If you grew up watching the Premier League, the chances are that at some point you’ve debated who was the better player out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.
The three greatest English midfielders of their generation are celebrated legends at their respective clubs, though they never quite achieved success together on the national team stage.
Paul Scholes was a pivotal part of Manchester United’s renowned Class of ’92, winning 11 Premier League titles—the most by any English player—and two Champions League trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Frank Lampard started his career at West Ham but truly shone at Chelsea, where he won three Premier League titles and the club’s first European Cup, amassing 211 goals in the process.
Steven Gerrard is often regarded as Liverpool’s greatest player, despite winning less silverware compared to his peers. He did not secure a Premier League title but led Liverpool to a memorable Champions League victory in 2005 and is fourth on the club’s all-time scoring list with 186 goals.
In 2022, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was asked to weigh in on who was the greatest among Lampard, Gerrard, and Scholes. Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, Guardiola said: “With all respect to Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes is my favorite. I think he had everything that the other two did not, but I love Paul Scholes the most.”
Guardiola’s admiration for Scholes is likely due to the alignment of Scholes’ style of play with Guardiola’s football philosophy, making him the best match of the three midfielders for the Catalan’s approach.
Scholes, in turn, has praised Guardiola and expressed hope that he might one day become England’s manager. In a 2017 interview with Spanish publication Marca, Scholes said, “I hope he becomes England coach one day and brings his style to the team.”
