Frank Lampard was part of a Chelsea team that managed to thrash Middlesbrough 5-0 at the Riverside in 2008.
It was a star-studded Chelsea side, boasting the likes of John Terry, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and, of course, Lampard himself.
Lampard was actually awarded the man-of-the-match award after the Premier League game; however, the former midfielder did not think that he or any of the above names had been the best player on the day.
It was a point that he made abundantly clear to the entire Chelsea dressing room after the full-time whistle.
Chelsea's Brazilian defender Juliano Belletti taking shot
Photo credit should read ANDREW YATES/AFP via Getty Images
Frank Lampard was in awe of Juliano Belletti after Middlesbrough thrashing
For Lampard, Juliano Belletti was the standout individual at the Riverside, with the Englishman telling all of his teammates just that.
“The people at Chelsea remember me fondly thanks to that afternoon,” Belletti explained to FourFourTwo back in June. “[Luiz Felipe] Scolari was coaching Chelsea and this time he gave me a starting role in central midfield, as he knew from the 2002 World Cup what I could do.
“He gave me confidence and I scored a great goal into the top corner from 30 metres out. It was the first time I’d heard the Chelsea fans chanting my name.
“We won 5-0 and in the dressing room afterwards, Frank Lampard said in front of everyone that I was the best of the lot, even though he was given man of the match.”
The 2008/09 season proved to be a very successful one for Belletti, Lampard and Chelsea as a whole.
That campaign, they went on to win the FA Cup while finishing third in the Premier League table. The Blues also reached the Champions League semi-finals, where they were knocked out by Barcelona in controversial fashion.
Before the season started, Inter Milan tried to sign Lampard as their new boss Jose Mourinho eyed a reunion with his former player. But Chelsea, unsurprisingly, had no interest in selling their star midfielder.
Frank Lampard of Chelsea celebrates scoring
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Juliano Belletti a truly underrated player
Belletti played in very good Barcelona and Chelsea sides, so it is understandable that he rarely got the spotlight. There were some incredible attacking players at those clubs during his spells there.
As a result, Belletti became a very underrated footballer. He was a solid right-back who could offer a threat going forward, but that perhaps went unnoticed after playing alongside so many other stars.
Chelsea paid around £4m for his signature and he helped them win one Premier League title and two FA Cup trophies. A bargain signing, as well as an underrated player.