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Steven Gerrard has surprisingly picked Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema over former Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez. He was quick to name the Frenchman as the better striker than the former Barcelona star.
Speaking to Futcrunch via MadridXtra, Gerrard was asked to pick the better striker between Benzema and Suarez. He named the Al-Ittihad star as the better striker despite heaping praise on the Uruguayan many times in the past.
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Speaking to The Overlap in 2022, Gerrard claimed that Suarez had everything and was his best teammate ever. He picked the striker over current Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres, and said (via Inter Miami News):
“I’d say, Suarez, he had everything. I played with some top players your Alonso’s [Xabi Alonso], Mascherano [Javier Mascherano], Torres’ [Fernando Torress] but Suarez was just different. No matter who you were playing you just felt like he was going to win you the game, every game it didn’t matter who it was. He almost trained the way he played and he could embarrass you, even with stuff I don’t think he even knew he was doing.”
Steven Gerrard played 95 matches alongside Luis Suarez at Liverpool, combining for 12 goals. The pair never managed to win the Premier League title, finishing a heartbreaking second behind Manchester City in the 2013-14 season.
When Rio Ferdinand claimed Real Madrid legend was tougher to face than Liverpool hero
Rio Ferdinand spoke to BT Sport via ESPN in 2016 and opined that Karim Benzema was tougher to face than Liverpool hero Luis Suarez. He pointed out how the Real Madrid legend had sharp movements and pulled defenders out of position.
"From personal experience playing against both of those players, I found it harder to play against him [Benzema]," Ferdinand said. "Because he was very cute, he was very efficient in all areas, off his right and left foot, his movement was cute. And sometimes you don't see it glaringly, but he does cute little things that take you out of position that other players can exploit. And when he gets the ball he's got a quick trigger."
Benzema left Real Madrid in 2023 and is currently playing in the Saudi Pro League. He helped Al-Ittihad win the league this season and was the third-highest scorer with 21 strikes in 29 matches.
Suarez left Barcelona in 2020 for Atletico Madrid and then joined Nacional in 2022. He moved to Inter Miami in 2023 to reunite with Lionel Messi and helped them win the MLS Supporters' Shield last season.
