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In an online chat session with Rio Ferdinand, former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas named Liverpool's Steven Gerrard the best midfielder he has ever faced in the EPL. Fabregas claimed that Gerrard inspired him from a very young age.
"I have to say that since I was little, I had this admiration for Steven Gerrard. In my hometown, when we used to watch the Premier League every Sunday, he used to score these screamers from outside the box."
The former EPL star also expressed his admiration for Steven Gerrard's versatility and said that the Liverpool legend possessed the ability to occupy space all over the pitch.
"He used to run into space and be everywhere with that number 17 that he was wearing. I used to look up to him a lot."
Gerrard and Scholes EPL's greatest midfielders, claims Cesc Fabregas
While Fabregas put Liverpool's legendary captain Steven Gerrard at the top of his list of EPL's greatest midfielder, the former Arsenal captain also gave a special mention to Manchester United great Paul Scholes.
Fabregas said that he drew inspiration from Scholes and his talents and claimed that the EPL legend's style of play was similar to his own.
"In terms of maybe the way I play, Paul Scholes reminds me of the way I like to play and the way I like to see football. What a player!"
The Spanish midfielder also spoke of the Manchester United great's versatility and showered praise on his outstanding ability to play long balls.
"Scholes could play right and left, he demanded the ball, he could play long balls into space."
In response to Rio Ferdinand's questions regarding his mentors when he first joined Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas singled out Patrick Vieira as the player who guided him and introduced him to the team's elite mentality.
Fabregas joined Arsenal in 2003 at 16 years of age and had a few teething problems at the club. In addition to Arsene Wenger, Fabregas also credited EPL great Patrick Vieira, who was Arsenal's captain at the time, for taking the young Spaniard under his wing and ensuring that the teenager's integration into the team was successful.
"If I have to name one player in particular, it is Patrick Vieira. He also played in my position. Even though I was 16, sometimes you can feel a bit threatened as a player. Sometimes you just feel, "I'm going to show him I'm the boss", and he did actually, and that helped me in terms of training."
The healthy competition in training, according to the former EPL and Barcelona midfielder, resulted in an excellent relationship off the pitch.
"Outside, he was fantastic. He was always telling me, "Maybe you should work on this, when I come from behind you always look." Stuff like this makes you realise he's a legend."
Cesc Fabregas eventually left Arsenal to join his boyhood club Barcelona in 2011. The Spaniard returned to the EPL in 2014 to play for Arsenal's arch-rivals Chelsea.
The Spanish creative midfielder commands a considerable amount of respect from both Arsenal and Chelsea fans and is widely considered an all-time EPL great.
