'I played with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard – it's clear who was better'

Few are better placed to weigh in on the Frank Lampard versus Steven Gerrard debate than Michael Owen. The former England striker played regularly with both midfield titans during his illustrious career.

He shared the Liverpool dressing room with Gerrard for six years, and their journey together began long before that in the club’s youth ranks. Meanwhile, Owen and Lampard were England colleagues from 1999 to 2008.

Many regard Lampard as the ultimate goalscoring midfielder, having scored 211 times in 648 games during a Chelsea stint that was bookended by spells at West Ham and later Manchester City and New York City FC.

Gerrard, on the other hand, is celebrated for his all-round game over more than 700 matches for Liverpool, where he won a Champions League and five domestic trophies.

Both players have over a hundred caps for the Three Lions and have scored triple figures in Premier League goals. Lampard’s resume includes three Premier League titles, giving him a 3-0 lead over Gerrard in that respect.

However, many credit Gerrard for single-handedly carrying Liverpool through challenging times. It’s a debate that’s hard to settle on paper, but Owen reflected on his career with a clear opinion on who was the superior midfield talent while in conversation with Express Sport.

In a chat with us, on behalf of AceOdds, he said: “I admire Frank Lampard massively because I think if there’s ever a player that has fought their way to the top against a lot of adversity, possibly not having as much natural ability as some other players as well, but being the first player on the pitch, being the last player off it, putting the work in, practicing, literally getting absolutely every last little bit out of your career through real hard work, then I think Frank Lampard gets top marks.

“I absolutely admire Frank unbelievably for that. But in terms of sheer, raw quality and natural ability, then Steven Gerrard in my eyes is probably better than anything England has produced in midfield.

“He was quicker than virtually everyone, he was stronger than virtually anyone, he had better vision than virtually everyone, he could pass it and score and assist better than virtually everybody, and he was just the most all-round, incredible talent.

“I think Steven Gerrard is the best midfielder I’ve ever played with, or I’ve ever seen really in terms of a central midfielder. I think Steven Gerrard is just an absolute beast.”