Cristiano Ronaldo was the Premier League’s poster boy during his time at Manchester United. The two-time Premier League ‘Player of the Season’ winner remains the last player to win the Ballon d’Or whilst playing in the UK. Yet, many dispute the greatness of Ronaldo’s initial stint in England before leaving for Spain. A former Chelsea legend raised eyebrows after asserting that Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard was the English Premier League’s finest player.

During the 2007-08 season, Ronaldo broke the league’s goal-scoring record by netting in 31 goals. His exploits led to Real Madrid queuing up for his signature and the rest is history. So, why would Mikel John Obi pick the Liverpool icon over the 5x Ballon d’Or veteran? Let’s find out.

Ex-Chelsea midfielder deems Steven Gerrard as the best Premier Player player

Mikel John Obi had a very successful Chelsea career during which he won 10 trophies, including 2 Premier League titles. Recently, the Chelsea icon opened up on the hardest opponent that he faced during his tenure at the Blues on the Five podcast. He said, “I’ve always said my toughest opponent in the Premier League was Stevie G”. Obi also shared what made Gerrard so special. He added, “Quick, technically very good, strong, powerful, he could tackle as well…He knew how to find the space in between you and the defenders” 

Cohost Harry Pinero then quizzed Obi by asking him the best player he played against in England by citing the names of Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the ex-Chelsea man persisted with Gerrard. He claimed, “Again, I’ll probably still go back to Stevie G. Yeah, for me. He was so physically strong. I could not get him off the ball”. From the looks of it, Gerrard made life quite difficult for the former Chelsea midfielder.

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Furthermore, this was not the only time he picked a player over Cristiano Ronaldo. Obi also weighed in on the undying ‘GOAT’ debate between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Obi’s statements suggested that he was not the biggest CR7 fan out there. Let’s dive deeper.

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Obi rates Lionel Messi higher than Cristiano Ronaldo

Mikel John Obi was straightforward in the Messi-Ronaldo debate. He said, “I really don’t see the comparison between Messi and Ronaldo. I think Messi is from a different planet. I just think he’s that good.”. Moreover, he gave his thoughts on what separated the two superstars.

The veteran midfielder revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo can be dealt with by good one-on-one defenders citing Ashley Cole as an example. On the other hand, defending one-on-one against Lionel Messi is impossible, as per the Chelsea icon’s words. Considering the 8x Ballon d’Or winner’s superlative dribbling ability across seasons, that could be passed as a reasonable explanation.

Do you agree with Mikel Obi’s assessment of Steven Gerrard as the Premier League’s best player? Let us know in the comments below.

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