Jason McAteer has become the latest in a string of ex-pros to
declare Steven Gerrard the best player in the world.
The former Reds wing-back agrees with Zinedine Zidane and Gary
McAllister that Liverpool's skipper is now peerless.
"When a player like Steven Gerrard, arguably the best player in the
world at the moment, gets space then he'll hurt you all day
long.
"You can't really compare him to Lionel Messi because they both
influence the game in different ways.
"The closest to Steven Gerrard at the moment is probably Kaka - and
I would say Gerrard is above him in the best player ratings.
"He influences the team all over and it's not just about the goals.
It's what he does off the ball, his movement and the way he brings
players into the game."
Despite waxing lyrical about Gerrard, McAteer believes Liverpool's
current run of 13 goals in three games is a real team effort.
He said: "If you look up and down the spine of Liverpool's team
you've got Reina playing fantastically well - then there's
Carragher, Gerrard and Torres.
"When those four players are on their game they'll influence the
rest of the team. Aurelio has been absolutely brilliant in the last
four or five games and Riera played fantastically well on Sunday.
We know all about Dirk Kuyt too. The whole team has played
collectively."