"Asked who was the toughest English opponent he had faced over the years, Pirlo said, “That night in Istanbul, Liverpool’s fight back was centralized on Steven Gerrard. He was their leader, their star player, their man who made it happen. Carlo tried to sign Gerrard for Milan so we could play together, but he had no interest in leaving Liverpool,” Pirlo, 36, told ShortList magazine. “We could have played together, but now in MLS we will be playing against each other, and I will look forward to that"

“Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Messi and Ronaldo but yes, I think he just might be.If you don't have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team.When we were winning league titles and European Cups at Real, I always said Claude Makelele was our most important player. There is no way myself, Figo or Raul would have been able to do what we did without Claude and the same goes for Liverpool and Gerrard. He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You can't learn that -- players like him are just born with that presence.”

“Gerrard has been my idol for 10 years and is one of the best players in the world. He is the example of what all midfield players aspire to. He is always there in the heat of the battle, leading by example. He is everywhere you look - in defence, in the middle of the pitch and in attack. I would love to be close to that level.”

“‘He is physically and technically precocious. He’s got a good engine and remarkable energy. He reads the game and he passes quickly. I would hate to think Liverpool have someone as good as Roy Keane.”

“I had really not seen much of him before this season, apart from for England, but wow. I think of him as being at the same level as Pirlo. Vision, technique, but he is powerful as well. Stevie can do anything. It's going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him in the future.”

“On a BBC documentary, Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney was asked who was the best player he played with for England. “I’d have to say Stevie . For me he’s an incredible player, an incredible leader. He helped me a lot during my early days with England.”

“Gerrard is the best player I've ever played with”