Steven Gerrard has named his best former England and Liverpool teammates who he would pick in two five-a-side teams.
Widely regarded as one of the best central midfielders of his generation, Gerrard helped guide his boyhood club to eight major trophies in his 17 years at the club.
The midfielder scored 186 goals in his 710 games for the Reds, the third-most of any Liverpool player, and played a defining role in helping his team win two FA Cups and, most famously, the 2005 Champions League.
Also a constant at the international level, Gerrard scored 21 goals in 114 appearances for England, as well as captaining the Three Lions at two World Cups and one European Championship between 2010 and 2014.
Having fallen narrowly short of winning the Premier League title with Liverpool, Gerrard departed his boyhood club in 2015, moving to MLS side LA Galaxy for two seasons before retiring in November 2016.
Given his illustrious career, it was perhaps no surprise that the 45-year-old found it tricky when asked by former teammate Rio Ferdinand to construct a five-a-side team from players he shared a dressing room with.
So much so that Gerrard instead opted to name two teams, one with just his former England teammates and another from his time at Liverpool.
Opting not to select a goalkeeper, Gerrard began his Liverpool team with a defender, saying: ‘The best defender I played with for Liverpool would be Carragher or Hyypia.
‘All-round, if they were both in their prime, I’d say big Sammy Hyypia. Two million pounds is all he cost, great player.’
Moving into midfield, Gerrard said: ‘Definitely (Xabi) Alonso. (Javier) Mascherano was good, but I only played with him for a short period of time, so I would probably say Didi Hamman – very underrated.
Up front, the decision was far simpler. ‘Suarez, yes, and I’ve had to go with Torres,’ Gerrard said.
Steven Gerrard's Liverpool five-a-side team
Sami Hyypia: Signed for just over £2million from Willem II in 1999, Hyypia became an Anfield fan favourite and a mainstay of Liverpool’s side throughout the 2000s, making 464 appearances in all competitions.
Xabi Alonso: Signed to partner Gerrard in central midfield, the Spaniard’s composure and range of passing saw him thrive at Liverpool before being snapped up by Real Madrid after five seasons.
Didi Hamann: Ultimately succeeded by the aforementioned Alonso, Hamann was a rock at the base of Liverpool’s midfield before moving to Manchester City after seven seasons on Merseyside.
Fernando Torres: Striking up a formidable partnership with Gerrard behind him, Torres tormented defences during his four seasons at Liverpool, scoring 81 goals in 142 matches in all competitions.
Luis Suarez: Three and a half superb seasons at Liverpool, the last of which saw him score 31 goals in 33 league appearances and form a lethal partnership with Daniel Sturridge that almost won the league under Brendan Rodgers.
Asked which of the two he thought was better, Gerrard added: ‘All-round, Suarez. he was an animal.
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‘But again it’s period and moments and when they peak. Robbie Fowler peaked just before I got into the first team, and Michael Owen peaked as I was coming into.
‘And then you’ve got obviously Torres and Suarez. But all around, when them two were both at it, they were phenomenal.’
Selecting his England side, Gerrard once again opted against naming a goalkeeper, but found himself full of potential options at the back.
‘Defender, I’m going to respect you (Ferdinand) and John Terry and I’m not going to pick either of you because I think in terms of levels, you were both very different,’ he said.
‘I think your style and John’s style suited each other, and I’d say it’s probably difficult to split in terms of the level you both played – and that’s not me sitting on the fence.
‘I’m going to go with Ashley Cole, and the reason being is I would say that Ashley, in my opinion, was the best left-back in the world when we played with him.’
Completing his five-a-side team with his final three choices, Gerrard said: ‘Midfielders – definitely Scholesly. Lampard, I would put in as well.
Steven Gerrard's Liverpool five-a-side team
Ashley Cole: The former Chelsea and Arsenal left-back made 107 appearances for England, the most of full-back. Never lost a competitive home game while playing.
Paul Scholes: Often played out of position for the national team during his peak years, but scored 14 goals in his 66 caps for the Three Lions.
Frank Lampard: One of only nine players to reach a century of England caps, the Chelsea midfielder scored 29 goals for the Three Lionsm captaining the side on three ocasions.
Alan Shearer: The Premier League’s record goalscorer also had an impresive record for England, scoring 30 goals in 63 games and winning the golden boot in Euro 1996 when Terry Venables’ reached the tournament’s semi-finals.
Wayne Rooney: Remains the country’s record appearance-maker for an outfield player and was the record goalscorer from 2015 to 2023 until current captain Harry Kane surpassed his tally of 53 goals.
‘I’d have to go with Alan Shearer because I played a couple of games with him, and number-wise, he was obviously out on his own. And I’d have to go with Wazza (Rooney).’
Delving into his selections further, Gerrard was keen to sing the praises of Paul Scholes and suggested the former Manchester United midfielder would ‘terrorise’ the Premier League if he were playing in the current era.
‘I think now, hands down, he [Scholes] would be the best midfielder in the Premier League,’ he said.
‘Scholesy, for me, was very much an in-possession controller of a midfield controller of a game, can switch the play, you get close and he could pop it round you, he can play the outside of his foot, score important goals, make the last pass.
‘My thing for me was can you get him on the other side of the game, can you take him the other way, can you get physical with him, he’ll get booked against you. I’m not sure in today’s game you could leave one on Scholesy, for example.
‘He would have everyone terrorised in the Premier League. I’m telling you right now, he would have everyone terrorised in the Premier League now.
‘He’d be the best midfielder in the Premier League, hands down.’
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