I played against Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry but Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was Premier League’s best player
Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has named Steven Gerrard as the best player in the Premier League during his spell in England.
The midfielder faced a host of the most revered names in English football during his decade at Stamford Bridge.
It was a time when Chelsea were regularly locking horns with Thierry Henry’s Arsenal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United for domestic honours, with Mikel collecting two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups in a blue shirt.
Henry is often regarded as the most gifted player to have ever graced the English top flight, while Ronaldo’s early years at Old Trafford were an important precurser to his record-busting career at Real Madrid.
But Mikel — who recently joined us at talkSPORT for a brilliant interview about his Premier League career — insisted Liverpool icon Gerrard was the toughest player to face.
“I’ve always said my toughest opponent in the Premier League was Stevie G,” he told Rio Ferdinand in the latest edition of his Vibe with Five podcast.
“You remember when he started playing as a No.10 for Liverpool, with Fernando Torres up front? Oh my God!
“Quick, technically very good, strong, powerful, he could tackle as well. You’re looking at a No.10 who could tackle! I know he didn’t play in that position for very long, but he was the guy who was very, very difficult to play against. He knew how to find the space in between you and the defenders.
“Yeah, for me, Stevie G was the guy, he was that good.”
After naming his toughest opponent, the Five hosts then asked John Obi to name the best player he played against in the Premier League, name-dropping Henry and Ronaldo as examples.
But the ex-Chelsea star replied: “Again, I’d probably have to go back to Stevie G. He was
Read on talksport.com
