Highlights

  • Former footballers and teammates have weighed in on the debate between Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard.
  • Cesc Fabregas, Bruno Fernandes, Michael Owen, Toni Kroos, Kaka, and others have all shared their opinions.
  • The voting was pretty close between two of the players.

There are a host of debates in football which will probably never be settled, but that doesn’t stop fans from constantly discussing them. These include Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele vs Diego Maradona, and who was the best player out of Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

All three were world-class midfielders at their peaks and will forever be adored by Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea fans, respectively. And everybody has their own opinion about which of the three English midfielders was the best of the bunch.

But what do their former teammates and opponents think? As the debate continues to grow in stature, we’ve decided to find as many examples as possible where footballers have attempted to settle the debate. But which player comes out on top? Read on to find out.

Scholes vs Gerrard vs Lampard - 19 Footballers Answer Debate

Player

Choice

Cesc Fabregas

Steven Gerrard

Bruno Fernandes

Paul Scholes

Michael Owen

Steven Gerrard

Toni Kroos

Paul Scholes

Kaka

Steven Gerrard

Thierry Henry

Paul Scholes

Deco

Paul Scholes

Kieron Dyer

Paul Scholes

Pep Guardiola

Paul Scholes

Bryan Robson

Steven Gerrard

Sergio Aguero

Frank Lampard

Teddy Sheringham

Steven Gerrard

Gary Neville

Paul Scholes

Jamie Carragher

Steven Gerrard

Wilfried Zaha

Steven Gerrard

Robbie Savage

Steven Gerrard

Joe Cole

Steven Gerrard

Wayne Rooney

Paul Scholes

Mark Noble

Steven Gerrard

Cesc Fabregas

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas played against all three midfielders during his spell at Arsenal but the Spaniard named Gerrard as his toughest opponent. Speaking to the BBC's Match of the Day’s podcast, the former Gunner explained how the all-roundedness of Gerrard's game was brilliant, and that he really enjoyed going toe-to-toe with the the Liverpool-born ace.

"If I have to say one - and I really enjoyed playing against - I would say Steven Gerrard. He was physically the most difficult opponent to handle. He was the box-to-box player, he could be on his right or left, shooting from the outside of his boot. He was a machine."

Bruno Fernandes

Choice: Paul Scholes

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes

Given Bruno Fernandes plays for Manchester United, it’s no real shock that the Portuguese midfielder rates the Ginger Prince as the best of the trio. The Red Devils skipper, while speaking to Sky Sports, revealed that - in his eyes - Scholes was one of the best midfielders in the world, though he did admit that Gerrard and Lampard would join the former Red Devil as the best trio of midfielders in the last generation.

"I think Scholes was one of the best midfielders in the world. For England, a lot of people talk about Frank Lampard because he scored a lot of goals of course, one of the best in England too, you have Steven Gerrard too, but I think Scholes is the one who makes more difference than anyone else.

"And before everyone starts talking about this, I haven't seen every midfielder in England, ok?! But I think in the last generation, those three were the three best ones, and for me Scholes was best."

Michael Owen

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Michael Owen of Liverpool

Michael Owen played alongside all three stars during his illustrious career. The former England striker would have Gerrard as the first name on his teamsheet, ahead of Scholes and Lampard. While on Jamie Carragher’s The Greatest Game Podcast, the one-time Ballon d'Or winner described his former Liverpool teammate as being on a ‘different level’.

"Stevie's on a different level than anything I've seen or played with and, as you've said, I'm not blowing smoke up my a***, I've played with some great Man United players, Liverpool players, Real Madrid, England.

"Put it this way. If I'm saying tomorrow rewind the clock, you're going into battle now, you're playing in the Champions League final, who's your first pick? I'd have Steven Gerrard as my first pick out of anyone."

Toni Kroos

Choice: Paul Scholes

Toni Kroos clapping

One of the more succinct answers, in December 2017, Germany midfielder Toni Kroos, one of Real Madrid’s greatest ever players, kept it short and simple and answered the debate with a simple two-word tweet: “Paul Scholes”.

The question was asked as part of his #AskToni social media Q&A session – and the inevitable question came. As a token of their appreciation, the Old Trafford outfit even replied to his message with a picture of their former midfielder celebrating. Two great central midfielders of different eras – but great recognises great and, in the end, it was a succinct reply from the former Bayern Munich ace.

Kaka

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Kaka

Like Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard, Kaka is one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Back in 2020, the midfield genius sat down with SPORTbible and answered the old-age question. The Brazilian revealed his preference for Liverpool legend Gerrard in his interview.

Referencing the iconic Champions League final between their respective clubs in 2005, Kaka also shed light on both Lampard and Scholes, labelling them as ‘pretty amazing’ and ‘the classic’, respectively.

"I like Gerrard. Because we had this challenge between ourselves in 2005 and 2007, I really admire him. Of course, Lampard was pretty amazing, Scholes the classic. But I'll have Gerrard."

Related
30 Greatest Players In Champions League History (Ranked)
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema feature as the greatest Champions League players of all time are ranked in order.

Thierry Henry

Choice: Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes Thierry Henry

Arguably one of the greatest strikers of all time, Thierry Henry went head-to-head against all three midfielders on numerous occasions. Almost a decade ago, in 2015, the former France and Arsenal icon said on Monday Night Football that Scholes was simply the best out of the three.

Henry made sure to reference Scholes’ impressively high IQ, suggesting that he was ‘ahead’ of the rest on the pitch and, in turn, made the Red Devils ‘tick’.

"He was just ahead in his head. He made Manchester United tick. Every time we were playing them we needed to find a way to stop him. It's true. I think Stevie G comes really close to him. But Paul Scholes would have to win."

Deco

Choice: Paul Scholes

Deco Paul Scholes

Deco may have played alongside Lampard in west London for Chelsea but the former Portugal international was a huge fan of Scholes, as he revealed to Bleacher Report in 2016. Starting off by giving Gerrard his rightful praise, the diminutive midfielder then spoke about Lampard before moving on to his choice Scholes, naming him as ‘one of the best players in the world’ when the two would often lock horns.

"I played with and against so many fantastic players in midfield like Gerrard. I had the opportunity to play with Lampard together at Chelsea.

"I think, because he was a different type of player to all other types of English midfielder, Paul Scholes was the best player that I saw playing for an English midfield and one of the best players in the world."

Kieron Dyer

Choice: Paul Scholes

Kieron Dyer Paul Scholes

Kieron Dyer trained and played with the three midfielders at international level, but one stood out well above the rest in his eyes. Dyer told Soccer AM that the ‘best player’ he ever graced the turf with was the former Manchester United engine room operator and, in jest, said the only downfall to his game was that he wasn’t the best at tackling.

"The best player I ever played with is Paul Scholes. The [debate] has always been who’s better: Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

"In my humble opinion, Scholes was the best. People who played with him and against him know that he was so special and unique. He could do everything except the tackle!"

Pep Guardiola

Choice: Paul Scholes

Pep Guardiola

If anyone knows what they're talking about, it's the perennial winner Pep Guardiola seeing as the Spaniard has boasted some of football's biggest stars in his roster during his respective stints at Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Giving respect to the other two, the treble-winning boss suggested that Scholes was ‘his favourite’. Imagine the Salford-born ace dictating play in one of Guardiola’s sides – it would be a match made in heaven.

"All respect to Frank [Lampard], to Steven [Gerrard] but Paul Scholes is my favourite one. I love it. I think he had everything but the other two, come on, Frank and Steven Gerrard changed this... Paul Scholes is my favourite."

Related
Managers With the Most Premier League Manager of the Month Awards
Sir Alex Ferguson, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are among the managers that have won the award 10 times or more.

Bryan Robson

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Bryan Robson

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson was typically a very similar player to Gerrard - a hard-working midfield general, so to speak - so that might be why he went for the Anfield hero over the other two. Despite his affinity and club links to Scholes, he only managed to snare second place on his rankings, with Lampard in third as he revealed his choices to the Daily Mail back in 2013.

"For me he [Gerrard] can do everything and that's the reason I'd say he was the best of the three if I had to split them ahead of Scholes and Lampard in that order.

"They are all top professionals and each brought different attributes and strengths but Gerrard can tackle, defend, score goals, head it, make a telling precision pass, dictate the tempo and is a powerful runner. He has a bit more to his game."

Sergio Aguero

Choice: Frank Lampard

Sergio Aguero and Frank Lampard

In a Twitter Q&A, similarly to Kroos, the former Argentina and Manchester City forward, Sergio Aguero, looked to settle the debate and seemingly did it with one simple word: “Lampard”. The free-scoring midfielder was the only one from the trio that Aguero had the pleasure of going to war with, though he had played against Gerrard and Scholes during his spell in England’s top flight.

Perhaps their time spent together on the blue half of Manchester swayed his decision, despite only playing together 26 times and combining for a goal on two separate occasions. That time was seemingly enough for the centre forward to make his choice in what is usually a difficult question.

"Lampard."

Teddy Sheringham

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Teddy Sheringham

While many Manchester United supporters thought Scholes would have another vote safely in the bag, the former Red Devils striker went for Liverpool icon Gerrard. Despite Gerrard not managing to win the top flight for Liverpool, Sheringham said that he was the ‘best single player’ over his 20-year period as an elite footballer for the Reds, he told the Professional Footballers’ Association.

“I’m going to go for Steven Gerrard. I know he didn’t win the league as a Liverpool player, but I think he was probably the best single player of his era over a 20-year span.

“I know the Man United boys won’t be happy with that, but I just felt that he could do everything. He could run, he could tackle, he could score goals, he could head the ball, he could defend. He could do everything. You could put him in any position on the football pitch, and he would be the man.”

Gary Neville

Choice: Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes Gary Neville

The lovable punditry duo, Gary Neville and Carragher, had a fascinating debate on this very talking point on Monday Night Football several years ago. Neville argued that Scholes was the greatest footballer he ever played with, including Cristiano Ronaldo and, yes, both Lampard and Gerrard.

This should, however, come as little to no surprise given how many times they shared the pitch together – for club and country – but Neville claimed that despite them all having different qualities, Scholes was the best out of the bunch.

“They’re three completely different players but all I will say is that Paul Scholes is the best player I ever played with.”

Jamie Carragher

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard Jamie Carragher

Talking of Carragher, he - unsurprisingly - said he would put both Gerrard and Lampard ahead of Scholes in the same conversation. Thanks to his former teammate’s ‘big-game influence’, he edged Lampard, with Scholes being at the bottom of the pile.

Related
Football enemies who became friends
GIVEMESPORT looks at players who went from being footballing enemies to wholehearted friends.

While Carragher played with all three at international level, his club experience with Gerrard puts him on a completely different pedestal to the others - and that’s understandable on the basis that they played together 570 times (more than anyone else in Gerrard’s career).

“I’d go Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes. I put Stevie top because of his big-game influence - Istanbul, Cardiff, cup final. Lampard next for the same [reason]. I’d just put them slightly ahead of Scholes.”

Wilfried Zaha

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Wilfried Zaha Steven Gerrard

Scholes retired in the same summer that Wilfried Zaha joined Man Utd, which may explain why he opted for Gerrard instead of fellow Red Devil. The winger, now at Galatasaray after leaving Crystal Palace in the summer, spoke to Sky Sports and suggested that the way the former Anfield star controlled the game and struck the ball made him a cut above the rest.

"Me personally, I would say Gerrard. That's my opinion, just the way he plays, controls the game, technique, the way he strikes the ball. I remember training with England, and he hit the ball with such power, and no run-up. I'd have to run from the halfway line to smash that as hard as he's hit that."

Robbie Savage

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Robbie Savage

Robbie Savage made a nuisance of himself against all three midfielders given the gulf in technical ability but, out of the three, he revealed that Gerrard was a “nightmare” to face. Claiming that he struggled to get in his proximity during their old tussles, the Welshman said in 2016 that he goes down as Liverpool’s greatest-ever player.

"I played against Scholes, Keane, Vieira, Makelele, Lampard - some of the best we've seen in the Premier League - but for me, Steven Gerrard stood out.

“He could pass it 50, 60 yards and you couldn't get close to him. He could tackle you, take free-kicks, he could whip balls in, he could score goals - as a midfield player, he was a nightmare. For me, he goes down as the greatest ever Liverpool player."

Joe Cole

Choice: Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard Joe Cole

Joe Cole, a West Ham United and Chelsea cult hero, had the pleasure of playing alongside and against all three and so had a wealth of knowledge to rely on when making his decision - but it's his former Liverpool teammate he opted for. Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, FIVE, Cole said that Gerrard was the most complete of the star trio.

“I’d say the most complete is Stevie because he could do everything.

"You have to put some context on the question. If I’m managing a mid-table team and I get to have any of those players at the age of 21, I’m taking Stevie, because you know that even when things are going wrong, he can drag you out."

Wayne Rooney

Choice: Paul Scholes

Wayne Rooney Paul Scholes

After Scholes sadly announced his first retirement in 2011, the iconic Wayne Rooney sat down with talkSPORT and claimed that his revered teammate was the best player he played with and against. Rooney explained that despite him having a small frame, getting the ball off his possession was an onerous task and that every member of the Old Trafford would miss him dearly. And Rooney was correct there.

“He’s the best I’ve played with and against. He’s only small but it’s so difficult to get the ball off him. Every United fan will miss him.”