Jack Grealish named a number of Premier League icons including Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard and Patrick Vieira among his top 10 all-time midfielders to play in the division.
The former British record transfer was tasked by BT Sport with selecting the best midfielders to take to the pitch in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Slightly controversially, he plumped for Manchester United ’s former Portuguese forward as his favourite of all-time.
Speaking about that decision, the Manchester City star said: "I know he's [Ronaldo] gone on to be a forward, or even a striker, but when he was in the Premier League he was a left midfielder and now it's obviously a toss up between him and Messi for who is the best player in the world.
"His actual record for scoring goals in the Premier League was frightening for a midfielder."
Second in the list was Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard, with Grealish highly complimentary of his Premier League career. He said: "Him or JT [John Terry] are the two best captains of all time in the Premier League. He was unbelievable, scored so many banging goals and he's another one where in the prime of his career he just had everything.
"He was fast, he was strong, he could shoot, he could defend, he could assist. He just had absolutely everything and that's why he was at the top for so long."
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Interestingly, it now appears that Grealish is starting to emulate the former Liverpool captain with a number of his performances at the Etihad Stadium this season. He endured a tricky debut campaign with Man City following his record-breaking move from Aston Villa where he scored just six goals and provided only four assists in all competitions.
He has already beaten that contribution count this season with five goals and nine assists to his name this term. Whilst his attacking contributions are certainly noteworthy, Grealish has also impressed with his work defensively.
He stood out during City’s 4-1 win over Liverpool earlier this month for his willingness to track back. Former Man City boss Stuart Pearce hailed him at the time by saying: “He’s probably saved the game for his team.
“It’s magnificent. He’s run the length of the pitch and got a toe on a cross-field ball which would’ve been a tap-in. It’s brilliant defending.”
Whether Grealish goes on to match the achievements of Gerrard throughout the remainder of his career remains to be seen but he will certainly be hoping to take a big step in that direction by securing a Champions League winners’ medal this season. Man City reached the semi-finals of the competition by overcoming German giants Bayern Munich 4-1 on aggregate on Wednesday evening.
Further down Grealish’s list, Kevin De Bruyne, Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard made up the top five, while there was also a place for all of Yaya Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale, Patrick Vieira and David Silva.
Grealish's top 10 Premier League midfielders
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Steven Gerrard
3. Kevin De Bruyne
4. Ryan Giggs
5. Frank Lampard
6. Yaya Toure
7. Cesc Fabregas
8. Gareth Bale
9. Patrick Vieira
10. David Silva
