Gerrard, Lampard or Scholes? Mikel picks his toughest rival from Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd icons

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed the one player he found most difficult to face during his Premier League career, picking Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard ahead of Manchester United hero Paul Scholes and Chelsea icon Frank Lampard.

Mikel and Lampard spent eight years as teammates at Chelsea, forming part of a decorated Blues side that captured the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield.

During his Chelsea career, Mikel faced Paul Scholes on five occasions and went head-to-head with Steven Gerrard 16 times, with the former Nigeria captain ending up on the losing side in nine of those encounters.

Mikel reflected on the qualities that set the trio apart and admitted that Gerrard stood out as the most formidable adversary.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, the former Chelsea number 12 said: "He's always like that — the technique is so perfect that once he gets it right, it’s in the back of the net.

"It’s a perfect way to describe those guys — all three of them: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Paul Scholes."

Mikel praised Gerrard's all-round ability, highlighting his stamina, shooting, tackling, aerial prowess and versatility.

"Obviously, we had the pleasure of playing against them, but I would always say Steven Gerrard was my toughest opponent," he continued. 

"He was the guy that, like you said, can run, can shoot, can tackle, can do everything, can head. So for me, Stevie G was the toughest."

Gerrard enjoyed a stellar Liverpool career, winning multiple trophies, before moving into coaching with Rangers, guiding them to a Scottish Premiership title and later managing Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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