'He's somebody you definitely want with you, not against you'
"Out of all the players I've talked about, he could do everything."
And in a team as crammed with world-class talent as Dominic Matteo’s Ultimate XI, that’s an especially significant homage to Steven Gerrard.
In a new LFCTV series starting today, we ask former Reds to assemble their very own star team from those they encountered during their career.
The rules are simple: five players they played with; five players they played against; and one wildcard, a player they admire but does not necessarily fall into the other two categories.
First to take on the challenge is ex-Liverpool defender Matteo, who opted for a 3-4-3 formation and placed old teammate Gerrard at the heart of his line-up.
“He could play anywhere on the football field,” he explained.
“I’ve played in games where he’s played right-back and been Man of the Match; centre-back, Man of the Match. He could just do it all. An incredible player and a great person.
“He just had the ability to change games at the highest level; at those moments only a couple of people can do that and he’s one of the few that can.
“It was a privilege for me to watch him grow up and mature into the player he was and the manager he is. I’m sure he’ll go on to do a lot more in management as well because he’s an incredible leader and somebody you definitely want with you, not against you.”
Find out who else made Matteo’s Ultimate XI now, by watching the 20-minute episode in full via LFCTV GO below. App users should click here to see the video.
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