Zidane: Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world

Alex Ferguson’s autobiography has baffled many people, from fans, managers, players and ex-players. What amazes me is that the former Manchester United manager dedicated a whole chapter of his book to Liverpool! How lame is that? Did we really upset you all these years you were in the game Fergie?

The one thing that really got people going was Ferguson’s claims that Steven Gerrard has never been “a top, top player.” I am not sure which Gerrard he has been seeing play all these years and which other midfielders one can compare to the Liverpool captain.

There are very few better to comment on Ferguson’s claim than arguably one of the best midfielders to ever play the game; Zinedine Zidane.

The Frenchman responded to Fergie’s claims about Gerrard by saying in the Mirror:

“For two or three years, Steven Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world.

“Even now he is playing at a high level for ­Liverpool and England.”

“Gerrard has been loyal to Liverpool throughout his career – which is great for them – but if he had wanted to leave four or five years ago then every top club in Europe would have tried to sign him.

“And they would have probably had to break the transfer record to do it.

“Alex Ferguson is obviously one of the most successful coaches the game has ever had. But I did find his comments about Steven Gerrard very strange. To say he is not a top player is wrong.”

What Ferguson was thinking of by saying Gerrard was not a top play still remains a mystery. It is probably an element of sour grapes from Fergie in that he was not able to sign Gerrard for Manchester United and now he just wants to say that ‘there was no need for United to sign him because he was not a top player’.

Ferguson has stepped on a lot of toes with his book and he probably never should have published it. He left the game as one of the greatest to ever manage the game but now he risks his image being tarnished by this autobiography.