Former England maestros Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes have been the subject of debate for more than a decade, but one World Cup winner has given his verdict in no uncertain terms
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Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard jostle for possession
Marco Materazzi has lent his opinion in the debate over who is best out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes
The longstanding debate over who is the best player out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes has pitted fans against one another for close to 20 years. But former Everton star Marco Materazzi has now weighed in on whom he believes trumps the others.
England's midfield was fortunate to feature all three football icons in their heyday, yet their collaboration often led to an imbalance in the squad. But when it came to choosing the most talented individual from Liverpool great Gerrard, Manchester United's Scholes or Chelsea icon Lampard, Materazzi made his decision clear.
During a recent appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, supported by Qatar Airways, Materazzi faced the tough question of which of the legendary trio he regarded as superior. Having competed against each English star during his illustrious career, Materazzi took a moment before providing his answer.
"It's not easy. It's not an easy question," said the retired defender, who made 27 appearances for the Toffees during the 1998/99 campaign. "But, okay, my son loves Frank Lampard, I say Frank Lampard for my son."
Ferdinand further probed Materazzi on whom he believed best matched the style of his former Italy team-mate, Andrea Pirlo. And the answer may surprised some given his pick is the player with the least international experience. "Pirlo is totally different. Maybe Scholes," Materazzi concluded. "Because he's clever, he's smart."
Paul Scholes
Scholes was compared as being the most similar to Andrea Pirlo
However, the Inter Milan legend - who won the Champions League, five Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia trophies - underlined that Pirlo stands "a bit higher" than Scholes. This is regardless of Pirlo's association with Inter’s arch-rivals, AC Milan, for the majority of his career.
Gerrard and Lampard have worn the England jersey 114 and 106 times, respectively, placing each of them among the country's most capped players. And only David Beckham (115), Wayne Rooney (120) and Peter Shilton (125) have made more appearances for the Three Lions than the former.
Materazzi, 51, came up against Gerrard's Liverpool on two occasions and lost in both. And he was in fact sent off against the Reds when Inter visited Anfield in February 2008, eventually bowing out of that season's Champions League last 16.
Everton's Olivier Dacourt (c) is congratulated upon scoring by Marco Materazzi, (l) & Craig Short (r)
Materazzi was sent off three time in his singular season at Everton
Both Gerrard and Lampard sustained impressive goal-scoring records for Chelsea and Liverpool throughout their careers. One could argue this is particularly impressive in Gerrard's case given the Kop hero was routinely asked to move around the pitch in order to fulfil different duties.
Materazzi - who is known for being sent off in the 2006 World Cup final following a headbutt from French legend Zinedine Zidane - represented Italy on 41 occasions. His single appearance against England culminated in a 2-1 victory in a friendly encounter back in March 2002.
However, he did contribute to the demise of Lampard's Chelsea team on the way to securing the Champions League title with Jose Mourinho in 2010. Even if his only involvement was coming off the bench during a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge to secure the second leg in their round-of-16 clash.
Listen to the full Rio Meets Marco Materazzi interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.