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Former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Jamie O'Hara has claimed that ex-Liverpool player Steven Gerrard, not Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, is the Premier League's greatest-ever midfielder.
De Bruyne, 31, has been a crucial part of Pep Guardiola's side for the past six seasons. He has registered 58 goals and 92 assists in 217 Premier League appearances, lifting the trophy four times in his career.
The Belgian has also started the 2022-23 campaign on a positive note, with seven goal contributions in as many matches.
During a discussion on talkSPORT, former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy suggested that the Belgium international is the best-ever Premier League midfielder. However, O'Hara disagreed with him and expressed his own views on the matter. He responded:
"Ridiculous. There have been so many amazing players. You're just thinking [that] because you're seeing him now. You're not looking back on the great midfielders that have been in the Premier League. For me, Gerrard was on another planet to any other player that I walked on a football pitch with."
He continued:
"Steven Gerrard, he was unbelievable, he was a machine. I walked off the pitch when I played against him and was like, 'Oh my word, I've come up against a player that I couldn't get near in any single form of the game.' Heading, crossing, passing, strength, decision-making, awareness, pace, ability – he had everything. He carried the club [Liverpool] on his back for how many years?"
O'Hara also highlighted other Premier League midfielders from the past and added:
"De Bruyne is an amazing player and he will go down as one of the greats – but not the greatest. The greatest midfielder the Premier League has ever seen is Steven Gerrard. Without a shadow of a doubt. And [Paul] Scholes, [Frank] Lampard, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, they're all above De Bruyne. You can't say De Bruyne is the greatest when you've got those five midfielders ahead of him!"
De Bruyne has also maintained his form on international duty. He scored and set up a goal in Belgium's 2-1 win over Wales in a UEFA Nations League Group D match on Thursday (September 22).
Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League table with 17 points from seven matches. The club will next be in action against city rivals Manchester United at home on Sunday (October 2).
Steven Gerrard: Liverpool's Premier League icon
Gerrard made his senior debut for Liverpool in 1998 after joining the club's youth academy in 1989. He went on to make 710 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, registering 186 goals and 153 assists.
During his time at his boyhood club, the Englishman lifted nine trophies. Gerrard departed Anfield to join LA Galaxy in the summer of 2015. He announced his retirement from professional football in November 2016.
The former Liverpool midfielder is currently manager of Premier League outfit Aston Villa after taking over in 2021. He previously managed Scottish side Rangers.
