24 January 2024 , 02:00
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Rio Ferdinand insists his former England team-mates Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard each had different strengths which would make each of them the best option in certain circumstances.
The midfield trio formed part of England's so-called golden generation, which was packed with individual talent but fell short in successive major international tournaments. Scholes was occasionally shunted left to accommodate his colleagues, prompting plenty of complaints at the time and a good amount of revisionism in the years since.
Ferdinand himself was part of that generation, and also played with Scholes at Manchester United and Lampard at West Ham. Gerrard was a regular club rival, with some of his strongest title challenges as a Liverpool player coming when Ferdinand was enjoying his best years at Old Trafford.
Nearly a decade has passed since any of the stars last played for England, but that hasn't stopped the debate continuing. And, while not fully picking a side, Ferdinand has clearly thought about his reasons why.
“The one I enjoyed playing with most, and probably because I played most games with him, was Scholesy," Ferdinand said on The Obi One Podcast. "I could give the ball to Scholesy, shout a name and he wouldn’t look but he’d find them. Crazy stuff.
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"It was like being at the cinema and watching someone perform. Even opposing strikers would say does he do that every day? Do you get to see that every day?
“What I loved about him was that he could dictate a game, decide a game and he got other people to play better," he added. Still, while he clearly has fond memories of Scholes as a team-mate, he also felt Lampard and Gerrard had plenty going for them.
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“If I was a manager for a season, I’d probably go for Frank because I’m going to get 20 goals," the 45-year-old continued. "If I’ve got a striker who’s getting me 25, and a midfielder getting me 20, I’m going close to winning the league.
“If I want a big moment in a big game, I’d probably go with Stevie. And if I’m going to pay to watch a game – and a player – out of those three, I’d go with Scholesy.”
Ferdinand ended his career as a six-time Premier League champion, playing with Scholes in each of those six campaigns- on top of his years alongside his club colleague in the England set-up. Given that background, he can't be accused of having an uninformed take on the subject.