In his reflections on his time in the Premier League, former Chelsea standout John Obi Mikel has hailed Steven Gerrard as the standout player during his stint in English football. Over the course of a decade at Stamford Bridge, Mikel encountered formidable adversaries such as Thierry Henry’s Arsenal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United. Amidst intense domestic competition, Mikel clinched two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and two League Cups wearing the Chelsea blue.
While Thierry Henry is often celebrated as the most skillful player in the history of the English top flight, and Ronaldo’s early years at Manchester United set the stage for his illustrious career, Mikel, in a recent discussion on skysports-report, asserted that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was his most challenging opponent. Recalling Gerrard’s shift to a No.10 role alongside Fernando Torres, Mikel praised the Liverpool icon for his speed, technical prowess, strength, and surprising ability to tackle. According to Mikel, Gerrard’s knack for finding space between opponents and defenders made him exceptionally difficult to play against.
When pressed to identify the best player he faced in the Premier League, Mikel reiterated his admiration for Gerrard, emphasizing the Liverpool icon’s exceptional skill set. Despite being prompted with names like Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo, Mikel firmly maintained that, in his view, Steven Gerrard stood out as the epitome of excellence during his time in the English top flight.