Friday, March 13, 2009

Zinedine Zidane: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard Is The World's Best Player


Zinedine Zidane, who is a three-time World Player of the Year winner, has given his verdict on who he believes the best football player in the world at present is: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

The legendary French international, who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with les Bleus, believes it is the England midfielder's all-round play that sets him apart from other world-class stars.

"Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Lionel Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo but yes, I think he just might be," Zidane is quoted as saying in The Daily Mail when asked about Gerrard following Liverpool's 4-0 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.

"If you don't have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team.

"When we were winning league titles and European Cups at Real, I always said Claude Makelele was our most important player.

"There is no way myself, Luis Figo or Raul would have been able to do what we did without Claude and the same goes for Liverpool and Gerrard.

"He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief.

"You can't learn that, players like him are just born with that presence."

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