Manchester United legend Roy Keane has named a "technically brilliant" central midfielder as his toughest-ever opponent, ahead of both Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard.
Keane names most difficult opponent
Keane came up against a number of tough opponents during his Man United career, but perhaps the most iconic rivalry was with former Arsenal man Patrick Vieira, with the midfielders famously clashing in the Highbury tunnel back in February 2005.
The Irishman also had regular battles with Steven Gerrard, and he has since claimed the ex-Liverpool captain was at a higher level than he ever was, saying: "When you compare me to players – people talk about Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard – these guys were way better than me."
There can be no debate over which player had the more successful career, however, with the Cork-born midfielder winning seven league titles, four FA Cups and the 1998-99 Champions League during his time with the Red Devils.
Roy Keane
Having led United to so many trophies as captain, the central midfielder was clearly a force to be reckoned with, but he was playing in an era where there were a number of top central midfielders, including the likes of Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.
However, despite regularly facing off against Gerrard, Vieira and Lampard, Keane has named Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane as his most difficult opponent, saying:
"Truthfully, Zidane would probably be the toughest opponent. Big, strong boy.
"Technically brilliant, very aggressive, scored on the big occassions. So Zidane would have been the toughest I've played against."
Zidane clearly among the greatest-ever midfielders
It should come as no surprise that Keane named the Frenchman as his toughest opponent, considering everything he achieved during his career, winning the Champions League, World Cup and Ballon d'Or.
The 108-time France international also scored one of the most iconic goals in Champions League history, finding the back of the net with a remarkable volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 final.
Not only that, but the 53-year-old also maintained a solid record against Man United throughout his career, picking up one goal and five assists in eight matches against Keane's former club.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side did manage to get the better of the Italian club across two legs in the 1999 Champions League semi-finals, but even then, Zidane was responsible for the ex-Ireland international being suspended for the final, being brought down after cleverly earning a foul in midfield.
Both Keane and Scholes have expressed their disappointment at missing the famous final against Bayern Munich, with the latter saying: "Obviously I was really pleased that we won the game and completed the treble but, as Roy said, you didn't feel like you'd won it. You didn't feel like the medal was yours."