Rafa Benitez names Liverpool legend as the best player he's ever coached

Rafa Benitez has named former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard as the best player he's ever coached, ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 64-year-old was in charge of the Reds between 2004 and 2010 and guided them to Champions League glory in 2005. In the years that followed, he coached Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Napoli, Newcastle United, Everton and, most recently, Celta Vigo.

Despite working with icons such Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Frank Lampard throughout his managerial career, he insists Gerrard was the best of them all. In an interview with The Overlap's It Was What It Was podcast, he outlined what made the Liverpool legend so special.

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"He is the best player I have ever coached," Benitez said. "In terms of a complete player, Stevie had the power, he could score goals, he was good in the air, he could use both feet and he could shoot from distance.

"He could take penalties, his deliveries from corners or free kicks [were really good]. [He could] defend, if it was necessary, as a full back in the Champions League. He had energy, trained well and was a good professional. The point with him, he was a box to box midfielder in the beginning and little by little he was understanding the game.

"He got better in terms of position on the pitch and making decisions later on, but he was great from the beginning."

Gerrard spent almost the entirety of his youth and senior career at Anfield as he eventually departed in 2015 to join MLS side LA Galaxy. After one year in the United States, he retired from playing and has since had spells coaching with Liverpool's academy, at Rangers and Aston Villa. He is currently working in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ettifaq.

While at Liverpool, Gerrard made over 700 appearances for the club across all competitions and scored 186 goals. He also registered 155 assists in that time.