Stephen Craigan believes veteran captain Steven Davis has earned his place among the best three players Northern Ireland has ever produced.
Davis earned his 135th cap on Thursday night in the UEFA Nations League against Greece.
The 37-year-old midfielder shows no signs of stopping just yet, having penned a new one-year contract with Rangers and leading his country into a new competitive campaign.
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Former Northern Ireland defender Craigan believes Davis will continue to be one of the first names on Ian Baraclough's teamsheet.
And he also believes Davis has earned his place in the pantheon of the country's greatest ever footballers.
"People want to talk about age. And people are fascinated by age. But they should be fascinated by performance," Craigan told Premier Sports.
"And Steven's level of performance over the last six or seven years hasn't deviated. There have actually been times where he has been getting better.
"And it comes with age because you read the game better and understand the game better. Steven knows when to speed the game up and slow it down.
"He knows when to play the longer pass, the shorter one. And you will notice tonight when players are in trouble, he is the release pass. He takes the pressure off the ball and helps the players around him.
"Plus there is nobody coming behind him who is, as yet, as good as him to dislodge him from this team. So as long as he makes himself available I still think he has to start in this midfield.
"And he is such a humble guy."
Craigan has George Best and Norman Whiteside as his top two Northern Ireland players of all time.
After that he believes there is a "bunch" of players, headed by current captain Davis.
Craigan said: "It might be a big call I am going to make, but you look at George Best as the best player we have ever produced in this country. I think Norman Whiteside is second best. Steven Davis is in that bunch in behind who is the third best player this country has produced.
"That's a big call for someone. But his longevity, his consistency and level of performance. He ticks every single box and I don't think many people would argue."
Northern Ireland men's record goalscorer David Healy also hailed the consistent performances of Davis for club and country.
The Linfield boss said: "Steve sees things other people don't see.
"And the biggest pat on the back is that any manager he's played for, they can't say enough positive things about him.
"Mauricio Pochettino, Walter Smith, Steven Gerrard. If it's goof enough for them, it should be good enough for us.
"If Steve Davis had been English, or possibly Spanish or French, people might talk more about him.
"But we should be proud of him."
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