Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard – three of the greatest midfielders to play in the Premier League era, three of the greatest midfielders to ever play for England, three of the greatest midfielders in the history of football.
Liverpool fans will argue for Gerrard, Chelsea supporters will back Lampard and Manchester United followers will put forward a case for Scholes – the fact of the matter is all three were superb players in their own right and it was a joy to watch them parade their brilliance over the years.
But when push comes to shove, who was the Premier League’s elite midfielder of the tremendous trio? It is a debate that has long divided biased supporters and neutrals alike and, in a manner, even out-foxed England managers, unable to combine them to maximum effect on the international stage.
All three giants of the centre-circle could alter the Premier League odds with a single pass or moment of pure magic. All won silverware and acclaim by the bucketful. Crucially, each had strengths distinctly different to the others meaning strictly-speaking, they weren’t even like-for-like.
Separating them therefore is an immensely difficult task. To place one head and shoulders above the other two. Here at 888sport though we never shy from a challenge, so let’s at least give it a try.
Steven Gerrard – Roy of the Rovers
A passionate, charismatic leader who so often showed up in the biggest moments, Gerrard carried his side to glory time and again, most famously in the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan.
His incredible ‘cramp’ goal in the 2006 FA Cup final will live long in the memory as well. With Liverpool trailing 3-2 and only seconds remaining, Gerrard unleashed a thumping strike from 35 yards out to force a penalty shootout. The Reds went on to lift the FA Cup.
Now, critics will argue that these two moments did not come in Premier League matches – a fair assessment. However, they do show Gerrard’s knack for continually grabbing the narrative by the scruff of the neck when it mattered most.
Gerrard’s top flight statistics are impressive to say the least. The Liverpool hero scored 120 goals and recorded 92 assists in 504 Premier League games, while also winning six Player of the Month awards.
The goals started to dry up after the 2008/09 campaign though, with Gerrard hitting double figures just once in his last six seasons as he settled more into a quarterback role.
From bursting through as a teen to retiring an idol of the Kop, Gerrard’s larger-than-life heroics at times brought to mind Roy of the Rovers and unquestionably there were two areas of his game where he was superior to his peers.
In energy and endeavour he was unsurpassed, while nobody in the modern game could inspire their team to a higher level better than the born-and-bred Scouser.
Paul Scholes – The Maestro
Is it possible to be regarded as one of the best players in Premier League history and still be criminally underrated? At his magnificent best, Scholes would have slotted into Pep Guardiola’s dominant Barcelona side, which is testament to his extensive skillset.
Blessed with the natural ability to ping a 40-yard pass onto a team-mate’s toenail Scholes is the maestro of this trio, the conductor who set the tempo and raised the standard as Manchester United cowered English football into submission for almost the entirety of his career.
Emerging from the club’s academy as the most gifted member of the famed Class of 92, Scholes didn’t look like a top level athlete. He was small, with a physique that looked chunky and slight at the same time. He was asthmatic for goodness sake.
With the ball at his feet however, he was the master of control and accuracy, backed up with the capacity to find any player, often anticipating their run before they made it.
It could be argued that tackling was his downfall, his immaculate sense of timing in possession giving way to a broken clock when committing to a trademark lunge, but isn’t every great allowed one flaw?
It would not surprise if Beethoven had terrible handwriting.
Along with 11 Premier League titles, Scholes scored 107 goals and assisted 55 for his United teammates in 499 top flight matches. In addition, he was named Player of the Month four times throughout his career.
Statistics don’t really support the Scholes argument compared to the others – watching his performances on the pitch did that more than sufficiently.
Frank Lampard – Mr Technical
One of the finest box-to-box midfielders of all-time, Lampard was a phenomenal asset for Chelsea during his playing days. All technical finesse and darting runs, in so many ways he came to embody their sustained success across the 2000s.
He is the only midfielder in Premier League history to score 150 or more goals, a fantastic achievement to say the least.
In addition, he notched double digits in 10 successive years before a 2013/14 campaign that was hindered by injury woes. Lampard was Chelsea’s knight in shining armour.
In terms of natural ability and talent, Lampard cedes to Scholes but matches Gerrard, while only a very select few can lay claim to having a similar level of impact on the Premier League, and by extension the football betting odds.
He changed the attacking midfielder role for future generations, with the diamond formation becoming the norm in English football after his success at the position.
Statistically, Lampard leads the way. He ranks third for all-time Premier League appearances (609), fifth for all-time goals (177) and fourth for all-time assists (102).
His numbers are superior to that of both Gerrard and Scholes. Of course, you could reason that Lampard played in a more advanced role and was always going to have more chances in the final third…
So... Who was the best?
Unfortunately, we’re going to have to sit on the fence with this one. You can make a viable argument for all three players and Premier League fans should simply enjoy watching past clips of these legends of English football.
Each player brings something different to the table, which is why it was a huge shame they never really clicked for the England national team.
In terms of the Premier League though, all three players had such a seismic impact on the top flight, their combined contribution will reverberate for years to come.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*