There are certain topics within football that fans just love to debate.Pele v Maradona and Lionel Messi v Ronaldo are two such conversations that will never, ever get settled.And another centres around the better midfielder out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.In March 2018, the Champions League ran a poll from their Twitter account asking fans which midfielder out of the three would make their XI.The poll attracted more than 85,000 votes and Gerrard came out on top with 40 per cent of them.

Manchester United legend Scholes came second with 34 per cent and Lampard had 26 per cent.

The absence of a Premier League title is usually used against Gerrard in the argument but it’s clear that he still has many admirers.

Gerrard v Lampard v Scholes: Ballon d'Or votes

And when Ballon d’Or votes throughout their careers are taken into consideration, the Liverpool icon ranks ahead of Lampard and Scholes once again.

Steven Gerrard: 220 votes

Gerrard was nominated for the prestigious award on six occasions and received votes all but one year (2006). He collected a total of 220 votes.

  • 2001: 1 vote
  • 2005: 142 votes
  • 2006: 0 votes
  • 2007: 17 votes
  • 2008: 28 votes
  • 2009: 32 votes

Total: 220 votes

Frank Lampard: 169 votes

Lampard had five nominations and received votes each time, but was voted for a total of 169 times.

  • 2004: 5 votes
  • 2005: 148 votes
  • 2006: 3 votes
  • 2008: 8 votes
  • 2009: 5 votes

Total: 169 votes

Paul Scholes: 0 votes

And Scholes also had five nominations but didn’t receive a single vote.

  • 2000: 0 votes
  • 2001: 0 votes
  • 2003: 0 votes
  • 2004: 0 votes
  • 2007: 0 votes

Total: 0 votes

That’s got to hurt if you’re a Scholes fan.

The Ballon d’Or is the most coveted individual accolade in football but the former Man United ace didn’t even receive a single vote during his career.

Debate settled? Perhaps.

Although it's worth reminding ourselves that Real Madrid's Toni Kroos, one of the finest midfielders of his generation, said Scholes when asked for his choice in 2017.

Scholes also has the vote of his former Man United teammate Gary Neville.

"I'll take the Scholes of 2004-2010/11 as the very best: comparable to the Xavis, the Pirlos in his ability to control the tempo of a whole match," Neville said in 2013, per The Guardian. "It is not just about scoring the goals."