - go and sign him.'
"At this stage he was probably the most complete midfield player in Europe, of course I wanted to partner him.
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"I remember asking Carlo a few weeks later how it was going, and he told me Gerrard had given a very firm no, that his bond with Liverpool was unbreakable.
"At the time Milan were the champions of Europe and probably had the best team in the world - it says a lot about Gerrard's loyalty."
Zinedine Zidane - "There was a point when Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world. It is unusual to get complete midfield players who can do everything, but that is what he was."
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Sir Alex Ferguson - "If you were looking for the player you would replace Keane with, it would be Gerrard, without question. 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, and has way more to his game.
"I've watched him quite a lot. To me, Gerrard is Keane. Everywhere the ball is, he seems to be there. He's got that unbelievable engine, desire, determination. Anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team."
Francesco Totti - "Steven Gerrard would be the captain of my World XI dream team. Gerrard is a complete player because he can play in every position and can do everything with a football at any time in a game.
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"He's a player who scores goals, who builds the play, he's a sensational player."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - "I think Steven Gerrard is a fantastic player. He has been loyal to his club, he has won some big trophies with the club. He feels more an international player rather than a normal English player.
"English players have big hearts, always fighting, very aggressive, but Gerrard, for me, feels more international. He has more skills than the normal player.
"Every time we play against Steven, the coach always says to be careful with that player because he is the player who makes the difference."
Kaka - "I like Gerrard. Because we had this challenge between ourselves in 2005 and 2007, I really admire him. Of course, Lampard was pretty amazing, Scholes the classic. But I'll have Gerrard."
It's difficult to argue with those comments.
What a player Steven Gerrard was.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Paolo Maldini, Sir Alex Ferguson, Scottish Football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Premier League, England, Andrea Pirlo, SPFL, Champions League, Steven Gerrard, Rangers, Francesco Totti