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Marco Materazzi has lent his opinion in the debate over who is best out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

The longstanding debate over who is the best player out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes has pitted fans against one another for close to 20 years.

But former Everton star Marco Materazzi has now weighed in on whom he believes trumps the others.

England's midfield was fortunate to feature all three football icons in their heyday, yet their collaboration often led to an imbalance in the squad.

But when it came to choosing the most talented individual from Liverpool great Gerrard, Manchester United's Scholes or Chelsea icon Lampard, Materazzi made his decision clear.

During a recent appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, supported by Qatar Airways, Materazzi faced the tough question of which of the legendary trio he regarded as superior.

"But, okay, my son loves Frank Lampard, I say Frank Lampard for my son."

Ferdinand further probed Materazzi on whom he believed best matched the style of his former Italy team-mate, Andrea Pirlo.

"Because he's clever, he's smart."

Scholes was compared as being the most similar to Andrea Pirlo(Image: YouTube/@TheOverlap)

However, the Inter Milan legend - who won the Champions League, five Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia trophies - underlined that Pirlo stands "a bit higher" than Scholes.

And he was in fact sent off against the Reds when Inter visited Anfield in February 2008, eventually bowing out of that season's Champions League last 16.

Materazzi was sent off three time in his singular season at Everton(Image: EMPICS Sport)

Both Gerrard and Lampard sustained impressive goal-scoring records for Chelsea and Liverpool throughout their careers.
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